Charmain leaves home for the first time to take care of her wizard uncle's house. All she wants to do is curl up with a book and some food, so of course she ends up having to save the kingdom.

Quick review: Fans of Howl's Moving Castle will most likely enjoy this book compared to Castle in the Air which some fans did not enjoy. It's world is more like the original, and it features Howl, Calcifer, and Sophie in stronger supporting roles. Like the book before it, I left my critical mind turned off and simply enjoyed the story—something I don't do often enough.

Charmain is a young girl from a pampered home in a neighboring kingdom from Howl & Sophie who is suddenly thrust into the world of magic because her aunt forced her into housesitting for a wizard. From here the story becomes zanier and zanier, following the plot spiral of the previous two books, winding tighter and faster towards the end in a whirlwind of events. Jones' seems to have the balance down just right for this writing style.

Dialog was snappy, the protagonists seemed fleshed out, and the setting was wonderful, fanciful, and a delight to read. I had only two complaints. First, Howl's character was cartoonish and non-engaging for me. I grew tired of Baby Howl and wished for a masterful wizard to step forward. Instead, I got the feeling that Howl was reduced so that the story could proceed. Secondly, Prince Ludovic was even flatter than Baby Howl. I know the story told me he was dangerous, but the humorous writing style perhaps minimized his deadly nature. It is true he was a pawn, not the master puppeteer, but the master was killed off camera and then the story continued. The climax of the story dictated that Ludovic should rise to the challenge. If that was Jones' intent, then it didn't work for me. I found him more farcical than fearsome.

Even with those criticisms, House was a fabulous tale that entertained from beginning to end. Whimsy was wound into every page of the book, and fans of Howl's will feel right at home in this world. ( )

Reviewed by Elly for TeensReadToo.com

When book lover Charmain Baker has to go and take care of Great Uncle William Norland's (a wizard) house while he is away, she is in for a surprise.

Soon after arriving, she discovers that the letter she sent to the King was answered, and he wants her to work with him in the Royal Library. Then Sophie Pendragon, Wizard Howl, and Morgan arrive, making the palace almost a nursery.

The Wizard Howl and Sophie ask Charmain to help them look for the King's disappearing gold by looking for any mention of debts or loans in the records she is reviewing for the King.

With help from new characters Waif and Peter Charmain, the plot gets thrown into a confusing mystery. Diana Wynne Jones's sequel to HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE will keep readers breathless as they follow Charmain through her never-ending surprises and encounters with kobolds, lubbocks and elves.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who enjoys Diana Wynne Jones's writing or wants a fascinating fantasy mystery. Although this book is a sequel, it can be read without any prior knowledge of the first book. ( )

House of Many Ways is the second sequel to Howl's Moving Castle; it feels more of a direct sequel than Castle in the Air but it feels different, yet again.
Charmain’s parents are talked into letting Charmain house-sit for her great uncle William, which all very well, except book-obsessed Charmain has been brought up to be respectable (read: completely sheltered from the realities of magic and housework) and her uncle is the Royal Wizard. Hence an improbable house “of many ways”, an unexpected house-guest, problems with the unusual gardener, experiments with house-keeping and a quest for employment…
It’s fun, very fun. The House is fantastic, and there’s something very likable about Charmain, with her believable flaws and endearing desire to work in the royal library. Waif, the dog, is bursting with personality, it is interesting to see a different country/culture and it’s very entertaining to meet Howl et al again.
However, everything is too readily and easily resolved, deus ex machine style… almost. It feels more like children’s fantasy than the other two. But let that not be held against it. ( )

Charmain's parents have brought her up to be...respectable. So when her Aunt Sempronia talks them into letting her house sit for Great-Uncle William the wizard, she's suddenly brought a little out of her comfort zone. When she shows up, Great-Uncle William is whisked away by the elves who need to heal him, and she's left with a huge pile of dishes and an ever-growing stack of laundry. What she really wants to do though, is just read (and maybe get a look at the King's library!).

This is the sequel to Howl's Moving Castle and Castle in the Air. It could stand alone, but it's more fun to read when you already know old characters when they reappear. I think, though, that this book may have had a little too much to live up to, and got a slightly lower rating from me than it might have otherwise. ( )