This is book 3 of the Howl’s Castle series
This book is set in High Norland, a kingdom that borders to the north of Ingary.
Charmain Baker has led a very normal but sheltered life. She’s in her mid teens and spends most of her time with her nose in a book and has never learned to do any of the household chores. She is asked to house sit for her Great Uncle William – the Royal Wizard of High Norland – when he falls ill and is taken away by elves. Charmain is left alone with an immense mess and then a boy appears at the door claiming to be Great Uncle William’s apprentice. The boy, Peter, is very rude and has a massive appetite. He eats Charmain’s food without asking and keeps telling her she’s very messy – even though the mess was Great Uncle William’s. Charmain knows nothing about magic, but seems to have a knack for it which she finds out when she tries out a few spells and even sometimes when she doesn’t.
Great Uncle William’s cottage is small, but like Howl’s Moving Castle, the inside is much bigger than the outside – the house’s door can take you to rooms inside the cottage, but also to the Royal Palace, and even other time periods!
Before she left home, Charmain had written a letter to the King of High Norland, asking if he and his daughter needed help with their work in the Palace’s library. And shortly after Charmain arrives in Great Uncle William’s cottage she receives a letter summoning her to the Palace. On the day she goes to the Palace, Great Uncle William’s stray dog Waif keeps following her – after she’s returned the dog several times, she eventually decides to take the dog with her. At the Palace both Charmain and Waif are greeted warmly by both King Adolphus and his daughter the Princess Hilda. Adolphus is a very nice man who loves cakes and crumpets, and he’s a good friend of Great Uncle William. Charmain is a little afraid of Princess Hilda, but she seems like a lovely lady.
Charmain starts helping the two royals with their task of cataloguing everything that’s in the library. And one day, she’s told that a friend of Princess Hilda will be visiting. Charmain is a little afraid because she finds Princess Hilda intimidating, and assumes that her friend will be like her. When she meets the Princess’ friend she is pleasantly surprised that she’s a younger woman called Sophie Pendragon. Sophie and Princess Hilda met when Princess Hilda was held captive by the Djinn in Howl’s Moving Castle (See Castle in the Air) and have kept in touch Their afernoon tea is rudely interrupted by Sophie’s toddler Morgan and an angelic little boy with a lisp called Twinkle….
This is the third book in the series, and I so love Sophie and Howl! Like the other books, I could not put it down even though it was the third time I’ve read them in as many years!
Read for the PopSugar Reading Challenge 2025
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