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House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones

By curlyq
When Charmain Baker is sent to house-sit for her Great-Uncle William, things do not go as planned. Obsessed with reading, she thinks she will have oodles of time to devour books without any interference. How wrong she is! Charmain ends up sharing the house responsibilities with a rather magically inept apprentice wizard and they find themselves faced with the obstacles of cleaning enormous piles of dirty dishes and loads of laundry. Aside from the challenges of cleaning, Great Uncle William's house bends space and time, which provides its own difficulties. Charmain encounters a dangerous lubbock, is hired as an assistant for the king, meets Sophie and the Wizard Howl, and joins them in a cryptic search for something called the Elfgift. Read House of Many Ways for the full adventure!

A sequel to Howl's Moving Castle, this is a fun, fast-paced, exciting adventure. Some of the adventures are on the tame side, such as laundry mishaps and bubble troubles, while others are a little frightening, such as Charmain's close encounter with a strange and evil creature. I found the book to be interesting and engaging and really enjoyed Charmain's character. Fans of Jone's previous books and especially of Howl's Moving Castle will enjoy this new addition!

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