What is Diana Wynne Jones's highest-rated book?

"Howl's Moving Castle" is Diana Wynne Jones's highest-rated book on LuvemBooks, with a reader rating of 4.6/5.

How many Diana Wynne Jones books are reviewed on LuvemBooks?

We have reviewed 2 books by Diana Wynne Jones.

What genres does Diana Wynne Jones write?

Diana Wynne Jones's books span genres including Fantasy, Travel & Adventure, Fiction.

When was Diana Wynne Jones born?

Diana Wynne Jones was born in 1934 and passed away in 2011.

We've reviewed 2 Diana Wynne Jones books, both fantasy novels in the Howl's Moving Castle series and both reader-rated 4.6/5 (Amazon aggregate). Howl's Moving Castle (1986) follows Sophie Hatter, cursed into an old woman's body and bargaining with a fire demon in Wizard Howl's chaotic household — a Phoenix Award winner that inspired a Studio Ghibli film. Castle in the Air (1990), the second book in the series, follows carpet salesman Abdullah on a genie-propelled quest to rescue his beloved Flower-in-the-Night from a djinn's sky-high castle.

Diana Wynne Jones

British

1934 – 2011

Diana Wynne Jones was a British novelist, poet, academic, literary critic, and short story writer. She principally wrote speculative fiction for children and young adults. Although usually described as fantasy, her work also incorporates science fiction themes like time travel and parallel universes, alongside elements of realism. Her best-known books include Howl's Moving Castle and Castle in the Air, stories linked by the wizard Howl, his household, and a castle that moves.

In Castle in the Air, a young carpet merchant in the city of Zanzib acquires a magic carpet and is drawn into a plot involving a stolen princess, a djinni, and a castle that travels through the air, tying his fortunes to Howl. The book shows Jones's characteristic approach: fairy-tale and Arabian Nights materials combined with comic plotting and protagonists whose practical concerns collide with magical complications. Her stories often place young characters in situations where they must question the rules of the worlds they inhabit.

On LuvemBooks, we've reviewed 2 of Diana Wynne Jones's books, including Castle in the Air and Howl's Moving Castle.

2

Books Reviewed

In order

Diana Wynne Jones books in order

49 books, 4 series; 2 reviewed on LuvemBooks. Dates and covers from Amazon.

Dalemark Quartet3 books

#12005
The Dalemark Quartet
Amazon ↗
#31980
Spellcoats
Amazon ↗
#42012
The Crown of Dalemark
Amazon ↗

Chronicles of Chrestomanci2 books

#11998
Charmed Life
Amazon ↗
#21988
The Lives of Christopher Chant
Amazon ↗

Chrestomanci4 books

#22000
The Magicians of Caprona
Amazon ↗
#31997
Witch Week
Amazon ↗
#52001
Mixed Magics
Amazon ↗
#62005
Conrad’s Fate
Amazon ↗

Howl's Castle2 books

#22001
Castle in the Air
Our review →
#32008
House of Many Ways
Amazon ↗

Standalones and other books

1980
FOUR GRANNIES
Amazon ↗
1984
The Skiver's Guide
Amazon ↗
1984
Archer's Goon
Amazon ↗
1984
Fire and Hemlock
Amazon ↗
1986
The Homeward Bounders
Amazon ↗
1987
A Tale of Time City
Amazon ↗
1989
Chair person
Amazon ↗
1990
Who Got Rid of Angus Flint?
Amazon ↗
1990
The Ogre Downstairs
Amazon ↗
1991
Aunt Maria
Amazon ↗
1991
Black Maria
Amazon ↗
1992
A Sudden Wild Magic
Amazon ↗
1993
Stopping for a Spell: Three Fantasies
Amazon ↗
1994
Hexwood
Amazon ↗
1998
Dark Lord of Derkholm
Amazon ↗
1998
The Tough Guide to Fantasyland
Amazon ↗
1999
Believing Is Seeing: Seven Stories
Amazon ↗
1999
Deep Secret
Amazon ↗
2000
Eight Days of Luke
Amazon ↗
2000
The Chrestomanci Quartet
Amazon ↗
2001
Dogsbody
Amazon ↗
2001
Year of the Griffin
Amazon ↗
2001
Howl's Moving Castle
Our review →
2001
Power of Three
Amazon ↗
2001
The Time of the Ghost
Amazon ↗

Castle in the Air

Castle in the Air is a young adult fantasy novel by Diana Wynne Jones, first published in 1990, and the second book in the Howl's Moving Castle series. It follows Abdullah, a carpet salesman from Zanzib, whose magic carpet and a cranky wish-granting genie propel him on a quest to rescue his beloved Flower-in-the-Night from a djinn's sky-high castle. Kirkus Reviews called it "a bewitching romp, gratifying to mind, imagination, and funny bone."

Reviewed Sep 13, 2026

Howl's Moving Castle

4.6/5

reader rating · 24,070 ratings

Howl's Moving Castle is a 1986 fantasy novel by Diana Wynne Jones in which Sophie Hatter, cursed into the body of an old woman by the Witch of the Waste, strikes a bargain with a fire demon to break the spell — all while navigating the chaotic household of the vain but good-natured Wizard Howl. It won the Phoenix Award and inspired a Studio Ghibli film, cementing its place as one of the most enduring works of modern fantasy.

Reviewed Sep 12, 2026

Ask LuvemBooks about Diana Wynne Jones

Diana Wynne Jones wrote comic fantasy built on bargains, curses, and gloriously chaotic magic — in Howl's Moving Castle, Sophie Hatter is cursed into an old woman's body and cuts a deal with a fire demon inside the vain Wizard Howl's unruly household, while Castle in the Air sends a carpet salesman after a kidnapped bride with a cranky genie in tow. We've reviewed 2 of their books, both from the Howl series, and both carry a 4.6/5 reader rating (Amazon aggregate) — evidence that Jones's playful, fairy-tale-tilting style holds up decades after publication.

Where should I start?: Start with Howl's Moving Castle. It's the first of the 2 books we've reviewed in the series, it's the novel that won the Phoenix Award and inspired the Studio Ghibli film, and it carries a 4.6/5 reader rating from over 24,000 Amazon ratings — a much larger pool than its sequel. Its setup is also wonderfully self-contained: a cursed heroine, a fire demon bargain, and the chaotic household of Wizard Howl.
What's their writing style?: Judging by the 2 books we've reviewed, Jones writes playful, comic fantasy that delights in upending fairy-tale expectations — a heroine cursed into old age, a vain wizard who's actually good-natured, a cranky genie granting wishes. Their stories run on bargains, quests, and endearingly chaotic magical households rather than grim stakes. Kirkus Reviews captured the tone of Castle in the Air by calling it 'a bewitching romp.'
Books we've reviewed: We've reviewed 2 Diana Wynne Jones books, both fantasy novels in the Howl's Moving Castle series and both reader-rated 4.6/5 (Amazon aggregate). Howl's Moving Castle (1986) follows Sophie Hatter, cursed into an old woman's body and bargaining with a fire demon in Wizard Howl's chaotic household — a Phoenix Award winner that inspired a Studio Ghibli film. Castle in the Air (1990), the second book in the series, follows carpet salesman Abdullah on a genie-propelled quest to rescue his beloved Flower-in-the-Night from a djinn's sky-high castle.
How do their books compare?: Both reviewed books are comic fantasies reader-rated 4.6/5 (Amazon aggregate), but they differ in scope and cast. Howl's Moving Castle stays close to Sophie Hatter's curse and the domestic chaos of Wizard Howl's household, and its rating rests on over 24,000 Amazon ratings. Castle in the Air roams further afield — a magic carpet, a cranky genie, and a quest to a djinn's sky-high castle — with a new lead in Abdullah the carpet salesman, and its 4.6/5 comes from a smaller pool of about 6,000 ratings.
What genre do they write?: Diana Wynne Jones writes fantasy — both books we've reviewed are shelved as Fantasy, with Castle in the Air specifically a young adult fantasy. Their brand of it is comic and fairy-tale-inflected: curses, fire demons, magic carpets, and wish-granting genies, played with a light touch rather than epic grimness.
Are any books being adapted?: Howl's Moving Castle already has been — the novel inspired a Studio Ghibli film, which the book's enduring fame is partly credited with cementing. We don't have adaptation news for any of their other works in our coverage.
What should I read after Howl's Moving Castle?: The natural next step is Castle in the Air, the second book in the Howl's Moving Castle series and the other Diana Wynne Jones title we've reviewed. It shifts the spotlight to Abdullah, a carpet salesman from Zanzib, whose magic carpet and a cranky wish-granting genie launch him on a quest to rescue Flower-in-the-Night from a djinn's sky-high castle. Like Howl's, it's reader-rated 4.6/5 (Amazon aggregate).

Who is Diana Wynne Jones?

Where should I start?

What's their writing style?

Books we've reviewed

How do their books compare?

What genre do they write?

Are any books being adapted?

What should I read after Howl's Moving Castle?

Who is Diana Wynne Jones?

Diana Wynne Jones was a British novelist, poet, academic, literary critic, and short story writer. They're best known for fantasy novels including Charmed Life and Howl's Moving Castle, the latter of which won the Phoenix Award and inspired a Studio Ghibli film. On LuvemBooks we've reviewed 2 of their books, both reader-rated 4.6/5 (Amazon aggregate).

Follow up

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