Castle in the Air (World of Howl Series Book 2)
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Published April 22, 2008
Page Count: 400
Abdullah wastes his days with daydreaming. Wouldn’t you if you were a disappointment to your family and your carpet business is going down the drain. His life quickly changes when a mysterious man comes through town selling what he calls, “a magic carpet.” This carpet whisks Abdullah away from his humdrum life to one filled with djinns, bottled genies, flying castles, and kidnapped princesses. He may even end up meeting a famous wizard named Howl and his wife Sophia.
Reading Audience:
Amazon customers seem to think ages eight to twelve can read this one. I would say this is aimed at middle school and above. This book would be perfect to read aloud to all ages that can sit still and listen. If read aloud the reader could also edit any words they wanted to.
Stuff to be aware of:
Drinking - Wine and beer are mentioned and there are characters that drink. Tobacco is also used.
Language - The word d*mn is used three times throughout the book. There is minor name calling such as fool, mongrel, and insect. There are some phrases such as “cut his throat, torture him, hang you on a pike, hellish beast, and let the vultures eat you.”
Scariness - The Djinn could be scary. They kind of resemble gargoyles. They have leathery wings, fangs, long golden talos, and i the book carry people off.
Sexual - There is a mention of dancing girls. There is mention of a djinn being “ravished” and then having a baby. One character mentions that, “fangs are sexy.” There are some women that are being forced to marry someone they do not love.
Violence - One character mentions people drowning kittens. One character gets his nose bitten and a character gets a ring pulled out of his nose.
Other - In the culture Abdullah is from men can marry more than one wife, this is discussed briefly a few times. There are two characters that are constantly referred to as fat. This is seen as a compliment, but still this is how they are described.
Overall:
Howl’s Moving Castle is one of my favorite books. When I heard the author had written three books in this world I got excited. While this story isn’t as good as Howl’s Moving Castle it is a fun story and connects to Howl and his world in multiple ways. I will give you a heads up, don’t expect any of the characters from the first book to show up until very late in the book. This is not a sequel as much as it is a story that includes the lands from the original book and guest apperances.
From a family/kids perspective this story is a bit more ‘adult,’ but still is pretty tame.
This website receives compensation through the use of Amazon Affiliate links. If you would like to purchase this book, use this Amazon link by clicking the picture below and the commission will go to help keep the website running.
Click here to be taken by magic carpet to Amazon.