Howl's Moving Castle and the Magic of Loving Yourself

Whether it's the book, or the movie, Howl's Moving Castle is an incredible force of feel good. It has a powerful message of loving yourself no matter your looks and how believing in yourself is vastly more powerful than any magic or witch could ever be.

Now of course that is certainly a beautiful message and the point of both mediums, no matter how different they are, but there's also this delightful sense of playful magic, a reminder that you're never too old to believe in magic. To be magical. Both Diana Wynne Jones, the originator of this beautiful story, and Hayao Miyazaki captured this in a way that I can't even describe, this fear that you have to be a child to be magical, to hold magic.

Not to spoil things too much, but Howl is very powerful, and holds a great magic, and it's because he's childish, or so he thinks. And yes it's true the thing that keeps him childish does give him a boost, but in the end, it's more important to grow, to not remain stagnant, because no matter how old you are, you can still imagine, you can still create, and you certainly can still see the magic in life.

The book is perfect for middle grade readers and then everyone up, from teens to grandparents, it's quite literally a perfect read. The fantasy is there, the perfect message, the fun characters, and then if you fancy it, there's a perfect family friendly romance too! I don't know about the sequels, but Howl stands alone if you'd prefer! I still have to get my hands on the rest, but when I do, I'll probably do a follow up.

The movie however, I watched long before the book, and I turn to it every time I need inspiration, or every time I just need a mood boost. It's a feel good movie, and it puts me in such a perfect state of mind for relaxing, for writing, or just for recovering from a particularly bad day/week/month.

It's a bit darker than the book, and they change things up a bit, adding a handful of pretty dark moments where evil wizards bomb a city, and tear into Howl, which might be a bit frightening for a child, but it's definitely still in the range that a younger kid could watch, I know I wasn't frightened by much as a child.

If you're looking for a book to bring you together with your family, with friends, with younger siblings, etc. this is the perfect way to do it! If they prefer movies, but you want to get them into books, have them watch the movie with you then share the book! If they don't particularly care for movie adaptations, once again, show them the movie then hand them the book!

Because even though the movie changes some things, it's still perfect!

Then of course if you're like me and you just want to watch a pretty movie with a pretty, dramatic wizard and the girl who refuses to bow to his nonsense, while still falling head over heels for his stupidity, then this is CERTAINLY for you!

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Where Can I Buy This Book?

Right

Here

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