House of Many Ways
Author: Diana Wynne Jones

Review by [pegasus1000]



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Another bit of fun.

This book is about a young girl named Charmain Baker who has lived a sheltered life and has had her nose in a book sense she could read. News comes to her family home that her Great Uncle William (who is a wizard) is ill and will need to be healed by elves and Charmain has been chosen to look after the wizards home. Before Charmain leaves she writes a letter to the king asking is she could help compiling the royal library. Charmain is happy for the change but is in for a rude awakening when she finds the home a complete mess and has no clue as to how to clean anything.

Upon entering the house she finds that there is just one door from the living room to the kitchen. Asking the spell left on the house Charmain finds the door can lead to almost any place - from other rooms like the kitchen and bedrooms, to faraway places like a meadow and the Royal Palace. Charmain ends up looking after a magical stray dog named Waif. She explores the meadow and had an encounter with a horrible lubbock. Returning to the house she hears a knocking on the door and now has to share a roof with a confused young apprentice wizard named Peter who tries to work some spells from her Great Uncle William's library but has no success in any spell he tries. The good news is that Peter is a hard worker and almost shames Charmain into helping out around the house. On top of that he does not know left from right witch makes it hard on him navigating the door. Charmain also has to deal with a clan of small blue creatures called Kobolds.

While helping the King Charmain in introduced to Sophie Pendragon and family (who intrude on poor Sophie). Sophie has been called by the elderly princess to help find their missing gold.

Charmain is soon involved in curing the kingdom of its financial ills and rediscovering the long-lost Elfgift.

A Fun read and continues the "Howl's Castle" Series. The first book is still my favorite story in the group.



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