Sophie is cursed by the Witch of the Waste into an old woman. In shock, she leaves her family's hat shop and takes up residence in the wizard Howl's moving castle as his housekeeper after making a bargain with the fire demon Calcifer. Calcifer will break her curse if Sophie breaks his contract with Howl. But it isn't so easy to break the contract with Howl continuously falling in love, a scarecrow chasing Sophie, and searching for the missing Prince Justin and Wizard Solimon.
I love this book. Diana Wynne Jones was possibly the best fantasy author for kids and teens in my opinion. Her books are also intricately plotted with great characterization and moments of humor. I listened to this on audio and absolutely loved the narrator's version. The accents she used for the different characters were great. I especially loved her Welsh accent for Howl.
