#128 in Middle grade
Castle in the Air
- 298
- Pages
- about 5 h
- Reading time
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Our view
“Castle in the Air” is a loose sequel to “Howl’s Moving Castle”: an Arabian Nights comedy with a new hero and old friends in disguise. Some readers enjoy its humour, and the ending can recast everything before it and invite a second reading; others praise the pacing but do not take to Abdullah as a lead. Anyone hoping for more of Sophie should know she is not at the centre this time.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
Castle in the Air is a young adult fantasy novel written by Diana Wynne Jones and first published in 1990. The novel is a sequel to Howl's Moving Castle and is set in the same fantasy world, though it follows the adventures of Abdullah rather than Sophie Hatter. The plot is based on stories from the Arabian Nights. The book features many of the characters from Howl's Moving Castle as supporting characters, often under some sort of disguise.
Reading order · Howl’s Moving Castle series
Full order & progress →- Howl's Moving CastleStart here
8.38.3 / 10 - Castle in the AirThis book
7.77.7 / 10 - House of Many Ways
7.87.8 / 10
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.5 across 229 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 61% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Middle grade average of 8.0. That is how 7.7 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 7.2 | 19 | 8% |
| Hardcover | 7.5 | 210 | 92% |
Frequently asked
What age is Castle in the Air for?
Castle in the Air sits on the Middle grade shelf in the sources we use, which by convention means roughly ages 8–12. This is a guide from the book’s category, not a publisher’s age rating. It has 298 pages — shorter than 94% of the ranked books in Middle grade.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Middle grade — with scores between 7.5 and 8.6, closest to this book.
