Howl's Moving Castle

A connection I found to our theme of coming of age is the book Howl's Moving Castle. In this book, the main character is transformed from her youth into the personage of a creaky old lady who must break her spell by cleaning up the grotesque castle of the Wizard Howl.

I see many similarities to Jane Eyre in this fun book: the main character is a strong-willed, less-than-attractive lady put into situations with few people in a big, bilious mansion. In both, there is a strange and unnerving secret behind the male character.

There is also an old lady in both named Mrs. Fairfax--strange coincidence, I'd say--and both were written by British ladies. Both are heartwarming stories that feature suspense and an exciting climax and romance; both the main characters are called witches.

With this evidence, I have concluded (as I'm sure you have, reader) that Ms. Diana Wynne Jones, author of Howl's Moving Castle, is actually a psuedonym for Charlotte Bronte.