Studio Ghibli Movie to Book Pairings

A heroic pair of kids in a magical realm full of mystery and danger? That applies to both of these stories. In The Whisperwicks: Labyrinth of Lost and Found, Benjamiah finds himself lost in a strange maze  with more secrets and perils than his scientific mind can keep up with — but with the help of Elizabella, they just might be able to solve the puzzle and get Benjamiah home safely.  

Giant cats — some shaped like buses, some surfing and dealing ice cream cones — there’s plenty to go around between My Neighbor Totoro and Crenshaw. Both stories will scratch the itch of sprucing up reality with a dose of the unbelievable. In Crenshaw, Jackson must face increasing stress that no child should have to, but with the help of his imaginary friend Crenshaw (he is imaginary, right?), he might just make it through.  

A young girl accidentally finds herself whisked away to a spirit world, where she is up against impossible odds to sort herself out and make it back to her reality. That’s what happens in both stories, not to mention the major cultural touchpoints that form the backbone of these incredible worlds. In Anzu and the Realm of Darkness, Anzu has to face off against a legion of Japanese mythological creatures (some good, some bad) as she grapples with her own identity. 

Sure, you could also just read Howl’s Moving Castle by Dianne Wynne Jones (and you absolutely should), but in the meantime, who doesn’t love the story of a girl carried off on a whirlwind adventure full of unexpected magic, where she must not only survive, but thrive? Sophie does it with the help of Howl and Co., and you’ll find similarly sensational storytelling in Greenwild, the story of a young girl in charge of saving a lush paradise of mystical greenery and botanical geniuses. And it all starts with opening a door.  

A young girl leads a parade of ghosts around Tokyo, but what will she do when the night ends?  

A magical quest with a simple objective: silence. But as with any quest, it’s often the journey, not the destination, that really matters.  

A child’s search for self, his family’s past, and a gorgeous fairytale woven together to tell a complete story where the line between magic and reality is closer than you think.