The Village Beyond the Mist

by Sachiko Kashiwaba, Avery Fischer Udagawa (Translator), Miho Satake (Illustrator)

Overview

"Kashiwaba's novel is indeed transporting. . . . Pick up this book and be spirited away." — Gregory Maguire, The New York Times

From the bestselling, Batchelder Award-winning author and translator of Temple Alley Summer and The House of the Lost on the Cape comes the fantastic adventure that first inspired Hayao Miyazaki’s beloved film, Spirited Away.

Lina’s father had suggested she go "someplace different" for the summer, and she's beginning to wish she hadn’t listened. She could be at her grandma’s house in Nagano now, instead of trudging through a forest in search of a town that might not even exist. But when a gust of wind carries off her umbrella, it leads Lina down a secret path between the trees to a strange and incredible world. In the hidden village of Misty Valley, centaurs roam the cobblestone streets and gnomes visit shops stuffed with spellbooks and enchanted desserts. All magic has a dark side, though, and sometimes even sorcerers need a human’s helping hand.

Now, fifty years after its debut and decades of blockbuster success in Japan, Sachiko Kashiwaba’s acclaimed novel is available in English and certain to delight readers of all ages.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781632063922
Publisher:	Restless Books
Publication date:	05/27/2025
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	730L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 13 Years

About the Author

Sachiko Kashiwaba is a prolific writer of children’s and young adult fantasy whose career spans more than four decades. Her works have garnered the prestigious Sankei, Shogakukan, and Noma children’s literature awards, and her novel The Village Beyond the Mist inspired Hayao Miyazaki’s film Spirited Away. Her works have recently been animated as the films The Wonderland and The House of the Lost on the Cape, and her novel Temple Alley Summer, illustrated by Miho Satake and translated by Avery Fischer Udagawa, won the American Library Association’s 2022 Mildred L. Batchelder Award. She lives in Morioka, Iwate.

Avery Fischer Udagawa grew up in Kansas and studied English and Asian Studies at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. She holds an MA in advanced Japanese studies from the University of Sheffield. She has studied at Nanzan University, Nagoya, on a Fulbright fellowship, and at the Inter-UniversityCenter for Japanese Language Studies, Yokohama. She writes, translates and works in international education near Bangkok, where she lives with her bicultural family.

Miho Satake is a Japanese artist and illustrator. She is best known for illustrating the Japanese editions of several classic children’s books including Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, three books in the Kiki’s Delivery Service series by Eiko Kadono, and the twentieth-anniversary edition of the Harry Potter series. In addition to illustrating classic children's literature, her work spans a wide range of genres, including fantasy and realism.

Editorial Reviews

"Kashiwaba's novel is indeed transporting. . . . Pick up this book and be spirited away." — Gregory Maguire, The New York Times

"Teetering on the edge of absurdity, the tale reads like a parable, simultaneously simple and profound, infused with a timeless message about the importance of community." — Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“Filled with whimsy, wonder, and wisdom, Lina’s journey will have all of us looking for magical villages just a step away.” — Wendy Mass, author of The Candymakers

“Ten minutes after closing the book, I was already wishing to return to the delightful Absurd Avenue in Misty Valley. This is a small, bright gem of a tale about bravery, kindness, care, and community, and wonder after wonder, in the very kind of magical town I adore. May we all, like Lina, be ready to follow when magic beckons, and take a chance on adventure. (Even—especially?—when we have to earn it!)” — Kate Milford, author of Greenglass House

“Beautiful and whimsical, the mist of enchantment hangs in the air on every page as Lina discovers Absurd Avenue’s many wonders. A true celebration of the magic to be found in community.” — Kate Albus, author of A Place to Hang the Moon

"Kashiwaba’s beloved novel, seamlessly translated from Japanese to English by Udagawa and complemented by Satake’s intricate illustrations, invites young readers into a world filled with delightful whimsy, profound moments of self-discovery, and gentle reminders of the power of community. . . . While this book is driven by quiet moments of reflection rather than action, readers will appreciate a timeless, enchanting read and find themselves wanting to revisit the Misty Valley again and again." — The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“A delightful, cozy, and whimsical story of meeting new people, enjoying the simple things in life, and showing kindness. Its otherworldly liminal space, odd inhabitants, and curious magic shows why this book inspired the film Spirited Away.” — Youth Services Book Review

"A delightful, multigenerational fantasy" — Nanette McGuinness, Global Literature in Libraries Initiative

“A new kind of Japanese fantasy with humorous episodes and a mixture of western and rustic atmosphere . . . and original charm in the details.” — International Institute for Children’s Literature Osaka, One Hundred Japanese Books for Children

“You can feel the whimsical energy that inspired Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, but this short fable is a masterpiece on its own. Adventurous and hopeful while conveying the rewards of hard work and community. This would make a delightful read-aloud.” — Ashlee Null, Vroman’s Bookstore

“Readers get to spend a wondrous summer in a magical village in this delightful Japanese classic in translation. Lina earns her keep working with magical pottery, mystical books, a friendly tiger, and so much more in this slim volume. Images from this book will stick with readers over their lives like a misty memory.” — Robin Stern, Books Inc.

“The type of whimsical story that you read as a child, remember as an adult, and find yourself frantically searching for again. Perfect for fans of Diana Wynne Jones, Eva Ibbotson, and Patricia C. Wrede.” — Katherine Nazzaro, Porter Square Books

From the Publisher

★ 2025-03-22
In this translation of the 1975 Japanese classic that inspired Hayao Miyazaki’s filmSpirited Away, a child solves unusual problems with wisdom and kindness.

At her father’s suggestion, sixth grader Lina Uesugi makes her way to the magical hidden town known as Misty Valley. When she arrives at Picotto Hall, Ms. Picotto, a severe elderly woman dressed in black, puts her to work in exchange for board. Assisting the local shopkeepers isn’t tough, but Lina’s true assignment turns out to be healing the broken people she encounters. Tasked with picking up books loaned to Thomas, the owner of a marine store who lives in squalor with his angry parrot, Dummy, she finds herself cleaning up the mess and bonding with both of them. While working in the toy store, Lina finds a way to help the toymaker’s son, who’s yearning for his absent mother. And she even lends a hand when a frantic queen arrives on an elephant, looking for her princely son, who’s been turned into a piece of pottery. Empathetic Lina forges connections throughout this enchanted—and enchanting—world filled with gnomes and talking tigers. Black-and-white illustrations reminiscent of Shel Silverstein’s work bump up against the margins of the words and dance across the page, sprinkling the story with whimsy. Teetering on the edge of absurdity, the tale reads like a parable, simultaneously simple and profound, infused with a timeless message about the importance of community.

Captivating and magical, with a dash of goodness baked in. (note to readers from the 1975 Japanese edition)(Fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews