You are invited to join readers from over 22,000 libraries worldwide in Libby Reads (formerly Big Library Read)!
From November 18 - December 2, library card holders can enjoy “The Village Beyond the Mist” by Sachiko Kashiwaba as a book or audiobook with no waitlists or holds through Libby.
About the Book
Kashiwaba's classic novel invites readers into a mysterious mountain village where folklore, magic and community intertwine. It’s a story of resilience, wonder and the bonds that bring people together, perfect for sparking meaningful conversations across communities. “The Village Beyond the Mist” was published in English for the first time in 2025, 50 years after it was originally published in Japan. This whimsical novel also served as the inspiration for the award-winning film “Spirited Away.”
Resources
About the Author
Sachiko Kashiwaba is a prolific writer of children's and young adult fantasy whose career spans more than five decades. In Japan, her works have garnered the prestigious Sankei, Shogakukan, and Noma children's literature awards. Her books have also been animated as the films The Wonderland and The House of the Lost on the Cape, among others, and her 1975 novel The Village Beyond the Mist-published in English in 2025-inspired Hayao Miyazaki's film Spirited Away.
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, and her novel The House of the Lost on the Cape, translated by Avery Fischer Udagawa and illustrated by Yukiko Saito, was named a 2024 Batchelder Honor Book. She lives in Morioka, Iwate.
