Night on the Galactic Railroad

The most renowned work by the legendary Japanese writer who inspired Studio Ghibli, Night on the Galactic Railroad is a classic for readers of My Father's Dragon and A Wrinkle in Time.An adventure story steeped in profound themes. On the eve of the Milky Way festival, Giovanni rushes past his classmates who are busy preparing for the celebration.He must get to his job at the printing office where he plucks tiny pieces of type with tweezers from a box, in exchange for a single silver coin.Later, he waits in a dusky kitchen that smells of cows for a bottle of milk to bring to his mother.Night has fallen when his classmates begin sailing gourds lit with candles down the black, glistening river.Giovanni wanders along a hillside. The dark blue sky begins to twinkle and shine. And suddenly, Giovanni finds himself transported to a compartment of the Galactic train.Across from him is his fellow classmate, the tender-hearted, enigmatic Campanella. So begins an expedition traversing the galaxy.