The Strange Library facts for kids

Different versions of The Strange Library book.

The Strange Library (which means "fushigi na toshokan" in Japanese) is a cool, short story for kids. It was written by a famous Japanese author named Haruki Murakami. The first version of this story came out in 1983. Later, many picture books were made based on it, with the newest ones appearing in 2014.

What Happens in the Story?

A young boy decides to visit his local library after school. He wants to borrow a book. A grumpy old man tells him to go to Room 107 in the basement.

The Scary Old Man

In the basement, the old man asks the boy what he wants to read. The boy, feeling a bit scared, says he's curious about how taxes were collected in the old Ottoman Empire. The old man then goes to get three very big books for him.

Trapped in the Library

The old man leads the boy through a secret underground maze. They arrive at a reading room. Here, the boy meets a strange "sheep man." The sheep man locks the boy in a small cell. The old man tells the boy he must memorize all three books in one month. After that, he plans to use the boy's knowledge in a very strange way.

Escaping the Maze

Luckily, the sheep man and a mysterious girl who cannot speak help the boy. They try to escape through the maze. But when they get back to the main library, the old man and a big black dog are waiting!

The boy and the sheep man manage to get away. They run to a local park. While the boy rests, the sheep man suddenly disappears. The boy goes home and finds his mom waiting with a warm breakfast. He decides he will never go to that library again!

Different Book Editions

The Strange Library has been published in many different versions. Some have special drawings inside.

Japanese Editions

In February 2005, a special version of The Strange Library came out in Japan. It had cool pictures by Maki Sasaki. This book was called "toshokankitan" in Japanese. It was printed again in January 2008.

Editions Around the World

In November 2014, a new Japanese version was published with drawings by Kat Menschik. After that, many different versions of the book came out in other languages. Here are some of them: