We’re so happy to announce that Sachiko Kashiwaba, author of 2022 Mildred L. Batchelder Award winner Temple Alley Summer (translated from the Japanese by Avery Fischer Udagawa, illustrated by Miho Satake), and Linda Bondestam, author of My Life at the Bottom (translated from the Swedish by A.A. Prime) and Good Night, Earth (translated from the Swedish by Galit Hasan-Rokem), will be attending this year’s in-person Toronto International Festival of Authors! See below for event details.

Dead, Brilliant Ghost Stories with Kenneth Oppel & Sachiko Kashiwaba

What would you do if you encountered a ghost? Not for the faint-hearted, this conversation with two leading writers, Kenneth Oppel and Sachiko Kashiwaba, explores the thin veil between the living and the dead, and what happens when it’s crossed. Tingling spines guaranteed. Recommended for ages 10 and up.

Sachiko Kashiwaba’s festival appearance is generously supported by The Japan Foundation, Toronto.

When: September 24 at 1pm EST
Where: Brigantine Room
Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto, ON M5J 2G8

Tickets on sale August 29

The Big Create & Make: Linda Bondestam

The Big Create & Make is a drop-in session where you can linger for 10 minutes or 2 hours, and be part of making something big, beautiful and creative! Get in on the Festival fun and meet a published picture-book illustrator, while flexing your own creative muscles.

Presented with support from FILI – Finnish Literature Exchange. Suitable for all ages.

When: September 24 at 2pm EST
Where: Outdoor Tent B
Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto, ON M5J 2G8

Tickets on sale August 29

Whatl is an Axolotl?: Linda Bondestam

Join Linda Bondestam for the story of My Life at the Bottom about one of the world’s rarest sea creatures and have the chance to do some drawings of your own. Through Linda’s vivid pictures and lovely characters, you’ll learn more about the fragile world we all live in and why there’s still hope for a brighter future. Recommended for ages 5 and up.

This event appears as part of Nordic Bridges 2022. Presented with support from  FILI – Finnish Literature Exchange.

When: September 25 at 12:45pm EST
Where: Outdoor Tent A
Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto, ON M5J 2G8

Tickets on sale August 29

The Re-Read: Linda Bondestam on The Moomins by Tove Jansson

Each session of The Re-Read features a contemporary writer discussing a favorite book or author, to offer their insight as an author and share their joy as a reader. One of the best Finnish artists of all time and also the most widely read Finnish author abroad, Tove Jansson is mostly remembered as the creator of the Moomins. Join Linda Bondestam for a fascinating re-read of these books and characters.

This event appears as part of Nordic Bridges 2022. Presented with support from  FILI – Finnish Literature Exchange.

When: September 26 at 5:30pm EST
Where: Lakeside Terrace
Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto, ON M5J 2G8

Tickets on sale August 29

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

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 Marvelous Village Veiled in Mist influenced Hayao Miyazaki’s film Spirited Away. Temple Alley Summer received the 2022 Mildred L. Batchelder Award, was a July/August 2021 Kids’ Indie Next Pick, and a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. She lives in Iwate Prefecture.

Linda Bondestam is an award-winning illustrator based in Helsinki. A graduate of Kingston University in London, she has illustrated dozens of children's books that have been translated into more than ten languages. One of the most celebrated illustrators in the Nordic countries, Linda was awarded the Snöbollen for Swedish Picture Book of the Year in 2016 and the Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize in 2017.