This Was Our Pact

After the Autumnal Equinox Festival, when the lanterns are set off down the river, Ben and his crew of friends follow through on a pact to find out where the lanterns end up. But as each boy drops out the bike ride, Ben soon finds himself riding alone with nerdy Nathaniel. Over the course of their adventure, they meet a dashingly dressed fisherbear, enter an unusual land, meet Madame Majestic, and embark on a search for the sun star for Madame’s potion. All the while, the boys stick to the pact, intent on finding where the lanterns end up, and finding a common ground and friendship.A rambling and veering fantasy adventure. Suspend disbelief and go for the ride.

Astonishingly creative and strange. This graphic novel is jam-packed with delightful oddities, like a dapper eloquent bear with a giant basket backpack, a tiny witchy woman with huge eyes making potions from the sun (which is worm), massive crows who draw birds-eye maps, a night swim in a cave full of stars, and an aerial tramway over a hidden village.

It's strange on a level where I'm not sure it will have a big audience, but I hope it does. I enjoy a book that mixes magic and reality. To go along with the fabulism, this book has a lot of facts about astronomy and touches on the main character's struggle to follow his conscience when his friends bully a nerdy schoolmate.

I can't say I fully understood how this uncanny world operated, show more but I really enjoyed it. show less

It's the night of the annual Autumn Equinox Festival, when the town gathers to float paper lanterns down the river. Legend has it that after drifting out of sight, they'll soar off to the Milky Way and turn into brilliant stars, but could that actually be true? This year, Ben and his classmates are determined to find out where those lanterns really go, and to ensure success in their mission, they've made a pact with two simple rules: No one turns for home. No one looks back.

The plan is to follow the river on their bikes for as long as it takes to learn the truth, but it isn't long before the pact is broken by all except for Ben, and (much to Ben's disappointment) Nathaniel, the one kid who just doesn't seem to fit in.

Together, Nathaniel show more and Ben will travel farther than anyone has ever gone, down a winding road full of magic, wonder, and unexpected friendship*.

*And a talking bear. show less

I did not know what I was getting into when I started this. I was expecting a friendship story and maybe a fantastical voyage, but the execution..., well.

The story and the art are masterfully combined, leading to wonderfully surrealistic and gorgeous scenes, very reminiscent of Ghibli's Spirited Away. There is an air of wonder and magic everywhere, but the ever-present reminder of the harshness of reality.

Ben is so mean to Nathaniel, and Nathaniel is so doggedly persistant... it all rings so heartbreakingly true. And the Fisher Bear is so wonderful, wise and thoughtful and kind. (LOVED his reaction to the mistreatment of his scarf vs the boy's hats - you know he's a good father.)

Even though the ending kind of threw me (literally just show more biking off to continue the adventure?? I mean, great, but, what?), it fits with the overall sense of wonder that this beautiful story evokes. show less

Another excellent middle-grade/coming-of-age comic about friendship. I had no idea there was a fantasy element involved in this book, because I didn't bother to read the blurb. I really love when modern-day books have a splash of magic in them - it makes me think that maybe someday I'll meet a talking bear or come upon a barge full of magical creatures or a friendly troll living under a bridge. The themes of friendship, self-acceptance, accepting others and bullying seem to be big for me this month. Very much enjoying that! I highly recommend this one, especially if you love selective color palettes in your graphic novels.

This was a really cute graphic novel. Some young boys go on an adventure through the forest chasing after some lanterns. I liked this magical world and the characters were great too.

Two boys ride their bicycles down a road filled with increasingly fantastical characters and situations. What seemed a pretty standard story won me over with its charm, humor and simplicity.