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This Was Our Pact

by Ryan Andrews

A riverside journey bound by a pact

Regular price $15.85 USD
Regular price $26.42 USD Sale price $15.85 USD
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Awards & Recognition

  • Editorial selection

    A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year

    Included among Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of the Year.

AlbakiReads Editorial

A riverside journey bound by a pact

During an Autumn Equinox festival, a group of children set out to discover what happens to the paper lanterns released on the river. Their two-rule pact quickly narrows the journey to Ben and Nathaniel, an unlikely pair who continue by bike into territory no one has explored. The festival’s local legend gives the adventure a clear mystery to pursue, while the rules of the pact and the boys’ growing companionship shape its path. Presented as a fantasy graphic novel, the story combines a river journey, a talking bear, and the question of where wonder ends and explanation begins.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Young readers interested in fantasy graphic novels and adventures built around a mystery.
  • Readers who enjoy stories of unlikely friendships and journeys beyond familiar places.
  • Fans of Miyazaki or Over the Garden Wall, as suggested by the publisher description.

Themes

FriendshipCuriosity and discoveryKeeping promisesLocal legend and wonder

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

All bets are off, and all the rules are going to be broken, in this graphic novel adventure perfect for fans of Miyazaki and Over the Garden Wall.

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 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

A Booklist Editor's Choice
A Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year
A Parents Magazine Best Children's Books of the Year

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