This Was Our Pact

Do you ever have it that you are fully prepared to not like a book and then you are pleasantly surprised? This was my experience with the graphic novel This Was Our Pact. I haven’t quite finished it, but wanted to get this review done for you, so you can go out and order it for your graphic novel loving middle schoolers.

This was our pact.
Ryan Andrews
First Second
336 pages, 10-14 years, trade paperback
Reviewed for Raincoast books.
Friendship, Equinox, fantasy

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. ….. Together, Nathaniel and Ben will travel further than anyone has ever gone, down a winding road full of magic, wonder, and unexpected friendship.

The Details

A great deal of this story happens outside at night so many of the pictures are on a blue/black background. Ben and Nathaniel are caught up in the story of the Autumn Equinox Festival. Two boys who dads are friends, yet aren’t the friends their dads wish them to be. Over the course of the night, two boys learn friendship. They learn that different is not wrong, and in fact being different can be a good thing.

They meet a variety of interesting characters and have some magnificent experiences. The imaginative writings of Ryan Andrews were a delight to read.

The art work was well done, I loved how the solar system was displayed, and all those fish! It was .. I want to say amazing but that’s not the right word. Delightful? Not quite it either… stellar! 🙂 Really well done, the fit between words and images was spot on.

Learn more about equinox festivals here.