This graphic novel combines the quiet magic of the best Miyazaki movies with a beautiful visual style all of its own. The boys do figure out a way forward, and of course they meet the bear again, but giving more details would be telling. They separate at a towering cliff the boys cannot climb. (Nathaniel is a bit of an outsider, and Ben’s friends are promise-breaking jerks, so this is clearly for the best.) They meet a bear on his way to catch fish, who thinks the lanterns are fish, and who wishes he could join them as they swim among the stars. One by one, Ben’s friends drop out and head for home until only he and Nathaniel are left. But then Nathaniel starts following them (his dad and Ben’s dad are best friends). Do they really become stars? They promise to ride their bikes for as long as it takes to find out. On the night of the Equinox Festival, Ben and four friends make a pact to follow the lanterns down the river.
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