Ben’s journey to discover where the lanterns go is, in large part, a story about learning to embrace wonder and celebrate its presence in the world. While Nathaniel is already open to the marvelous and the strange at the beginning of the story, Ben has internal barriers that prevent his appreciation of the wondrous. Their repeated encounters with fantastical events and characters, Nathaniel’s reactions, and the fisherbear’s mentorship work together to shift Ben’s attitude and open him up to wonder.

Ben and Nathaniel’s quest begins because of their town’s annual tradition of releasing paper lanterns on the night of the autumnal equinox. The boys have been told that this tradition began because of a lantern maker from their town who became the first star in the sky. Although Ben is initially skeptical about taking this old story literally, it is clear that the boys come from a community where the possibility of the miraculous is taken seriously. This evocative beginning sets the stage for a journey filled with wonders. The boys set off into a deep blue, watercolor-washed landscape that is beautiful and dreamlike. En route, they encounter a talking bear, stone stairs leading out of the middle of a foggy lake, a maker of magic potions, enormous animals, mysterious troll figures, and lanterns that transform into glowing fish and soar up into the night sky.