- a 13-year-old boy suddenly sees dragons no one else can see, mere weeks after his brother died
- themes include: grief, friendship, and reconciliation
- language: heck x1, gosh x1, stupid x1
- homeschool-friendly
- convo: kids owning phones & iPads, how lies beget more lies, a “crush” mentioned
Type: Middle Grade Novel
Ages: 11+
Author: Hope Bolinger
What a truly fantastic book. Xander, our main character, thinks and does understandable things as he walks through managing (or mismanaging, as is the case for a while) his grief. New friendships are formed, he (and, subsequently, we) happen to learn a lot of neat history about dragon mythology, and solid life lessons are learned.
He attends a private Christian school in Ravenna, Ohio, where all the typical middle school elements occur–a classification of nerds, jocks and other types of kids; a bully; locker angst; etc. Bolinger does an excellent job at character development and really causing the reader to empathize with various situations. Conversations are relevant for today–for example, hashtags come to be apart of the story–and Xander’s big feelings are surely relatable to other middle schoolers.
The book interestingly overlaps fantasy (dragons) with realistic fiction. I’d rather let you discover on your own exactly how the dragons play into the story! Their roles are unique and cleverly crafted.
Without giving much more away, let me just say that the ending was tied together beautifully. Relationships were restored, apologies were given where needed, and it all shined as a poignant example of how life goes on after a tragedy (though it is never the same). The Author’s Note and Acknowledgements have great further thoughts–plus, there’s an excellent glossary about all the kinds of dragons mentioned (to be read AFTER the story).
Overall, I am so very pleased with such a quality novel for the intended audience that I’m tempted to binge-read more from the publisher! Well done, Chicken Scratch Books, for not compromising on values, traditional family models and whatever the latest social agendas are. And, huzzah to Hope Bolinger for a story well-written!