Paintball with Dragons
Summary
Paintball with Dragons is an upper middle grade novel by Hope Bolinger. Tackling how to process the loss of a loved one head on, this semi-fantastical novel features Xander, a newly-minted seventh grader who is still trying to process his older brother’s recent death. To make matters worse — or, perhaps, better — Xander encounters a wyvern on his first day at school. Soon he’s seeing dragons no one else seems to be able to see, and it’s forcing him to navigate through grief in a whole new way.
Assessment
Paintball with Dragons is a heartfelt, semi-fantastical MG novel by novelist Hope Bolinger. The story features Xander who’s first day of school involves him seeing dragons everywhere — and he seems to be the only one who can see them. From there, well-meaning shenanigans ensue as Xander tries to figure out why he can see dragons and what he’s supposed to do with this knowledge. There’s a medieval history club that needs members, weirdoes that need to be befriended, and faith that needs a little rekindling.
The book is well-paced, well-written, and has a deeper understanding of not only grief, but what happens when someone bottles up their grief or tries to comfort others to the detriment of themselves. The story also features a family that is broken hearted, but obviously loves one another. There is also an element of navigating how other people around you processes their grief (especially when it is in opposition to how you process your own grief), and how important it is to be comforted.
Light-o-Meter
Writing Style: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Plot: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Worldbuilding: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Characters: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Theological Message: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Overall: 5 out of Little Lights
Talk
This is an absolutely fantastic book, and one that I think fills an important — and much-needed — niche of middle-grade fiction. Grief is something that everyone, at some point, has to deal with and the sooner someone can be given tools on how to handle grief, the better. This book covers both how to handle your own internal grief, what to do when how you grieve is different than how your friends or family grieve, and how faith can play a role in the healing process.
The story is both whimsical and heartwarming. It expertly uses dragons to provide a fantastical element to make the grief of the book lighter. It didn’t take too much time to explain itself every five minutes, which I really enjoyed. Dragons were integrated into the world seamlessly and were not just window dressing in the plot; they played a real, valuable role in the story and Xander’s healing/faith journey.
I also really enjoyed how Hope Bolinger told this story. It’s efficiently paced, but not without charm and humor. The characters might be a little tropey in some regards, but each one is unique and dynamic in their own way, and the same can be said for the plot. On top of all this, the story was a bit more thoughtful and introspective than most MG fiction I’ve read, which both fits the content and made for a more interesting read.
Where to Enjoy
Amazon: Paintball With Dragons: Bolinger, Hope: 9781953743282: Amazon.com: Books
Chicken Scratch Books (Publisher): Paintball With Dragons – Chicken Scratch Books
Christianbook.com: Paintball With Dragons: Hope Bolinger: 9781953743282 - Christianbook.com
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