Dragon Hoops Book Review

 

Dragon Hoops

By: Gene Luen Yang

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Luen Yang, G. (2020). Dragon Hoops. First Second. ISBN:9781626720794

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

Gene is not a fan of basketball. When he was a kid, he was called sticks and gave up the game. He’s now looking for inspiration for his next book and unexpectedly finds it with O'Dowd’s own basketball team on their trek to the state championship. Used to writing comics where the hero always prevails, Gene finds this as an unimaginable challenge. But yet he is drawn to the background of the team’s players and coaches. What is learned is that racism, discrimination, and frustration are just some of the obstacles the team must overcome. By the end, Gene realizes he is now a certified basketball fan and faces a decision that will impact his career. 


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This young adult graphic novel is an autobiography of Gene Luen Yang. The illustrations bring the pages to life using lines to show a character moving fast or how the basketball swishes in the basket and paa for the dribbling. Lots of uses of onomatopoeia bring the reader right into the story. The characters are developed wholly using interviews by Gene a9who is a teacher at O’Dowd) and their basketball careers. He captures the essence of the willingness and drive to finally covet the title of State Champions. The overall theme is unwavering belief in self no matter the obstacles. This includes the obvious basketball team, but also individual characters who deal with racism and challenges in everyday life. Gene has the most growth throughout the story as he is lost on what the next book he writes should focus on. By the end he has to decide to step out on a leap of faith or stay in his comfort zone. I really enjoyed this graphic novel as it was paced well and had great short stories within the whole book. 


4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

  • ALA Notable Children's Books, 2021

  • Booklist starred, 02/15/20

  • Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books starred, 03/01/20

  • Horn Book Magazine starred, 05/01/20

  • Kirkus Reviews, 01/15/20

  • Michael L. Printz Honor, 2021

  • New York Times, 04/05/20

  • Publishers Weekly starred, 01/06/20

  • School Library Journal Xpress starred, 01/24/20

  • Booklist starred (February 15, 2020 (Vol. 116, No. 12))

  • Grades 8-12. There’s a line between sports and American comics that is seldom crossed. Leave it to Yang to take the crucial step, capturing not only the excitement of basketball but something deep and universal about it, even as he parallels it with his own journey. Yang teaches at California’s Bishop O’Dowd High School, home to the Dragons, a basketball team with a hallowed and, as it turns out, complicated history. Over and over again, the team almost wins State. Pursuing material for his next graphic novel, Yang surprises himself by latching onto the team and its long-time coach, Lou Richie. Yang traces the team’s high-stakes season through the players but also delves into the history of basketball itself, touching on the sociopolitical forces that shaped it and—to no surprise for Yang’s readers—the way race figures into both. Yang is an extraordinary cartoonist; his clean, clear, deceptively simple figures and compositions transmit emotions both subtle and powerful. Combining visual flair, like speeding backgrounds, with nearly diagrammatic movement, he creates pulse-pounding game sequences. Most important, through recurring visual motifs that connect a champion basketball player to a self-questioning artist to a Russian immigrant with a new idea, he illuminates the risks that every one of us must take and has, once again, produced a work of resounding humanity. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Seven years after best-selling, award-winning Yang's last release as both author and artist, his return is getting a big push, including a national author tour. Expect some March Madness around this one.


5. CONNECTIONS

Related books:

Alexander, K. (2020). The Crossover. Clarion Books. ISBN: 9781328960016

Luen Yang, G. (2006). American Born Chinese. First Second.ISBN: 9788860885548

Activities:

Create a comic strip or graphic novel about an interest.

Create a front page newspaper article depicting the Dragons winning the state championship



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