Dragon Hoops - by Gene Luen Yang

About the Book

Gene Luen Yang turns the spotlight on his life, his family, and the high school where he teaches, especially the high school's basketball team, the Dragons.

Book Synopsis

In his latest graphic novel, Dragon Hoops, New York Times bestselling author Gene Luen Yang turns the spotlight on his life, his family, and the high school where he teaches.

Gene understands stories--comic book stories, in particular. Big action. Bigger thrills. And the hero always wins.

But Gene doesn't get sports. As a kid, his friends called him "Stick" and every basketball game he played ended in pain. He lost interest in basketball long ago, but at the high school where he now teaches, it's all anyone can talk about. The men's varsity team, the Dragons, is having a phenomenal season that's been decades in the making. Each victory brings them closer to their ultimate goal: the California State Championships.

Once Gene gets to know these young all-stars, he realizes that their story is just as thrilling as anything he's seen on a comic book page. He knows he has to follow this epic to its end. What he doesn't know yet is that this season is not only going to change the Dragons's lives, but his own life as well.

Review Quotes

A Michael L. Printz Honor, 2021
2021 Eisner Award Winner, Best Publication for Teens
Listed as a New York Times, Washington Post, Amazon.com, Forbes, School Library Journal, Booklist, and Publishers Weekly 2020 book of the year.

"Full of insight about race and ethnicity, this graphic novel intercuts the thrilling wins and crushing defeats of one high school team with basketball's own turbulent history." --New York Times, from "The 25 Best Children's Books of 2020"

"A triumphant, telescopic graphic memoir." --Publisher's Weekly, starred review and a Publisher's Weekly Best Book of 2020

"Another standout showing from Yang." --School Library Journal, starred review and a School Library Journal Best Graphic Novel of 2020

"A perfect entryway into this form."--Horn Book, starred review

"A work of resounding humanity." --Booklist, starred review

"Impeccably paced." --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

About the Author

Gene Luen Yang writes, and sometimes draws, comic books and graphic novels. As the Library of Congress's fifth National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, he advocates for the importance of reading, especially reading diversely. His graphic novel American Born Chinese, a National Book Award finalist and Printz Award winner, has been adapted into a streaming series on Disney+. His two-volume graphic novel Boxers & Saints won the LA Times Book Prize and was a National Book Award finalist. His nonfiction graphic novel Dragon Hoops received an Eisner Award and a Printz honor. His other comics works include Secret Coders (with Mike Holmes), The Shadow Hero (with Sonny Liew), as well as Superman Smashes the Klan and the Avatar: The Last Airbender series (both with Gurihiru). In 2016, he was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow.