What a wonderful book that encompasses so many important life issues!
Every reader will be able to identify with some aspect of this book. The author is not a great athlete but is a talented writer. Sports doesn't really interest him until he becomes a teacher at a school that is experiencing a phenomenal basketball season and team. He learns to appreciate all that teamwork, skill, kindness and understanding involves.
The older students in my elementary school will be the target audience. The ability of those readers to understand what it means to engage and be tolerant of everyone's differences while enjoying the game is a universal idea and a great one at that. The illustrations are wonderful!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I will definitely be buying this book. I admit I didn't get into as much because I don't care for basketball, but my middle grade and younger teens will love this! The teens at my library love sports stories and play by plays, and they also love memoir graphic novels, so this is a win on all counts. Yang does a great job at telling the story and keeping it meaningful while also just letting it be a fun sports story.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the chance to read this ebook ahead of publication.

I loved this graphic novel! It was fun to read about a premier high school basketball team, but it was more than just that. It was a look into an author and his writing process, especially about whether to be truthful or leave some negative things out. I appreciate that he addressed that hesitation but ultimately decided to include a scandal that the school and team had to deal with.

I'm excited to introduce this book to my basketball loving son in a few years!

One year of high school basketball spans the years since it's creation. We get to learn history, identify with players, and triumph when they triumph. This is a great title that will interest all, not just sports fans.

A captivating read that will appeal to a wide variety of readers. Geared for a high school audience this story of how a team comes together to win a championship and how one person views them will cut deep.

I loved this book! Basketball is my favorite sport but I'm almost always disappointed when I read about it in books. It is tough to capture the fast paced nature and fierce fan base of the sport on the page. But Yang does this better than anyone I've ever read, and then some. He makes basketball come alive on the page for readers. I think fans will instantly recognize the sport they love while readers unfamiliar with basketball are seamlessly taught how it work along the way. Certain aspects of the book really make it something special. Yang puts so much of himself and his experience writing of the book in the narrative which gives a personal perspective tot he story and also shows how invested basketball fans are in the their teams. He also gives historically flashback stories both for his school and high marks of basketball's history in general. I learned more about this sport I've watched all my life and the people he highlighted connected readers even more to the larger history of basketball. I can't recommend this book enough and can't wait to watch it find a wide range of readers.

Dragon Hoops is an original feat of graphic novel skill by one of the best graphic novelists around. A memoir, Dragon Hoops chronicles the journey of the Bishop O'Dowd Dragons, a Northern California Catholic school, to the State Championships. The thoroughness of the narrative, from the background of the sport to the background of the players, allowed me to feel the camaraderie of the team and get invested in their success. A bit overlong but I really enjoyed it! Definitely recommended.

I love Gene's books, and even though I am clueless about basketball, I really enjoyed this book. I think it is because of the memoir/biography style of it that made it accessible for me. I think that this book will appeal to graphic novel fans as well as sports fans, and I cannot wait to share this book with my students!

What a fantastic book!

Gene Yang never thought he'd write a basketball book. But when that's what all the kids at the high school where he teaches were talking about their basketball team, Yang investigated to see if there was a story there.

A super basketball team that had never won a state championship, despite playing in the championship game many years. Could this be their year? Yang intersperses the team's story with his own personal story of taking steps forward into the unknown. As he worked on the book, he wrestled with the difficult decision whether to quit his beloved teaching job and write full time. That might sound like a story only an adult audience can appreciate, but Yang treats his teen subjects with such respect and honesty that this truly is a teen book with huge crossover potential.

Not only a self-deprecating memoir of Yang's learning curve with basketball and the changes that he and the team go through, this is an action-packed sports story and the book dips its toe into sports history, as well. Sports fans will definitely appreciate this book, but there's a lot for the nerdy quiet kids who don't care about basketball, too.

Press this into the hands of kids who enjoyed ATTUCKS by Phillip Hoose.

Mr. Yang's books are never simplistic pictures. There are more layers to them, more historical references, more about human nature. This one is a bit different, but altogether just as amazing as his last ones. Not knowing what to write about, he takes on the energy from the school and his son's interest in joining a basketball team, and writes about his own school, family, and professional life, all revolved around the high school's journey to try to become state championship winners. Students are focused on, history of basketball and other nations' reactions to the sport, and his own private conversations with his wife and internal dialogues make for an amazing journey.

Yang does not disappoint in this, his first non-fiction title/memoir. I loved his portraits of the various players and coaches of the Bishop O'Dowd men's basketball team. His dawning realization of how he wants to proceed with his life and career are also well developed. Thank you, Gene, for another wonderful GN read! I look forward to purchasing a copy once the book comes out and will definitely recommend to readers of thoughtful, indy GNs.

Five enthusiastic stars!

I had such mixed feelings going into this graphic novel. On one hand, I LOVE _American Born Chinese_. On the other, I am utterly disinterested in all things relating to sports. In other words, I had no idea if I would love this, hate this, or land somewhere in the confused middle.

But...I LOVED it! There are so many simultaneous and gripping threads happening here: the autobiographical elements for Yang, the team's story, the coaches' stories (which vary dramatically), the individual players' stories, and the reader/fan's story (because it is impossible not to root for this team with your whole self as you read).

There's so much to like: an engaging story, gripping characters, creative depictions, illustrative enhancements, and an exploration of what happens when the characters are not heroes or villains but are real people.

I will absolutely be recommending this to students, friends, colleagues, and all readers of my reviews. This is not to be missed -

Dragon Hoops is a true story about Bishop O'Dowd High School's 2014-2015 basketball season. Yang was a teacher at Bishop O'Dowd High School, and upon being stuck about what story to tell next, he turned to the famed basketball team. While the basketball team had made state several times, the state title remained elusive. While Yang didn't quite know what the outcome would be for that season, he decided that this story needed to be told. 


Yang tells of current coach Lou Richie, Coach Mike Phelps (retired), and the teens on the team that season. He effortlessly weaves together basketball history along with the history of basketball at Bishop O'Dowd High School. 

Essentially, Yang manages to tell a story through a graphic novel that can be fairly compared to Friday Night Lights. 

This will appeal to all readers, especially those who love basketball. 

Dragon Hoops releases March 17, 2020.

Gene Luen Yang does it again! While I don't have a personal interest in basketball, I learned so much about the sport from this book. I appreciate that GLY is spreading his wings and did something unique to the comic industry right now.

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus



This is best described as a graphic novel memoir of Mr. Yang's writing life combined with a history of the Bishop O'Dowd school basketball team. Unsure of what to write about next, Yang draws inspiration from the school where he teachers. While he didn't participate in basketball himself, he is drawn to the team, which does very well but has struggled to bring home a championship. The coach, Lou Richie, was a student at the school, so has deep ties to the community and the basketball program. He agrees to let Yang tag along with the team to get information for his new book. At the same time, Yang struggles with his work life balance, since teaching and working on his graphic novels are time consuming, giving him less time with his family. The book covers not only the Bishop O'Dowd Dragons' season in 2015 and the players involved in that, but also former players and games, Yang's growing understanding of what sports can mean to students, and basketball history from Naismith to current players. Interviews with people involved show that sometimes taking the first step (a theme repeated throughout the book) is the only way to accomplish great things.

Strengths: This is certainly a masterful piece of work that shows how sports teams have a deeper impact on participants than people who don't like sports can imagine. Yang, like many teachers and librarians, doesn't really care about sports himself, but through his work with the team (and some diligent research) finally understands the dramatic impact that sports can have. I particularly liked the stories of the characters (along with lots of history; I didn't know about Gandhi's treatment of the Sikhs!) who came from other cultures but ended up at a Catholic high school for the basketball. There is plenty of sports information for readers who like action on the court. Yang's illustration style is very pleasing and effective, and the cover is fabulous.
Weaknesses: I'm not sure how much students will care about Yang's writing journey, although this will draw in teachers and librarians who don't read a lot about sports.
What I really think: I'll definitely buy a copy, but I have a feeling that students will probably skim over parts of this rather long (448 pages) book.

Fantastic read! I loved everything about this book. I loved how it incorporated the history of basketball as well as tackling gender and race issues. I enjoyed learning about the members of the Bishop O'Dowd basketball team. Each of them played an integral role in the book. I liked how Gene Luen Yang showed what it was like to write this book and the choices he had to make as a writer. Readers will love reading about this basketball team and cheer for them throughout their basketball season in this graphic novel.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me this text for an honest review.

Loved this book! There are so many great teaching opportunities from this book: the great process authors go through, the history of basketball, the creation of graphic novels, and the research process. I loved the opening sections that relate the history of basketball to the storyline. Plus, the story arc was engaging and fun.

Talk about a slam dunk! Gene Luen Yang's latest follows a high school basketball team on their journey to the state finals. A high school teacher, Yang met with his school's basketball coach after hearing about the team's chances to finally win the championship game after years of making it all the way only to come up short.

I don't follow basketball, but Yang begins the book as a newbie to the sport as well. Throughout he takes readers through the history of the game (from its conception to rule changes to international leagues and more), while also providing insight into the lives of the players he's following. As he grows closer to the players and begins to understand the game better, he starts to wonder if real life is destined to follow the comic books he loves where winning would be a guarantee. It's the arc he wants for this team's story, but will it happen?

Yang uses the theme of taking a step to tie these threads together in a powerful way, even using it to mark his own journey into a new phase of his career.

I was really blown away by how much I enjoyed this book, and I think all readers (basketball fans or not) will find something to love here.

I loved this book/story! Yang uses a new recipe to make this book - it's part history of basketball, part history of Bishop O'Dowd High School's journey to become CA State Champion winners (the school where Yang had taught for 17 years), and part meta exploration of the author's experience of putting this all of this together. It's a clever set up, and it really worked for me. I loved getting to know Gene Luen Yang better. I've been reading his work for years, and seeing this side of him was really enlightening.
There's a beautiful motif of taking the first step. I appreciate how Yang acknowledges the small but significant first steps people make to change their lives and to change lives of others. Others make it possible for us by opening doors that were previously closed, by bravely stepping outside their comfort zone.

Oooh! And jackpot at the end of the Advanced Reader Copy that I hope is in the published work... there are detailed notes about the choices Yang made throughout the book. Things he took liberty with and why, what was true dialogue and what was shaped. I LOVE reading an author's process. So cool.

Excited for students to read it.

Gene Luen Yang is back, and Dragon Hoops is a memoir of a year following the basketball team during the 2014-15 season at the high school where he taught, Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland, California. Gene wants to write a new graphic novel - at the same time he's being courted by DC Comics to write a new Superman story - and he's wracking his brain, coming up with options. He isn't really a sports guy, but he decides to explore the Bishop O'Dowd varsity basketball team, after hearing all the buzz in the school hallways. He approaches the men's varsity coach, Lou Richie, and starts writing the story of the team, the story of the young men on the team, and the pursuit of the California State Championships.

I'm not a big sports fan, and you don't need to be to read Dragon Hoops. It's the story of the people behind the team, and it's exciting to read about these diverse young men, their stories, and their drive. It's great to see Gene Yang's journey from someone who has zero interest in sports to becoming a rabid fan of the team, because of the connections formed with the players and Coach Lou. It's also very much Gene Yang's story as he struggles with a work-life balance, whether or not to take on the extra work - and excitement! - that Superman would bring, and his struggle to address a difficult chapter in Bishop O'Dowd's history.

The artwork is realistic with a cartoony feel, and the dialogue and pacing is great. Gene Yang gets readers excited for each game, and builds relationships between reader and players/coaches by interspersing biographical chapters and pivotal games in the race for the championship. He has a powerful thread through each personal story, too: each character, including Yang, has a moment when they step outside their comfort zone to pursue something greater; something Yang uses a literal "step" to illustrate. Yang steps across the street from the classrooms to the gym to meet with Coach Lou; Coach Lou steps across the street to go from public school to Bishop O'Dowd as a teen; Sendra Berenson, the inventor of women's basketball in in 1892 took a step into a gymnasium to teach the young women in her care a new sport she'd read about; player Jeevin Sandhu, a student and practicing Sikh, takes a step into a Catholic high school so he can play basketball. Gene Yang includes the evolution of basketball from its creation to the present, and the big role of Catholic schools in high school basketball; both things I knew nothing about and found really interesting. Back matter includes comprehensive notes and a bibliography. Catch a preview of Dragon Hoops, courtesy of EW magazine.