Dragon Hoops

By Gene Luen Yang

A teacher discovers the thrill of basketball as his school's team chases a historic championship.

4.3/5 Goodreads · 9,494 ratings

446 pages· 23,617 words· Est. 3 hour read

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Bookroo's summary

Gene, a comic book enthusiast and teacher, never understood sports. But when his school's basketball team, the Dragons, embarks on a historic season, he finds himself drawn into their journey. As the team inches closer to the California State Championships, Gene realizes their story rivals any comic book epic. This season promises not only to transform the players' lives but also to redefine Gene's own understanding of victory and passion. Will the Dragons achieve their ultimate goal, and how will this journey change Gene forever?

From the publisher

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.

Awards

Michael L. Printz Honor (2021)

At a glance

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 446
Words: 23,617
Reading age: 14–18
Audience: Young Adult
Lexile: HL550L

Themes & topics

Books about basketball Books about California Books about Chinese culture Books about sports and recreation Books about high school

For the grown-ups

The parent guide

What families may want to know

Every family reads differently. These are the concepts our editors noticed in this book — worth seeking out for some readers, worth knowing about for others. The list isn't exhaustive, but it's a spoiler-light head start.

Language

There are a number of instances of vulgar language, including at least two instances of the "f" word being used with the initial letter followed by asterisks.

For readers who can't stop at one