April, 2020 » The Novel Hermit

holymothercover

Inspired by What She Reads, Pure Imagination Blog, and Stacked.

I admit I’m a book cover snob. Who isn’t though?

Book covers are the first thing that attracts readers to a book. A good cover can draw someone is, just as a bad cover can easily draw someone away. It can essentially make or break a book. Holy, Mother Cover! is where I showcase the book covers that stand out (or make me cringe), and discuss cover changes.

(A big special thanks to Georgie at What She Reads for bestowing me this fabulous name and to Charlotte at The Simple Tales for creating the beautiful feature banner you see before you.)

In this new cover change post, we talk about the cover redesigns for three of Jodi Lynn Anderson’s books! And it comes to no surprise that I have fallen in love with the paperbacks. Hardcover, who? I love that these three very different book match each other.

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang • March 17, 2019 • First Second

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.

myreview

I received this graphic novel for free from First Second for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

First sentence: “I’ve hated sports ever since I was a little kid. Especially basketball.”

For all you people who are usually uninterested in basketball (like I am), prepare to become a fan because of Dragon Hoops!

This graphic memoir captivated my attention with the very real people that Gene Luen Yang focus on, the history of basketball through different cultures, and the process Yang goes through to create an accurate portrayal of the events. It’ll convince you that you need to be in the front row for all the action at Bishop O’Dowd High School.

HOLY, MOTHER COVER! • Cover Changes: Jodi Lynn Anderson

FROM PANEL TO PANEL • Fewest Mistakes Win! (Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang)

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