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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.
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.
I still have a bunch of 2020 YA books I gotta talk about because YOU GUYS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THEM!! They’re mostly from Macmillan, but there’s a bunch of wonderful titles I’m excited to read.
With only a month away from the new year and century, you’ll want to get your eyeballs into these books! Korean history murder mystery, a magical French history, and a high school basketball team, yes plz.
The Silence of Bones by June Hur
I have a mouth, but I mustn’t speak;
Ears, but I mustn’t hear;
Eyes, but I mustn’t see.
1800, Joseon (Korea). Homesick and orphaned sixteen-year-old Seol is living out the ancient curse: “May you live in interesting times.” Indentured to the police bureau, she’s been tasked with assisting a well-respected young inspector with the investigation into the politically charged murder of a noblewoman.
As they delve deeper into the dead woman’s secrets, Seol forms an unlikely bond of friendship with the inspector. But her loyalty is tested when he becomes the prime suspect, and Seol may be the only one capable of discovering what truly happened on the night of the murder.
But in a land where silence and obedience are valued above all else, curiosity can be deadly.
Why would I want to read The Silence of Bones? It’s a love letter to Korean history. It’s not every day—or any day in recent memory—you get a Young Adult book set in Joseon (aka modern day Korea). A Korean teenager essentially being a sleuth, I’m all for that! And the fact that she’ll be sticking her nose into something that aren’t acceptable in her culture, very excited for that struggle.
Will other readers enjoy this? Yes! Everybody loves murder mysteries.
Welcome to the Reading Without Walls blog tour!
I have the honor of taking part in this awesome blog tour, where participants celebrate the publication of Gene Luen Yang’s Paths and Portals and encouraging readers—especially young ones—to read outside of their comfort zone by reading STEM books—a book dealing with Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math. It’ll educate and nurture them on a topic or issues they aren’t familiar with, thus expanding their minds.
I’ll be talking about the Secret Coders series by Gene Luen Yang and Human Body Theater by Maris Wicks.
