SYNOPSIS

A few intertwined storylines:

• The path of Bishop O’Dowd High School boys’ basketball team, the Dragons, to winning the CA State championship in 2015

• Personal stories of of the team players and why they joined the team, as well as the coach’s (and former member of the team) life story

• History of the invention and growth of basketball – from religious clubs and schools, to inner city communities to its current popularity

• The author’s process of writing this graphic novel, while managing family life and work as a teacher

PERFECT AGE 11+

We love

• The unique and interesting characters, spanning many years, geographies, and relationships to basketball
• How the author shows his process and struggles in writing the book, as well as telling the high school team’s story
• The cool texture on the cover!
• The rich number of fascinating facts about the history of basketball

WATCH OUT FOR (Language, Big / Sensitive Topics, Outdated Concepts):

• Swear words used in dialogue on a few occasions are alluded to / marked with ***

CONVERSATION STARTERS

• How much of the information about basketball’s creation and development did you know? What new facts did you learn?
• What do you make of the motto “Fewest mistakes wins!”?
• Each of the players has a fascinating life story. Which one impressed you the most? Which one do you relate to the most?