Smackdown Books 2021

Ordinary Hazards
We Dream of Space
If These Wings Could Fly
We Are Not Free
The King of Jam Sandwiches
All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team
The Companion
Punching the Air
Show Me a Sign
Land of the Cranes
Furia
Dragon Hoops
When Stars Are Scattered
Snapdragon
The Radium Girls: The Scary But True Story of the Poison That Made People Glow in the Dark
American as Paneer Pie
Tune It Out
The Gilded Ones
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London
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Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Dragon Hoops vs Electric Kingdom!


 Dragon Hoops drew me in immediately. This was a big surprise as I not only dislike sports but tend not to like many graphic novels. There was something about Yang's writing that made me care about this team and want to know more about his unique and unexpected journey with them. I learned so much about basketball and even a bit about history and found myself really rooting for the characters. The Electric Kingdom, however, was very confusing and hard to keep track of who was who. I often felt frustrated that I couldn't recall the back story of a particular character and who they were connected to as just too many characters were coming up. I also am so tired of the dystopic, end of the world, narrative so it felt tiresome at times. What I did like about Electric Kingdom was it's interesting spin on this apocalyptic world. Having said that, it honestly felt too heavy to read at times. I actually felt pained by it. Yet, I really needed to know how it ends (more on that in a minute) so I guess the author did a good job in pulling the reader in. However, much like the story, the ending was confusing and I'm still not sure what happened. Thus, our team's vote goes to Dragon Hoops.

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