Name: Nessa Luna's review of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky (a Tristan Strong Novel, Book 1) by Kwame Mbalia
Item: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky (a Tristan Strong Novel, Book 1)
Rating: 4
Author: Nessa Luna

Kwame Mbalia

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents Kwame Mbalia's epic fantasy, a middle grade American Gods set in a richly-imagined world populated with African American folk heroes and West African gods. Seventh grader Tristan Strong feels anything but strong ever since he failed to save his best friend when they were in a bus accident together. All he has left of Eddie is the journal his friend wrote stories in. Tristan is dreading the month he's going to spend on his grandparents' farm in Alabama, where he's being sent to heal from the tragedy. But on his first night there, a sticky creature shows up in his bedroom and steals Eddie's notebook. Tristan chases after it--is that a doll?--and a tug-of-war ensues between them underneath a Bottle Tree. In a last attempt to wrestle the journal out of the creature's hands, Tristan punches the tree, accidentally ripping open a chasm into the MidPass, a volatile place with a burning sea, haunted bone ships, and iron monsters that are hunting the inhabitants of this world. Tristan finds himself in the middle of a battle that has left black American folk heroes John Henry and Brer Rabbit exhausted. In order to get back home, Tristan and these new allies will need to entice the god Anansi, the Weaver, to come out of hiding and seal the hole in the sky. But bartering with the trickster Anansi always comes at a price. Can Tristan save this world before he loses more of the things he loves?

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky (a Tristan Strong Novel, Book 1)

Jelke Olila

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky

Nessa Luna

Ok but I really enjoyed this one! It was a big book for a middle grade, but I enjoyed every second of it! And honestly Gum Baby is one of my new favourite characters, I love her so much and hope she's in every chapter of the sequel. P L E A S E.

I'm kind of sad there wasn't a glossary in the back, because this was really a mythology I knew nothing about. I just knew Anansi by name, but that is where my knowledge ends. But yeah, again I learned a couple of things because of this book and I highly recommend it!

Janice Hopper

Sweet peaches, I LOVED THIS BOOK. 

I'm a real sucker for stories that talk about the importance of STORY, and how STORY can give meaning to our lives. I also love tall tales and folk tales. This book has all that, along with a bit of coming-of-age story where Tristan has to come to accept his own power, and to accept the death of his best friend.

There's a lot of great imagery here, from the titular hole in the sky, to the Bone Ships, to the various locations our characters visit. 

And there's Gum Baby. I love Gum Baby!

This is the happiest I've been at the end of a book in ages. The author implies at the end that there will be more adventures coming. I approve.

Ashley Wendt

This.was.brilliant! An incredible story based in African American history, folklore & mythology….yet at the heart of this story…it’s about not allowing the chains anger and guild and pains of the past (figuratively & literally) into monsters. It’s about not fight hate with hate, yet remembering to carry the stories of the past as a reminder to be better and make a better world. Kwame Mbalia wrote a really cool middle grade fantasy, for any age, to share a beautiful message of hope!

Kaitee Tredway

This book should be required reading for everyone. What Mbalia does with these icons from West African folklore and the layering of the legacy of slavery and what it stole, all while telling an AMAZING adventure story, is breathtaking. 

The best example I have of this is the first monster we meet in Midpass: fetterlings. When I saw that name, I thought, “No… that can’t be what I think.” But it was. Fetterlings are iron manacles that hunt the black folk and drag them away. Even John Henry and Brer Rabbit are afraid of them. The layer of metaphor in that alone had me hooked, and this is not the only example in the book. Mbalia does not shy away from exploring the inherited scars of enslaved ancestors and what was stolen from the enslaved by their captors.

When Gum Baby (another figure from black folklore) steals a journal from Tristan, he chases after her, punching his way into Midpass and ripping a hole in the sky, which causes all sorts of problems. Tristan is on a constant search for the journal. It belonged to his best friend, Eddie, who died in a bus crash that Tristan walked away from. As Tristan searches for Anansi, the only god who can repair that hole, he grapples with his own grief and survivor’s guild. Tristan is a strong young man who has been taught to keep punching. Being with him as he learned not everything is about fighting and sometimes you just have to left the emotions come was very powerful

Of course, one of my favorite things in the book is that this story is about storytelling. Tristan is often reminded that there is a difference between the true story and what was told, either because it’s easier to hear or favors those in power. He’s reminded that who tells the story is sometimes more important than the story itself. As Tristan harnesses his own storytelling power, this becomes all the more clear.

This book is the truest example of how powerful of the right storyteller paired with the right story can be.

Katrina White

My eight-year-old says this a five out of five. I asked why, he said it was good. I asked parts he said the whole thing. I think that's all I'm getting out of him. Lol

Renee Delcourt

This book was EVERYTHING!!! It was so good and I will be thinking about it for a while yet. I loved the characters and the plot. The journey to Tristan accepting his role in the story and his healing process over Eddie's death is absolutely breathtaking. The book is filled with humor that will make you laugh out loud and such touching moments that will steal your heart. I love Tristan's character development and his band of characters that he collects along the way. I will be anxiously awaiting the sequel this October and in the meantime plan to force everyone to read it. 😂

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Author: Kwame Mbalia

Book Series: Tristan Strong Book 1

Rating: 5/5

Publication Date: October 15, 2019

Recommended Age: 12+ (some violence, some scary moments)

Genre: MG Fantasy

Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents

Synopsis: Seventh-grader Tristan Strong feels anything but strong ever since he failed to save his best friend when they were in a bus accident together. All he has left of Eddie is the journal his friend wrote stories in. Tristan is dreading the month he’s going to spend on his grandparents’ farm in Alabama, where he’s being sent to heal from the tragedy. But on his first night there, a sticky creature shows up in his bedroom and steals Eddie’s journal. Tristan chases after it-–is that a doll?-–and a tug-of-war ensues between them underneath a Bottle Tree. In a last attempt to wrestle the journal out of the creature’s hands, Tristan punches the tree, accidentally ripping open a chasm into the MidPass, a volatile place with a burning sea, haunted bone ships, and iron monsters that are hunting the inhabitants of this world. Tristan finds himself in the middle of a battle that has left black American gods John Henry and Brer Rabbit exhausted. In order to get back home, Tristan and these new allies will need to entice the god Anansi, the Weaver, to come out of hiding and seal the hole in the sky. But bartering with the trickster Anansi always comes at a price. Can Tristan save this world before he loses more of the things he loves?

Review: Oh wow!! Definitely another must read from the Rick Riordan Presents book series! I loved the story and how well the book wove in African lore and stories. The character development was awe inspiring, the writing was amazing, and I just love Tristan so much!

My only issue is the pacing, but I'm picky on that. I felt the beginning was a bit slow but it quickly picked up!

Verdict: A must read!

Disclaimer: I bought my own copy. Support your authors!

Book: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky

Author: Kwame Mbalia

Book Series: Tristan Strong Book 1

Diversity: Black MC and family and a focus on African mythology and lore

Rating: 5/5

Recommended For...: Middle grade, fantasy, African mythology and lore

Genre: MG Fantasy

Publication Date: October 15, 2019

Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents

Pages: 482

Recommended Age: 10+ (slavery mentioned and alluded to)

Explanation of CWs: Slavery is mentioned and is alluded to in the story.

Synopsis: Seventh-grader Tristan Strong feels anything but strong ever since he failed to save his best friend when they were in a bus accident together. All he has left of Eddie is the journal his friend wrote stories in. Tristan is dreading the month he’s going to spend on his grandparents’ farm in Alabama, where he’s being sent to heal from the tragedy. But on his first night there, a sticky creature shows up in his bedroom and steals Eddie’s journal. Tristan chases after it — is that a doll? — and a tug-of-war ensues between them underneath a Bottle Tree. In a last attempt to wrestle the journal out of the creature’s hands, Tristan punches the tree, accidentally ripping open a chasm into the MidPass, a volatile place with a burning sea, haunted bone ships, and iron monsters that are hunting the inhabitants of this world. Tristan finds himself in the middle of a battle that has left black American gods John Henry and Brer Rabbit exhausted. In order to get back home, Tristan and these new allies will need to entice the god Anansi, the Weaver, to come out of hiding and seal the hole in the sky. But bartering with the trickster Anansi always comes at a price. Can Tristan save this world before he loses more of the things he loves?

Review: This was my first reread of the year and I absolutely enjoyed it just like the first time I read it. I really like the character development and the World building and the book overall is very well written. The African mythology that is used in the book is rich and amazing. I loved looking up the stories as I read along in the book and I thought that the book did very well condensing the stories in a snapshot format for younger readers to understand. I also like that the book didn't shy away from the forced enslavement that much of the African population faced. The book has a lot of mentions of that time period and also has a lot of references to it, but it does not take that part of the history lightly. Another thing that really fascinates me about this book is that the author makes the protagonist a boxer, but also gives him a very unique ability of storytelling. I think that the combination of the two is perfect for a middle grade aged boy to show that not all battles can be won with weapons. I also love the plot of the book and it had me hooked from the first page.

The only thing that really bothered me about the book is that the book is really fast paced in the beginning and then it slows down tremendously towards the middle. The pacing is pretty wonky throughout the book and in the beginning you have a lot of questions about what's going on because you're throwing into the middle of Tristan's story, but I still think that this is one of the best middle grade books that I've read.

Verdict: A must read!!

Jeni Enjaian

It has been a long time since I have loved a book as much as this one. I have always enjoyed mythology related books (see my many reviews of Percy Jackson et al) so I hoped I was in for a treat with this book when I started reading. Wow did this book blow me away. I will admit that the cover art lets down the awesomeness inside, something about those colors and the metallic lettering for Tristan's name just do not seem to fit. Other than the cover art, I have nothing to criticize about this book. I loved learning more about African American and West African mythology. Plus, that ending too with Uncle C! (I won't say anything else to avoid spoilers.) Wow. Just wow. Absolutely amazing.

Leelynn Brady

Thank you so much to Sammie & Annemieke for doing this buddy read with me. I’m so sorry that it ended up taking me longer to finish it than I anticipated, but I’m glad I finally did it! Ugh this was such a great book and I can’t wait to share my thoughts with you all.

Find my full review on my blog Sometimes Leelynn Reads

Kelsey Holtaway

Another impeccable addition to the Rick Riordon Presents library. 

In this book follow Tristan Strong, grieving the loss of his best friend, as he visits his grandparents for the summer. Soon after his arrival, his sole possession from his best friend is stolen and he's subsequently thrown into a world of gods, villains, legends, myths, quests, and a very big problem to solve. He unlocks a hidden identity buried within himself, and the story propels forward from there. 

I truly loved this story, the characters, and the adventure. I appreciated learning about West African and African American mythology, along with its important players and tropes through Tristan's eyes. Kwame Mbalia's world crafting was thoughtful, clever, and deeply meaningful. This is a story and world that keeps you on your toes. 

I highly recommend and I can't wait to dive into the next in this series.

Jelke Olila &
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky (a Tristan Strong Novel, Book 1) by Kwame Mbalia

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Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky (a Tristan Strong Novel, Book 1) by Kwame Mbalia