Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky

What an absolute delight -- hilarious, full of heart, stuffed with adventures, and a beautiful and thoughtful centering on African-American folklore. I mean really, I honestly don't see how this book could be improved, and Gum Baby is possibly one of the all time funniest characters I've ever encountered. I highly recommend the audio book version, which is extremely well done, and I can't wait to see what kind of trouble Tristan and Anansi get into next.

Tristan Strong is mourning the death of his best friend Eddie so his parents are sending him to visit his grandparents in Alabama for a few weeks. He wakes on his first night there to find that a sticky living doll, who calls herself Gum Baby, is stealing Eddie’s writing journal. Tristan tries to catch her and retrieve the stories but instead he accidentally punches a hole in the sky of a mythical land peopled by figures from African-American folktales and mythology.

What fun!

If you look closely at the cover, you’ll notice that it says “Rick Riordan Presents.” Riordan has a small imprint at Disney that he’s using to publish stories similar to his own works but about mythologies that he’s less familiar with. I understand this show more to mean that he’s promoting more of an #ownvoices version of modern mythology. I applaud him for using his success to promote others!

That said, the humor and adventure in Tristan Strong are sure to appeal to readers who enjoy Percy Jackson and all of Riordan’s other books. My inner 12-year-old giggled a lot.

I was surprised by the traces of darkness in these pages though. The first thing I noticed was Eddie’s death. So many kids do struggle with losing friends their age, it has to be good for them to read about characters who are also dealing with grief. This world’s monsters broke my heart but they might not be as noticeable to younger readers. Viewed through the lens of slavery, brand flies that rob you of your will, fetterlings (and the bigger bosslings) that chain you, and hullbeasts that trap branded and bound people and spread death and disease are terrifying and so much more than they appear to be on the surface. Well done, Mr. Mbalia.

I will never claim to know much about African mythology or African-American legends, but even I recognized a lot of these characters. Anansi, Brer Rabbit, John Henry, and more make larger-than-life appearances here.

Amir Abdullah’s narration was fabulous.

For humor, adventure, and an introduction to mythologies that are under-represented, I highly recommend this. It’s a fun story with a lot of heart. show less

I had a super fun time reading thi book. I also really loved the rep in this book and how it focused on both african american folk heroes and also gods. It was a really fast pace read. It also dealt alot with the topics of recovering from grief. I did read a much older arc of this book, so it did read a bit long to me. But I really loved the quest element and the twists and turns in the story. I am really excitd to read book 2 soon!! So happy i finally read it!

7th grader Tristan Strong is struggling with the recent death of his best friend Eddie, yet he can’t get himself to open Eddie’s journal, the only thing he has from his late friend. But after he arrives at his grandparents’ Alabama farm, strange things begin to happen. Eddie’s journal is stolen by a doll (yes, a doll), so Tristan chases the strange creature and ends up in a strange world, one in which the inhabitants are the characters from stories his Nana used to tell him. Except, this wasn’t a story. This was real. And so were the characters. And right now, they were in the middle of a war.

What I liked: loved reading and learning about African mythology and southern black folklore. Tristan was a great protagonist, wanting show more to be a hero, but struggling with fear. I also loved the underlying themes spread throughout, including dealing with grief, feelings of not living up to parents expectations, etc.

What I didn’t like: the book was way too long. There were many scenes that I thought could’ve been shorter, and that made reading the book drag on sometimes, but the story itself was definitely interesting enough to keep me going.

Definitely worth a read.

4 out of 5 stars show less

I bought this book on release day after following all the hype on twitter, and my kids picked it for bedtime story shortly thereafter.

This is one of those books that I think would have worked better reading at your own pace rather than as a read aloud book. I think reading it only one chapter at a time broke up the momentum and undermined the urgency. Don't get me wrong, the kids enjoyed this story, I just think they might have gotten more excited if they'd been able to binge-read it.

I remember reading about some of these stories and characters as a kid, and it was fun to see them again, all connected in one big story. I am very curious about some of these characters and how they will come back in the sequel — especially Tristan's show more family "in the real world." How will his adventures and heroics, mostly based in storytelling, affect his boxing bouts? his relationship to his family? It sounds like I am definitely here for book two. I suppose I should go ahead and pre-order!

It seems I am reading more and more Anansi stories, and I like it. show less

Tristan grieves the death of best friend Eddie in a school bus accident, blaming himself for not coming to his rescue. His prized remembrance of Eddie is Eddie’s story journal, where they recorded stories of African and African-American folklore. But only Tristan seems to notice that the journal glows. One night he wakes up to see a doll-like figure trying to steal the journal. Tristan gives chase and in the process is sucked down into a fissure in the earth and lands in Midpass, a part of Alke. There he finds a world of creatures and humans living in fear of an odd evil that is tearing apart their world, and that chaos may be all Tristan’s fault. A fast-paced, action-packed incorporation of fantasy, superhero, and characters from show more African and African-American folklore. Gum Baby is the comic relief, the Tiffany Haddish of the book. show less

Kwame has hit this book out of the park. He has a solid book that kids today will love, and kids of tomorrow will still be reading far into the future. Rick Riordan Presents looks to tell mythology stories in #ownvoices and unlike some other famous author imprints, he has not had a dud yet. This book takes african american folklore and spins it into a story that is action packed, heart warming, and full of the “messages” so many authors aim for but can’t make seamless to the story. This one does it all. Tristan Strong is just any regular american POC boy. He has an exacting father, a legacy to live up to, and a tragic backstory after his best friend dies in a bus accident.

He is sent to spend some time with his Nana and grandfather show more after a lost boxing match. The hope is that he will heal from his grief and learn from hard work on the farm. But his first night is a doozy. He has his friend’s Eddie’s journal. It’s been glowing and that first night some slimy, sticky little thief broke into his room to steal it. That is where we first meet Gum Baby. Every time Gum Baby speaks I hear Cardi B. I can’t help it. A wild chase results in an accidental hole in the sky when Tristan breaks a bottle from the bottle tree and falls through a hole.

The world below is in turmoil and the hole in the sky is just making things worse. Fetterlings are capturing the people in the land below and taking over all the land. Only a story teller will be able to put the land back to rights, as it will take a story boxl to get Anasi out of hiding. Then with some help from legends John Henry, Brer Rox, Brer Rabbit, and even High John, it will really be up to Tristan to help fix the hole he created and bring stories back to the land.

This book was amazing and I can not wait for the sequel. And as has been my tradition, I will await the next tale from RRP because I know adventure awaits.

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