My students seek out and really enjoy the Rick Riordan Presents books, and Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky is no exception! This was a great read as a modern twist on mythological stories, with a strong and empowering protagonist. Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. What a fun middle grade book! Tristan Strong punches a Hole in the Sky is such a compelling title to begin with. Young readers love books like this full of adventure, folklore, and mythology. The African American folk tales and West African mythology in this book were new for a lot of my students, and they loved it. Kwame Mbalia can tell a great story!

I'm almost three years late to the party, but Tristan Strong is such a delight, and I can't believe it took me this long to read. (Well, listen to the audio—which is excellent, by the way.)

This is a story with so much heart. In Tristan, there's a protagonist who isn't totally sure of himself, who messes up but keeps trying, and who learns to come into his power. This is a story about love and grief, a strong allegory for generational trauma and the need for community to band together rather than allow ourselves to be town apart. The side characters are so rich and full of life (GB is. my. fave.) and I love how much Black mythology—not just West African, but stories Black folks have told themselves and their communities over the centuries— plays into this book. Rick Riordan's note at the beginning is perfect, encouraging people to open up their worlds by peaking into Tristan's.

(My literal only complaint was that homeboy found crickets annoying but grew up in Chicago, where there are cicadas, which have a MUCH more grating sound to my ears. But! I digress, maybe he grew up in a part of the city without a lot of parks/trees and so didn't really hear them.)

While there are sequels, this book definitely can stand on its own. An absolute joy.

I have elected not to read and review this book due to time constraints. Thank you for the opportunity.

I always enjoy modern takes on mythology and Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky is no exception. Kwame deftly mixes African-American legends like Brer Rabbit and John Henry with the West African mythology of Anansi and Nyame into a fast-paced adventure that never lets go. I can see why the Texas Bluebonnet committee chose this as one of this year's nominees and I can't wait to read the rest of this series!

Yet another engaging mythology story from Rick Riordan presents. Kwame Mbalia's story is quickly engaging and carries the same fun banter between characters that readers love about this mythology series. Looking forward to more! And to seeing more by this author.

This was an absolute delight! Tristan has such a strong voice and is such a compelling character. It was also cool to be introduced to characters I didn't know, as well as introduced to new ones in a new light. I liked how the story wrapped up neatly enough (cliffhangers stress me out!) but still offered enough intrigue to get readers excited about what's next in Tristan's story. Also, I loved that ALL of his main quest companions were female!

I have no idea why I waited so long to read Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia, but I am so glad that I finally picked it up. What an amazing adventure intertwined with African American folklore and amazing symbolism! Brilliant.

This is definitely going to be one of my top favorite books of the year. I really enjoyed learning about the African American folktales and West African mythology that this story focuses on.

I was invested in the story from the start and flew through the book because I just had to keep reading. There was a twist I didn’t see coming at all which left me even more eager to finish the story to see how everything would turn out.

Gum Baby was hilarious and is one of my favorite characters. My heart ached for Tristan for the grief that he was holding on to and the expectations and pressure that’s put on him. I loved seeing him grow throughout the book and can’t wait to read the next one!

From the Publisher:
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?

My Thoughts:
The publishers call this a middle grade American Gods (Neil Gaiman), but this is a "Rick Riordan presents" so I will sell this as a centrifugal book spinning from or returning back to Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series. True, Tristan is not half god, but when he enters Alke, he will find out that he brings powers with him passed down from his Nana as well as his best friend Eddie.

Like Riordan's books, a new generation of readers are introduced or re-introduced to heroes and gods of the past, except these are African American folk heroes and West African gods. I recognized some of the characters from folk tales that are still shared with young students, like John Henry with his mighty hammer and Brer Rabbit (currently most known outside of the African American community as part of the Disney ride Splash Mountain - based on Song of the South), as well as Anansi the trickster. But what this book adds is more depth and complexity to even the familiar characters. This book will ensure that these characters stay present with this new generation and hopefully, this book will lead young readers back to the original stories to find out more about Nyame or Nyambe, the sky deity from South Gana, Gum Baby and even Maafa.

Two of these, Alke (which is the world he lands in) and Maafa intrigued me enough to look them up. What I found was interesting in that perhaps Alke may perhaps represent Africa, but it is also interesting that there is an Alke in Greek mythology and was one of the Amazonians (like Wonder Woman?). Finally, when I looked up Maafa as the source of the malevolence in Alke, I found that Maafa refers to the Black Holocaust, a Kiswahili term for disaster, calamity, or terrible occurrence. It is the term used to describe the Trans-Atlantic slave trade/middle passage, which is why when it finally appears, it looks like a ship and also why the creatures that come from the Maafa to capture the folks in Alke are rusting fetterlings that look like slave shackles. I have more to explore based on the references in this book, but that just shows that the adventure and Tristan himself are motivation to read this, but also as an adult, this tween book gives me a great starting place to do my own research.

Follow this book with Percy Jackson or if you want to go back to a more "canonical"/centripetal book, read or reread the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis (It starts with The Magicians's Nephew but most children have seen and are more familiar with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe book 2). There is also a second Tristan Strong book out now, Tristan Strong Destroys the World.

This was fun, action-packed story. Tristan has a lot stacked against him and has to figure out how to deal with pressure from his family about being someone he doesn't feel he is and struggle with pain and grief over his best friend's death.

A fun way to introduce readers to African folklore..

It took me a while to get into this but once I did, I really enjoyed it. I do wonder how much of the symbolism is going to connect with the target audience. Not because kids/teens couldn't understand it but because of the potential lack of education on the history of American slavery. It's a powerful allegory when you get it and I suppose still a fun action adventure if you don't.

Slow and steady did I read this one. It was the book on my phone, which almost always takes a backseat to whatever I'm reading in print. I did enjoy this one quite a lot. I wasn't as familiar with the characters as I would have liked, but it gives me something to research later. Mbalia does an excellent job as a debut author, and I can't wait to see where the story goes next.

Tristan Strong is an amazing book! Give to students who love humor, mythology, black history, adventure, and even a cliff hanger! I was laughing throughout this book and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next one. Read alikes are Sal and Gabi Break the Universe and Percy Jackson The Lightning Thief.

This book exposes the reader to myth and legend they might not be familiar with. This is a strong selling point for this book. It is a fun read and is enjoyable.

A 'strong' recommended read for fans of Percy Jackson! It's an #OwnVoices title as well. Most kids I've recommended it to have inquired about a sequel -- a good sign! The length is a tad overwhelming but the pace is fast. Highly recommended for school and public libraries.

Very fantastical but overall a fun story with great African mythology influences. I just couldn’t finish it because it was too much fantasy for me. My students love it though

Kwame Mbalia delivers a great story about Western African gods and heroes that will take kids on a wild ride. It doesn't stop there. This book is also filled with humor and heart. My only reason for the four stars is that for the intended age group the length of the book may be a little daunting to some readers.

Thank you NetGalley for this e-arc.

Another great adventure in the Rick Riordan Presents line. This one focuses on both African and African-American folktales and mythology. Recommended for grades 4 & up.

Wow. This book. There are not enough words in the English language to fully explain how excellent this book is! It is so, so good and so, so necessary. I want to hand it to every person on the planet!