I hate to feel so lukewarm about a book coming from such a cool storytelling tradition (as soon as I saw that it's based on African-American folklore, I was all over it), but honestly it was a slog. It is a very long book for middle grade, with lots of locations, characters, and SYMBOLISM.

The best parts of the story were in the beginning, where Tristan is interacting with his family. I think Tristan's recurring thoughts on adults are a great theme - adults are always telling him what to do, without always modeling the lessons they're imposing on him. Tristan's voice is wry and funny in the beginning (strong echoes of <i>Bud, Not Buddy</i>), but as soon as he descends to MidPass, he spends all his time being confused and asking questions that take a long time to get answered.

The adventure is overall a huge bummer, which makes sense. The monsters (fetterlings, hullbeasts, brandflies, the Maafa) all represent African enslavement and transportation through the Middle Passage. Your typical middle grade novel doesn't deal with such a long and horrific history of human cruelty. (I mean, imagine if Camp Halfblood's gods and monsters were from a more recent past. Like we were the great-grandkids of the conquered Trojans. It would make the fantasy much less fun.)

The beginning half has a lightness to it that the latter half is missing. Thank goodness for the annoying Gum Baby to bring some levity. For a storytelling tradition populated with iconic tricksters, there wasn't much cleverness to be found in the gods of the story. They're all grim and powerless against the forces that are stealing their people. The system of magic didn't always make sense - honestly, what I really wanted was for Tristan to tell some of the classic folktales with the heroes sitting right there arguing over interpretations. Or better yet, relive them and use their lessons to beat his enemies.

The end of the story does make me hope that the sequel will take place more in Tristan's world than MidPass, with his family front and center.

Received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The note by Rick Riordan made me think this was going to be more like his Percy Jackson series but with African-American folklore and myths. That part is there, but the Percy part isn't as much - Tristan doesn't interact with others his age, only with the myths (John Henry, Gum Baby, etc.). There's more of a quick dive rather than the slow immersion into those stories which may be a problem for readers who don't understand the terms (Maafa) or the significance of Uncle C in that world.

eARC provided by publisher.

Definitely a reason this one ended up with Riordan's imprint! Will certainly appeal to fans looking for that mix of mythology and action, and the African/African-American stories were a really interesting element. It did feel as if the story meandered a bit in places, and that the mythological figures had more distinct personalities than the original supporting characters (Gum Baby clearly jumps off the page, while Ayanna and Thandiwe had almost interchangeable identities). Overall, though, a fully enjoyable and compelling read.

Tristan Strong is grieving the loss of his best friend from a bus accident and travels with his grandparents to Alabama for a change of scenery. In the middle of the night, Gum Baby tries to steal the journal, the only thing that he has of Eddie’s. Tristan follows her into the bottle forest, breaks a bottle and slips down the hole into Midpass. Here all the stories come to life and we are introduced to Bret fox and others from African-American folklore, Tristan has torn a hole between the two worlds and must find a way to fix it.
#TristanStrongPunchesAholeInTheSky #NetGalley #ARCv

Get ready for a wild ride with Tristan Strong! Tristan is grieving over the death of his best friend and upset over losing his first boxing match when he arrives at his grandparents in Alabama. He and his best friend, Eddie were working on a project for school. Eddie was keeping a journal of traditional African American diaspora stories that Tristan's grandmother told. When Tristan discovers someone stealing the journal, he takes off after him to discover a world that values stories and needs Tristan's help. The action and suspense that ensue are boundless. The characters are wise, funny, and enchanting.I can't wait to recommend this book to my middle schoolers who love Percy Jackson. This book will definitely be prominently displayed in my library. Can't wait!

Tristan Strong accidentally finds himself in a world where all the legends that his grandmother told him as a boy come to life. Stuck between wanting to believe, but also being incredibly skeptical of what is happening around him and his purpose for being there, Tristan must decide if he is a hero. Full of self-doubt, readers of all ages will be able to identify with Tristan and his internal struggles throughout the book. Action-packed and fast-paced, this book will keep readers engaged from begin to end. Like any good hero story, Tristan finds himself with a sidekick, whether he wants one or not, who is the comic relief for the book. This is a great addition to any library with its wonderfully complex diverse characters and introduction into African American legends during the time of slavery.

I know only a little of the African-American mythology this references but the story makes me want to look up the originals.

In a similar vein to Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books (this is a Rick Riordan Presents book), Kwame Mbalia puts together a fun, high-adventure story that presents some often overlooked African/African-American mythology and folklore. Tristan will lead the reader on exciting adventures while still feeling like an authentic character.

Tristan has lost his best friend and the only thing he has left of him is his notebook of stories. But one night at Tristan's grandparent's house he sees something odd but is stealing the notebook so he chases it and falls though to a very different place, a place he has only heard of through his grandmother's stories. Now he has to find his inner strength the one only his best friend know he has to save the people here and to get him home, but will Tristan believe he has the strength to get the job done.

This was a wonderful book filled with characters that everyone will know and enjoy. There is action all throughout, and suspense that will keep you reading well past your bedtime. The main character is a boy but the second is a girl that whips him into shape in this new land real quick so don't think this is just a boy book and for that matter don't think this is just a kids book, as adults will love hearing some of the stories come alive again for them that they have not heard for many years. This book supports a wonderful cast of characters and I can not wait for book 2 as this was such a fun book to read and I can not wait to see where the characters take us next time.

This will appear on my blog OCT 15

Tristan Strong Punches A Hole In The Sky is an incredible forte into African American Folklore. Honestly, a person of any age could read this book and be completely immersed in the story and culture. I'm so happy books like these exist. The Rick Riordan Presents imprint is delivering an impressive number of quality MG books but I think this might be my favorite one yet. The action humor and wit of this story goes along with the Rick Riordan style. The characters were diverse and fun. The author was able to make you care about what happened to them which is always a plus in a MG book. The fast paced tone of this book is sure to pull in any reader! The only problem is its over too soon! Can't wait to see where Tristan Strong goes from here!

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia is the book my students have wanted for years. A book with fast-paced action, an epic plot, fully realized (and hilarious!) characters, but most of all African-American folklore & African gods.

Tristan feels like he’s failed everyone. He couldn’t save his best friend Eddie who died in a tragic accident and he’s disappointed his dad and granddad by losing a big boxing match. Sent to his grandparents’ Alabama farm to heal, all Tristan wants is to be left alone. His grief turns to rage when Gum Baby, a sticky sassy doll, attempts to steal Eddie’s story journal (the only thing he has left of his friend) and Tristan accidentally rips open a hole between our world & MidPass.

He suddenly finds himself in a world full of the African American folk heroes and West African gods from his Nana’s stories. And the only way to get back home is to convince Anansi, the weaver, to come out of hiding & fix the hole in the sky.

The level of detail & complexity in this book was amazing, and it would make a fantastic read aloud or book club selection. I’m planning to book talk it alongside the folktale & traditional tale stories featured in the book. This book will have broad appeal for middle grade students. Readers will appreciate it even more if they have some background knowledge about the American South pre-Civil War, enslaved Africans and their folklore and mythology.

I have to admit to being a bit biased when reading this book because I met the author at Book Expo and he was so enthusiastic and had so much great energy. However, the book stands on it's own as a wonderful, creative amazing book that brings to life the traditional tales of people in the African diaspora that I really had to make myself slow down reading this book because I really wanted to savor the tale. Tristan Strong is a young man from Chicago from a family of boxers, he had just had his first match and he lost. He is a young man dealing with a huge loss, his best friend Eddie died in an accident and he'd been dealing with that tragedy in the best way he knew how. Sent off to spend the summer with his grandparents in Alabama he has his prized possession his best friend's journal in his backpack. When it is stolen and he in the struggle to reclaim it punches his grandmother's bottle tree and is drawn to a MidPass he has to discover just how strong he can be. Stories carry power in MisPass and in discovering his own power to tell stories Tristan Strong finds his way to healing after his loss and finds out he can be a hero after all.

I've loved all of Rick Riordan's books and I appreciate that he collaborated with other, more knowledgeable authors to bring us Rick Riordan presents. My sister has lived in Africa for 15 years and I've loved all of the souvenirs she's brought me back so I loved hearing about the West African Gods & Folk Heroes. I hope this is the first of many in this series.

The Riordan imprint only gets stronger and stronger and TRISTAN STRONG PUNCHES A HOLE IN THE SKY is no different,

A full review to come. Pre-ordered. Can't wait for hard copy. This would be a fabulous read aloud, so I'll probably buy the audio-book, too.

Meanwhile, I'm going to do some research into African and African-American folklore. My hope is that Kwame Mbalia will publish a companion guidebook similar to Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief.

No spoilers, but Tar Baby steals many scenes and made me laugh out loud. The set-up for the next installment is perfect and involves a talking/magical object, a signature Rick Riordan element.

Having grown up in the South, I was familiar with some of the legendary characters represented, but this novel presented them in a different perspective or added some insight into their characters that I was unaware of. I am drawn to stories that feature John Henry as well as ones that weave several legendary/epic characters into one tale. I have several students who have enjoyed the Clockwork Dark trilogy by John Bemis; I think this will be a good companion or follow up novel to recommend.

Kwame Mbalia has created your next favorite hero with Tristan Strong! The folktales are alive again and I can’t wait for this series to continue retelling them. I loved all these tales growing up and reading Kwame’s version blew me away. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky is absolutely going into our school’s library collection in October.

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky is a "strong" debut novel from Kwame Mbalia. Seventh grader Tristan Strong is struggling in his life, dealing with being unable to save his best friend during a recent accident. To make things worse, he seems unable to live up to his family's name and history. His father and grandfather were champion boxers, and Tristan manages to disappoint them in his debut bout. All of that becomes minor, though, when Tristan goes to visit his grandparents' farm. In the middle of the night, a strange creature breaks into his room and steal's the journal that contains all of Tristan's memories of his dead best friend. As Tristan chases after, he finds himself in the middle of a grand journey that will take him through all of the stories of his ancestors as he tries to figure out what it means to be truly strong.

Overall, this book has everything that is needed to make it fit into the growing umbrella of "Rick Riordan Presents" books. It has near-constant action, a focus on myths and legends, and a young protagonist that drives the story as they work through their own personal challenges. It was exciting and fast paced, making you want to keep reading. The only flaw seemed to be that at times things went a little too quickly. There were a few spots in the book where the main characters moved on and it was difficult to follow the shifts in setting. This one minor flaw was the only thing I saw that could be improved. If you enjoy Rick Riordan's books, or any of the other Rick Riordan Presents, books, you will love Tristan Strong.

This is going to be the next great book from this publisher and a hit from the author, Kwame Mbalia. The culture, the language, the characters, the cover--they are a statement of greatness for the Youth of Color looking for representation in fantasy. This is it.

Great story that employs African and African-American folklore, stories and mythology in an interesting and educational way. My single complaint is that I found the character Gum Baby somewhat annoying, but her brand of humor might work well with other readers. I would definitely read follow-ups to this and am looking forward to seeing more from this author.