Book review - Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky

Title: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky
Author: Kwame Mbalia
Genre: fantasy/mythology
Similar books: Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
                      The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste
Rating:

a delightful reimagining

Summary (provided by publisher): 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 opinion: If you're familiar with Rick Riordan, you probably know what to expect from this book. A normal kid finds himself thrown into a world of mythology. The difference with this series, of course, is that Tristan is not a demi-god. In fact, there aren't many gods in this book. These are mostly legendary figures with god-like powers. John Henry, Brer Rabbit, that sort of thing. So Tristan's tie to their world is more related to personality and internal traits than blood. He starts out as an average kid, simply dealing with big issues: grief, parental expectations, fear and anger. Mbalia is exploring not specific stories so much as the role of storytelling in culture, how it morphs overtime but still ties us to our past. With a solid cast of characters and just the right amount of complexity for a middle grade novel, I consider this one a must read.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.