Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

Tristan and Gum Baby land in the Burning Sea, located between the lands of MidPass and mainland Alke, but they escape its fiery water and ships made of bones with the help of air-raft pilot Ayanna, who attempts to take Tristan, Gum Baby, and passengers, to safety in a place called the Thicket.

During a tussle over the journal, Tristan punches a hole in the sky, thereby damaging the integrity of this fantasy world and releasing a haint-Uncle Cotton, a loathsome holdover of American slavery-in this mythical world. Soon after Tristan’s arrival at the Strong farm, Gum Baby, an impudent little thief from the land of Alke, attempts to steal a strange journal that glows and is the only memento of Eddie that Tristan has. Tristan has long been fascinated by the folktales Nana told him and he collected them with Eddie as a part of a school project. His trip is his parents’ latest effort to help him emerge from the depression he feels after Eddie, his best friend, dies in an accident during a school trip with Tristan and his classmates. (Oct.Tristan Strong travels from Chicago to the family farm in Alabama with his grandparents Alvin and Nana Strong. Mbalia expertly weaves a meaningful portrayal of family and community with folklore, myth, and history-including the legacy of the slave trade-creating a fast-paced, heroic series starter.

As a reluctant hero-afraid of heights, grieving, and burdened by past failures-Tristan’s voice rings true and sympathetic, while the irrepressible Gum Baby steals every scene. To mend the rift, save the day, and return home, Tristan and his allies must seek out the missing trickster god Anansi, a journey that takes them to regions inhabited by ancient gods. Legendary folk heroes such as hammer-swinging John Henry and wily Brer Fox, whose people are being captured and enslaved by terrifying monsters. Which has mysteriously begun to glow-Tristan pursues, accidentally tearing a hole between the farm and the myriad lands of Alke.

When a talking doll named Gum Baby steals his prized book of stories. His best friend has just died, and he’s lost a boxing match (much to his boxing family’s disappointment). In this triumphant middle grade debut inspired by West African mythology and African-American folk tales, black seventh grader Tristan Strong is sent from Chicago to spend the summer on his grandparents’ Alabama farm.

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia