{"id":36893,"date":"2020-02-13T00:01:37","date_gmt":"2020-02-13T04:01:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=36893"},"modified":"2020-02-13T00:01:37","modified_gmt":"2020-02-13T04:01:37","slug":"review-of-tristan-strong-punches-a-hole-in-the-sky-by-kwame-mbalia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=36893","title":{"rendered":"Review of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, by Kwame Mbalia"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky<\/em><\/p>\n

by Kwame Mbalia<\/p>\n

Rick Riordan Presents (Disney Hyperion), 2019. 482 pages.
\nReview written November 13, 2019, from a library book
\n2019 Cybils Finalist Elementary\/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction<\/a>
\n2020 Coretta Scott King Author Honor<\/a><\/p>\n

Big Kudos to Rick Riordan for recruiting authors from many different ethnicities to write books similar to his own \u2013 mythology comes to life, only now the mythology featured is from a different cultural background, which the author is writing from.<\/p>\n

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky<\/em> tells about an African American kid who punches an ancient bottle tree in the South and then falls into a world where the characters from the stories his Nana tells are real \u2013 and that world is in danger.<\/p>\n

It turns out that Tristan has a gift from Anansi of storytelling, and that will be key to saving the mythical characters.<\/p>\n

I do love that this book builds off of African American tales. The non-stop danger and adventure will appeal to Rick Riordan\u2019s fans.<\/p>\n

I personally wasn\u2019t completely convinced by the world-building and was a little bewildered about how the whole life-or-death crisis got started and how it was to be resolved. I also wasn\u2019t fully present with Tristan\u2019s emotions \u2013 I felt like I was told about them more than shown what they would be. But a lot of kids won\u2019t care about details like that, and I will still gladly recommend it to kids who want a rip-roaring adventure in a world where fantasy turns out to be real and kids are needed to save the day.<\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Childrens_Fiction\/tristan_strong.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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