Week 12

The sun is coming out, the weather is (gradually) getting warmer, springtime is approaching!

An extremely large part of my mind still thinks we’re in spring 2020 and may never reemerge from that.

#16) TRISTAN STRONG PUNCHES A HOLE IN THE SKY by Kwame Mbalia

This is the first of the “Rick Riordan Presents” books that I’ve had a chance to read, and it did not disappoint!

First of all, obviously, I really liked getting to see gods and stories from a very different cultural background than I grew up with. Also, it was interesting to see (given my limited understanding of both African American and West African folklore/mythology) how Mbalia combined them both, and I thought that the dialogue between old world and new world was really fascinating and well done.

I also really liked the characters, in particular I loved the development of the titular Tristan Strong. I really felt and believed in his backstory, and I always love the meta element of having a main character be a storyteller. His relationship with the people around him, family and friends, were clearly heartfelt.

Also, for a children’s book, Mbalia does not shy away from the more “difficult” elements of the folklore origins. This might just be because I’m used to reading books that are “for” white children (implicitly or explicitly) and therefore have the privilege of ignoring, for example, the history of slavery that informed the way America is currently structured.

I liked that the book was unabashed in addressing these origins, but also didn’t, I guess, linger in the pain of it? It seemed to walk the line between addressing the pain and also acknowledging the power and the joy, at least from my (obviously limited) perspective.

I’m excited to pick up the next book in this series, and also to check out Mbalia’s other work!