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lillanaa's review against another edition
5.0
This is technically a reread, I picked this one up right when it came out and forgot to write a review for it, but my second read confirmed everything I loved about it in the first place.
A noble addition to the Riordan Presents label, I'm so glad to see something that plays with so many different concepts; considering everything that has to do with African and African American tales. I'm not one well versed with them, but this book is a wealth of knowledge, as well as just being fun. Tristan is an awesome protagonist, and more believable than some in the stories I read. He's a kid who's done being pushed around by the end of the story, and I can respect that. His tale is one of legends, and I'm so glad there's a sequel coming.
A noble addition to the Riordan Presents label, I'm so glad to see something that plays with so many different concepts; considering everything that has to do with African and African American tales. I'm not one well versed with them, but this book is a wealth of knowledge, as well as just being fun. Tristan is an awesome protagonist, and more believable than some in the stories I read. He's a kid who's done being pushed around by the end of the story, and I can respect that. His tale is one of legends, and I'm so glad there's a sequel coming.
jonseyjaguar's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
jgintrovertedreader's review
4.0
Tristan Strong is mourning the death of his best friend Eddie so his parents are sending him to visit his grandparents in Alabama for a few weeks. He wakes on his first night there to find that a sticky living doll, who calls herself Gum Baby, is stealing Eddie’s writing journal. Tristan tries to catch her and retrieve the stories but instead he accidentally punches a hole in the sky of a mythical land peopled by figures from African-American folktales and mythology.
What fun!
If you look closely at the cover, you’ll notice that it says “Rick Riordan Presents.” Riordan has a small imprint at Disney that he’s using to publish stories similar to his own works but about mythologies that he’s less familiar with. I understand this to mean that he’s promoting more of an #ownvoices version of modern mythology. I applaud him for using his success to promote others!
That said, the humor and adventure in Tristan Strong are sure to appeal to readers who enjoy Percy Jackson and all of Riordan’s other books. My inner 12-year-old giggled a lot.
I was surprised by the traces of darkness in these pages though. The first thing I noticed was Eddie’s death. So many kids do struggle with losing friends their age, it has to be good for them to read about characters who are also dealing with grief. This world’s monsters broke my heart but they might not be as noticeable to younger readers. Viewed through the lens of slavery, brand flies that rob you of your will, fetterlings (and the bigger bosslings) that chain you, and hullbeasts that trap branded and bound people and spread death and disease are terrifying and so much more than they appear to be on the surface. Well done, Mr. Mbalia.
I will never claim to know much about African mythology or African-American legends, but even I recognized a lot of these characters. Anansi, Brer Rabbit, John Henry, and more make larger-than-life appearances here.
Amir Abdullah’s narration was fabulous.
For humor, adventure, and an introduction to mythologies that are under-represented, I highly recommend this. It’s a fun story with a lot of heart.
What fun!
If you look closely at the cover, you’ll notice that it says “Rick Riordan Presents.” Riordan has a small imprint at Disney that he’s using to publish stories similar to his own works but about mythologies that he’s less familiar with. I understand this to mean that he’s promoting more of an #ownvoices version of modern mythology. I applaud him for using his success to promote others!
That said, the humor and adventure in Tristan Strong are sure to appeal to readers who enjoy Percy Jackson and all of Riordan’s other books. My inner 12-year-old giggled a lot.
I was surprised by the traces of darkness in these pages though. The first thing I noticed was Eddie’s death. So many kids do struggle with losing friends their age, it has to be good for them to read about characters who are also dealing with grief. This world’s monsters broke my heart but they might not be as noticeable to younger readers. Viewed through the lens of slavery, brand flies that rob you of your will, fetterlings (and the bigger bosslings) that chain you, and hullbeasts that trap branded and bound people and spread death and disease are terrifying and so much more than they appear to be on the surface. Well done, Mr. Mbalia.
I will never claim to know much about African mythology or African-American legends, but even I recognized a lot of these characters. Anansi, Brer Rabbit, John Henry, and more make larger-than-life appearances here.
Amir Abdullah’s narration was fabulous.
For humor, adventure, and an introduction to mythologies that are under-represented, I highly recommend this. It’s a fun story with a lot of heart.
sokkaspoon's review
While I have enjoyed the story so far, it feels a bit too young for me at this point in my life and I'm just not cibing with it. Maybe I'll come back to this at some point, but for now I'm stopping.
regina_1's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I really enjoyed reading about different gods- ones that I wasn't as familiar with. Kwame Mbalia does a great job at telling the tales of African American Gods. My favorite part of the book was learning more about the different gods and their stories- it made me want to go and research their stories.
This story follows the tale of Tristan, a middle school aged boy that is trying to cope with a horrible trauma. His best friend dies and leaves Tristan with a magical journal. This journal leads Tristand into a new world, and to find ways to become a hero. I could see middle schoolers loving this novel; however, I struggled "world" in which these characters lived. I really struggled with understanding some of the details and what was taking place. And at the end of the book I was left with more questions then answers. Maybe that is why there is a sequal, and I will just have to read it to get my questions answer. I don't know if I want to read the sequal because I not only struggled with the world but I struggled with the POV of the story as well. It is from Tristan's POV but at times we were given his thoughts and it didn't match well with the scene.
It is a cute story. If you or your child liked reading Percy Jackson, then I would recommend this story. I would encourage reading this book before reading Harry Potter.
This story follows the tale of Tristan, a middle school aged boy that is trying to cope with a horrible trauma. His best friend dies and leaves Tristan with a magical journal. This journal leads Tristand into a new world, and to find ways to become a hero. I could see middle schoolers loving this novel; however, I struggled "world" in which these characters lived. I really struggled with understanding some of the details and what was taking place. And at the end of the book I was left with more questions then answers. Maybe that is why there is a sequal, and I will just have to read it to get my questions answer. I don't know if I want to read the sequal because I not only struggled with the world but I struggled with the POV of the story as well. It is from Tristan's POV but at times we were given his thoughts and it didn't match well with the scene.
It is a cute story. If you or your child liked reading Percy Jackson, then I would recommend this story. I would encourage reading this book before reading Harry Potter.
pastryreader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
danie_faye's review against another edition
Couldn’t quite keep up with the change of locations.
alyshadeshae's review against another edition
5.0
Holy Nokley that was amazing!!
There is just so much good to say about this book but I wouldn't be able to do it without spoilers!! Ugh! But seriously, read this. It's marvelous and I love it and now I'm stuck waiting until October for the next one!!!
There is just so much good to say about this book but I wouldn't be able to do it without spoilers!! Ugh! But seriously, read this. It's marvelous and I love it and now I'm stuck waiting until October for the next one!!!
moonblink39's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25