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paula_nico's review against another edition
4.0
It was a very good book! I enjoyed reading it and it made me cry so much when Tristan was saying how Eddie died. It hit my hard because I put myself in Tristan's shoes. Other than that it was an amazing book. One of my favorites of this year.
alexisdoingok's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
medium-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
morganly's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
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
5.0
marieintheraw's review against another edition
4.0
this was actually really interesting and fast-paced
kutsireads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
tense
medium-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
4.0
eaglegirl's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
laura_cs's review against another edition
5.0
9/22/2019 I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
"Nana used to tell me stories about how, over in Africa, before the horrors of slavery, people used to fly all the time. They'd whisper the powerful words, the phrases dripping in old magic, and shoot off into the sky ... Then came the chains and ships, and pain and whips, and the people's wings fell or were torn off. But the words of power were never forgotten."
While still reeling from grief and guilt over the death of his best friend Eddie and suffering the humiliation of having lost his first boxing match (disappointing both his father and grandfather), Tristan Strong is being sent to Alabama to his grandparents' farm, where his grandfather firmly believes that hard work will fix everything wrong with Tristan. In the middle of his first night on the farm, Tristan wakes up to find a small creature in his room, rifling through his things with one object in mind: Eddie's beloved journal, full of African-American folklore tales.
Desperate to retrieve the journal, Tristan follows the creature--who happens to be a sticky, sentient doll named Gum Baby--and, while fighting over the journal, punches his grandmother's bottle tree, shattering one of the bottles. This causes a hole to appear in the sky, sending Tristan into a parallel world called Midpass that is under attack from sentient shackles called fetterlings, poisionous insects that brand the skin, and other horrors that steal and hurt the people who live in this world. Worse, it appears that Tristan let in an evil haint when he broke the bottle and punched a hole in the sky.
As Tristan navigates this new land and meets legends such as John Henry, Brer Rabbit, and more, he also learns more about himself. Namely, he is an Anansesem: he has the storytelling power of the spider Anansi. These powers of his could change the game entirely, and save the world. But is he the right hero for the job?
Another phenomenal title from the Rick Riordan Presents imprint, focusing on African-American folklore, mythology, and essentially the development of African-American culture itself. I'm rather enjoying the rise of Afro-Fantasy novels, and am especially pleased with this middle-grade novel and the handling of hard subject matter such as slavery, but also grief, survivor's guilt, and the weight of adults expectations while still being a kid. And Tristan's power? It's amazing. Like nothing I've ever seen before. Tristan's strong, and a good fighter, but also knows how to wield words to make a difference, showing that there are different ways to be strong and be a hero.
I also am extremely pleased with how Tristan's interactions with the men in his family and the men in Midpass (particularly John Henry) differ, and by doing so subtly address toxic masculinity and the power of positive male influences in the lives of young men (a concept that is important in all cultures).
So. Read this book. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll wish that you had a doll that attacks people with sap as a sidekick. But, please, leave all punching holes in the sky to Tristan.
2/4/2019 DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!!!! That cover!!!!!! Just... Holy crow!
"Nana used to tell me stories about how, over in Africa, before the horrors of slavery, people used to fly all the time. They'd whisper the powerful words, the phrases dripping in old magic, and shoot off into the sky ... Then came the chains and ships, and pain and whips, and the people's wings fell or were torn off. But the words of power were never forgotten."
While still reeling from grief and guilt over the death of his best friend Eddie and suffering the humiliation of having lost his first boxing match (disappointing both his father and grandfather), Tristan Strong is being sent to Alabama to his grandparents' farm, where his grandfather firmly believes that hard work will fix everything wrong with Tristan. In the middle of his first night on the farm, Tristan wakes up to find a small creature in his room, rifling through his things with one object in mind: Eddie's beloved journal, full of African-American folklore tales.
Desperate to retrieve the journal, Tristan follows the creature--who happens to be a sticky, sentient doll named Gum Baby--and, while fighting over the journal, punches his grandmother's bottle tree, shattering one of the bottles. This causes a hole to appear in the sky, sending Tristan into a parallel world called Midpass that is under attack from sentient shackles called fetterlings, poisionous insects that brand the skin, and other horrors that steal and hurt the people who live in this world. Worse, it appears that Tristan let in an evil haint when he broke the bottle and punched a hole in the sky.
As Tristan navigates this new land and meets legends such as John Henry, Brer Rabbit, and more, he also learns more about himself. Namely, he is an Anansesem: he has the storytelling power of the spider Anansi. These powers of his could change the game entirely, and save the world. But is he the right hero for the job?
Another phenomenal title from the Rick Riordan Presents imprint, focusing on African-American folklore, mythology, and essentially the development of African-American culture itself. I'm rather enjoying the rise of Afro-Fantasy novels, and am especially pleased with this middle-grade novel and the handling of hard subject matter such as slavery, but also grief, survivor's guilt, and the weight of adults expectations while still being a kid. And Tristan's power? It's amazing. Like nothing I've ever seen before. Tristan's strong, and a good fighter, but also knows how to wield words to make a difference, showing that there are different ways to be strong and be a hero.
I also am extremely pleased with how Tristan's interactions with the men in his family and the men in Midpass (particularly John Henry) differ, and by doing so subtly address toxic masculinity and the power of positive male influences in the lives of young men (a concept that is important in all cultures).
So. Read this book. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll wish that you had a doll that attacks people with sap as a sidekick. But, please, leave all punching holes in the sky to Tristan.
2/4/2019 DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!!!! That cover!!!!!! Just... Holy crow!
brittaddictedtobooks's review against another edition
5.0
This was a wonderful middle grade book I read with my 4th grader. The audiobook is excellent and I think it enhances the experience as the narrator does such an amazing job with the different accents and tones.
bookish_mrs_w's review against another edition
5.0
This.was.brilliant! An incredible story based in African American history, folklore & mythology….yet at the heart of this story…it’s about not allowing the chains anger and guild and pains of the past (figuratively & literally) into monsters. It’s about not fight hate with hate, yet remembering to carry the stories of the past as a reminder to be better and make a better world. Kwame Mbalia wrote a really cool middle grade fantasy, for any age, to share a beautiful message of hope!
whatsthestorywishbone's review against another edition
3.0
Reid Loved this book he was gripped from beginning to end and begged to keep listening. I on the other hand thought it was okay but I really wanted it to be better. I felt it was a bit convoluted and could have been simplified and edited to a cleaner story. The bones were there, but it just didn’t come together like I wanted it to. I also, wanted more history of the gods and folktales. Some I was familiar with, others not so much and Reid didn’t know many of them. It did inspire me to find my African folktale books and reread them and maybe check some out from the library though.