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From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

Tristan is visiting his grandparents in Alabama when he falls into another dimension. In Alke, Brer Rabbit, John Henry, Anansi, and others from African and African American folklore and myth—stories his best friend Eddie, who recently died, loved to collect—are alive. The rise of the Maafa in their bone ships from the bottom of the sea, and the attack of fetterlings—living chains and shackles—is threatening life across Alke. Tristan just wants to get back home, but the hole he made falling through the sky is feeding the evil and he agrees to find Anansi, the weaver, to fix it. With Gum Baby—small of stature but full of confidence, and often hilarious opinions—two young women, Ayanna and Thandiwe, and Chestnutt, a young rabbit, Tristan embarks on a weaving mission of his own: get the various communities in Alke, suspicious of one another, to work together. The threats of the mythical world are aligned with the slave trade history of our own in this complex, satisfying tale driven by entertaining and resilient Black characters and plenty of action, while also exploring Tristan’s grief over the death of his best friend. (Ages 9–13)

CCBC Choices 2020 © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2020. Used with permission.

From School Library Journal

July 1, 2022

Gr 4-7-Tristan Strong is living with grief and guilt because he survived a bus accident that killed his best friend, Eddie. When he is sent down to stay at his grandparents' farm in Alabama, he brings Eddie's journal along, but he doesn't realize until it's too late that this journal makes him a target. Soon Tristan meets many of the characters from his grandmother's folktales, such as Brer Rabbit, John Henry, and Anansi the spider, and he finds himself in the middle of a battle that could destroy the world. This graphic adaptation of the children's novel that began the "Tristan Strong" trilogy will have plenty of appeal for readers who are interested in African and African American characters and folklore. The illustrations pop with energy and color, and the off-kilter panels will pull readers into the surreal story. The creative reimaginings of classic folktale characters will keep readers entertained, and may also inspire them to learn more about the originals. VERDICT For fans of Rick Riordan-style mythology stories, these feature plenty of action and diverse characters.-Andrea Lipinski

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Booklist

July 1, 2022
Grades 4-6 This graphic adaptation of Kwame Mbalia's groundbreaking adventure fantasy hits all the major plot points: Following the death of his best friend, Tristan visits his grandparents' Alabama farm, where his pursuit of a mysterious burglar leads him to accidentally punch a bottle tree, releasing an evil haint and tearing a hole into the world of Alke, home to the pantheon of African and African American myths, gods, and folk heroes. In Alke, Tristan must come into his own as an Anansesem, a magically powerful storyteller, if he's to save the people from an uprising of fetterlings and other evil, oppressive monsters. While Venditti's adaptation is an impressive feat of storytelling efficiency and artist Stephens visualizes so many memorable characters, the meager page count and sparse background art give little room for the original 496-page epic or its characters to breathe, giving the feeling of a rushed product. Nonetheless, the original's popularity will have readers queuing up for their turn with this version, and the graphic-novel space remains in desperate need of more Black representation. Stock up.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From Horn Book

January 1, 2020
Tristan's pursuit of Gum Baby, who has stolen Tristan's deceased friend's journal, leads him to the land of Alke, where--amid a series of perilous adventures--he discovers his own power as an Anansesem, or storyteller. This action-packed tale weaves in African and African American folklore, while sensitive Tristan's first-person narration provides humor as well as insight into grief, guilt, and racial issues.

(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From School Library Journal

Starred review from November 1, 2019

Gr 5-8-Tristan is reluctantly on his way to spend the summer with his grandparents on the family farm. In his pocket he carries the journal of his best friend Eddie, killed in a bus accident. Tristan's survivor guilt means he hasn't read the journal, and he is trying very hard to ignore the strange green glow coming from its cover. When Gum Baby, a figure from West African legend, tries to steal the journal, Tristan races to retrieve it, breaking a bottle on his grandmother's bottle tree and falling through a flaming hole into a parallel world. Here, the stories Tristan's grandmother tells are solidly real: in the course of breathless chases, close escapes, and mounting stakes, he meets John Henry, Brer Fox, High John the Conqueror, and other figures from African and African American folklore. A race to retrieve Anansi's story box reveals Tristan's destiny as an Anansesem, a storyteller of power, and makes him a pivotal figure in the saving of this strange new world. While the novel is lengthy, the pace is quick, secondary characterizations are nicely delineated, and the folkloric figures are heroic and true to their legends. The world-building includes evocative descriptions of skeleton ships, manacled monsters, and deadly villains. In addition to being rife with action, the story is rooted in the emotional journey of the protagonist; between making friends and losing them, Tristan finally makes peace with Eddie's death. VERDICT Part of the "Rick Riordan Presents" series, this debut novel offers a richly realized world, a conversational, breezy style, and a satisfying conclusion that leaves room for sequels.-Janice M. Del Negro, GSLIS Dominican University, River Forest, IL

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Publisher's Weekly

Starred review from August 19, 2019
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. His best friend has just died, and he's lost a boxing match (much to his boxing family's disappointment). When a talking doll named Gum Baby steals his prized book of storiesâ€"
which has mysteriously begun to glowâ€"Tristan pursues, accidentally tearing a hole between the farm and the myriad lands of Alke. There, he encounters
legendary folk heroes such as hammer-swinging John Henry and wily Brer Fox, whose people are being captured and enslaved by terrifying monsters. 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. As a reluctant heroâ€"afraid of heights, grieving, and burdened by past failuresâ€"Tristan's voice rings true and sympathetic, while the irrepressible Gum Baby steals every scene. Mbalia expertly weaves a meaningful portrayal of family and community with folklore, myth, and historyâ€"including the legacy of the slave tradeâ€"creating a fast-paced, heroic series starter. Ages 8â€"12. Agent: Victoria Marini, Cake Literary.

From Kirkus

Starred review from August 1, 2019
Chicago seventh grader Tristan Strong travels to Alke, where African American folk characters are gods. Tristan has just lost his first boxing match. It's unsurprising, given he's mourning the death of his best friend, Eddie, and struggling with accompanying survivor guilt, but unacceptable for someone from a boxing family. On the ride to summer exile with his grandparents in the Alabama countryside, Tristan begins reading Eddie's story journal. Somehow, the journal allows Tristan to see folk heroes John Henry and Brer Rabbit sending an unseen someone off on a mission. That night, Gum Baby (a hoot and a half--easily the funniest character in the book), from the Anansi story, steals Eddie's journal. Needless to say, things go awry: A hole is ripped in the sky of Alke, and Tristan (but not only Tristan) falls in. The people of Alke are suffering, but grieving, reluctant hero Tristan's unwilling to jump right in to help those in need, even when it becomes clear that he's partly responsible, making him both imperfect and realistic. Mbalia's African American and West African gods (with villains tied to U.S. chattel slavery and the Middle Passage specifically) touch on the tensions between the cultures, a cultural nuance oft overlooked. Readers who want more than just a taste of Alke will be eager for future books. Most human characters, like Tristan, are black with brown skin. A worthy addition to the diverse array of offerings from Rick Riordan Presents. (Fantasy. 10-14)

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From Booklist

Starred review from August 1, 2019
Grades 4-8 *Starred Review* After losing his debut boxing match, two weeks following his best friend Eddie's death, Tristan Strong is sent to his grandparents' Alabama farm. He grew up on his nana's stories?Black American folklore and African myths?which Eddie had been collecting in writing. This journal is all Tristan has left of his friend, so when one of those myths, the hilariously volatile Gum Baby, shows up to steal it, Tristan gives chase. In the struggle, he punches a Bottle Tree, inadvertently unleashing an evil spirit and tearing a hole into a parallel universe. The world he falls into is an amalgam of Nana's stories, and as Tristan lands in the middle of a conflict between gods, heroes, and ruthless iron monsters?snapping, serpentine manacles?he must reclaim Eddie's journal and return home, but not before discovering his own power and fixing the damage he caused. Mbalia's epic debut centers African American characters and tradition, featuring a pantheon of legends and a plot worthy of such tricksters as Brer Rabbit and Anansi the Weaver. Perfectly paced, this cinematic adventure never drags, anchored by Tristan's conversational narration and balanced by his struggle to cope with a friend's passing. It brims with heart, humor, and action, successfully crafting a beautifully unified secondary world that brings the power of stories to glorious life.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

From AudioFile Magazine

Narrator Amir Abdullah's rich baritone brings a thrilling mythological world to life. Tristan Strong's best friend, Eddie, died a few weeks ago, and Tristan has just lost his first boxing match. He's sent to his grandparents' Alabama farm to work off his grief, and there a tiny sap-covered character out of Anansi tales, called Gum Baby, steals his last connection to Eddie, a story journal. Gum Baby is hilarious, and Abdullah amps up the humor with her squeaky falsetto. When Tristan fights her for the journal, he punches a hole to another realm and releases a haint that aims to destroy everything he loves. Abdullah conjures a dynamic cast as Tristan reluctantly joins the fight for freedom alongside vibrant African-American and West African gods. E.E.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine