Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia is a must-read for mythology fans. Mbalia draws characters from West African legends (such as Nyama and Anansi) and African-American folk tales (such as John Henry and Brer Rabbit) to create an exciting quest adventure story.

Seventh grader Tristan Strong doesn’t feel like a hero. He feels like a disappointment. He couldn’t save his best friend when they were in a bus accident. Now someone has taken his friend’s journal of stories.

While trying to get it back, he punches a Bottle Tree and accidentally opens a hole in the sky of MidPass. If he wants to get home, he’ll have to help repair the sky, defeat an evil haint, and bring peace to this realm.

Back home in Chicago, Tristan never had any success in the boxing ring, but here he fights with a purpose, taking out wave after wave of fetterlings with his fists. Even better, he learns that he’s an anansesum, a storyteller like his Nana. And storytelling is a true superpower in this world.

If all of that’s not reason enough to read this book, I’ll give you one more: Gum Baby. Out of all the excellent characters in this story, she’s my favorite. Her sass and her sap attacks made me laugh and cheer. Just don’t shush her!