Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky

Author: Kwame Mbalia

Seventh grader Tristan Strong feels anything but strong ever since he failed to save his best friend Eddie when they were in a bus accident together. All he has left of Eddie is the journal his friend wrote stories in. But on his first night at his grandparents' farm, a sticky creature shows up in his bedroom and steals Eddie's journal. When Tristan chases after the creature he ends up in the forest and a tug-of-war ensues by his grandmother's mysterious and off-limits bottle tree. He attempts to wrestle the journal out of the creature's hands and in the process Tristan punches the tree, accidentally ripping a hole in the sky above. Tristan finds himself in the middle of a battle. To get back home, Tristan and his allies will need to entice the god Anansi, the Weaver, to come out of hiding and seal the hole in the sky. Can Tristan save this world before he loses more of the things he loves?