Published by Disney-Hyperion
TRISTAN STRONG PUNCHES A HOLE IN THE SKY Tour
About the Book
Title: TRISTAN STRONG PUNCHES A HOLE IN THE SKY
Author: Kwame Mbalia
Pub. Date: October 1, 2025
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion, Rick Riordan Presents
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook
Pages: 496
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD
Seventh-grader Tristan Strong feels anything but strong ever since he failed to save his best friend when they were in a bus accident together. All he has left of Eddie is the journal his friend wrote stories in. Tristan is dreading the month he’s going to spend on his grandparents’ farm in Alabama, where he’s being sent to heal from the tragedy. But on his first night there, a sticky creature shows up in his bedroom and steals Eddie’s journal. Tristan chases after it-–is that a doll?-–and a tug-of-war ensues between them underneath a Bottle Tree. In a last attempt to wrestle the journal out of the creature’s hands, Tristan punches the tree, accidentally ripping open a chasm into the MidPass, a volatile place with a burning sea, haunted bone ships, and iron monsters that are hunting the inhabitants of this world. Tristan finds himself in the middle of a battle that has left black American gods John Henry and Brer Rabbit exhausted. In order to get back home, Tristan and these new allies will need to entice the god Anansi, the Weaver, to come out of hiding and seal the hole in the sky. But bartering with the trickster Anansi always comes at a price. Can Tristan save this world before he loses more of the things he loves?
About Kwame:
Kwame is a husband, father, writer, and pharmaceutical metrologist in that order. His debut middle-grade novel, TRISTAN STRONG PUNCHES A HOLE IN THE SKY (October 15, 2025) is published by Rick Riordan Presents/Disney-Hyperion. A Howard University graduate and a Midwesterner now in North Carolina, he enjoys impromptu dance sessions and Cheezits.
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads
Giveaway Details:
3 winners will receive a finished copy of TRISTAN STRONG PUNCHES A HOLE IN THE SKY, US Only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
10/1/2019- BookHounds YA- Excerpt
10/2/2019- Little Red Reads- Excerpt
10/3/2019- Spoiled Girl- Review
10/4/2019- A Backwards Story- Review
Week Two:
10/7/2019- Lifestyle of Me- Review
10/8/2019- Sometimes Leelynn Reads- Excerpt
10/9/2019- Books a Plenty Book Reviews- Review
10/10/2019- Kait Plus Books- Excerpt
10/11/2019- Kyera’s Library- Review
Week Three:
10/14/2019- The Reading Corner for All- Review
10/15/2019- Feed Your Fiction Addiction- Review
10/16/2019- Eli to the nth- Review
10/17/2019- Feed Your Fiction Addiction- Review
10/18/2019- PopTheButterfly Reads- Review
Week Four:
10/21/2019- Savings in Seconds- Review
10/22/2019- Always Me - Review
10/23/2019- Fictitiouswonderland- Review
10/24/2019- Nerdophiles- Review
10/25/2019- Confessions of a YA Reader- Review
Week Five:
10/28/2019- Two points of interest- Review
10/29/2019- fictitious.fox- Review
10/30/2019- Jena Brown Writes- Review
10/31/2019- Fyrekatz Blog- Review
Danielle Hammelef says
This sounds fun to read. Love the powerful cover.
Autumn says
I love how great these Rick Riordan presents books are. My son will love this one.
Vicki Wurgler says
book sounds good-thanks
Awesome! We need more books with young African-American protagonists! Thanks for sharing. I look forward to read this book and donating a few copies to my local school.
NANCY says
Great cover artwork.
Antoinette M says
My nephew would love this book. Cool cover!
bn100 says
interesting
Dynal Roberson says
keep up the good work!
Penny Olson says
I love Anansi stories! I think I will really love this book.
This book sounds awesome. A very original idea. Love that John Henry is in it and the cover art is amazing.
Cayla says
I read this book and it was amazing! So much need for little black boys and girls to read to see themselves as heroes too! You can check it out in Badandbookish.video.blog