Kwame MbaliaRecensioni

From Kirkus: "A worthy addition to the diverse array of offerings from Rick Riordan Presents."

Gr 3–7—With contributions from authors such as Jerry Craft, Varian Johnson, and Jason Reynolds, this collection
features stories that cover a wide range of topics, from starting school to winning a space race to embracing who
you are. A glowing testament to the joy of Black boyhood.

Solid middle grade fantasy using African American mythology, and I'm VERY glad it's getting a sequel ([b:Tristan Strong Destroys The World|39884377|Tristan Strong Destroys The World (Tristan Strong, #2)|Kwame Mbalia|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1581960304l/39884377._SY75_.jpg|61695544]). Longer thoughts later, maybe, but for now the RR Presents series is 2/2 on intriguing fantasy using mythology I'm less familiar with!

I had a super fun time reading thi book. I also really loved the rep in this book and how it focused on both african american folk heroes and also gods. It was a really fast pace read. It also dealt alot with the topics of recovering from grief. I did read a much older arc of this book, so it did read a bit long to me. But I really loved the quest element and the twists and turns in the story. I am really excitd to read book 2 soon!! So happy i finally read it!

* I got this book for review from the publisher*

I thought this was such a fun read. I loved reading all these stories following the presents characters. They were all super fun and short stories. I thought some of them could have used a bit more basic info i felt a tad lost not having been caught up on the current books. I also really am now more motivated to actually catch up. I also just thought the stories were fun and dived into smaller assets of mythology . I also really liked learning about Irsh mythology.

I had a super fun time reading thi book. I also really loved the rep in this book and how it focused on both african american folk heroes and also gods. It was a really fast pace read. It also dealt alot with the topics of recovering from grief. I did read a much older arc of this book, so it did read a bit long to me. But I really loved the quest element and the twists and turns in the story. I am really excitd to read book 2 soon!! So happy i finally read it!

* I got this book for review from the publisher*

I thought this was such a fun read. I loved reading all these stories following the presents characters. They were all super fun and short stories. I thought some of them could have used a bit more basic info i felt a tad lost not having been caught up on the current books. I also really am now more motivated to actually catch up. I also just thought the stories were fun and dived into smaller assets of mythology . I also really liked learning about Irsh mythology.

I loved it! I enjoyed the depth of Tristan. He is less concerned about a hero's glory and more about dealing with his emotions.

Also, I loved the inclusion of African American and African folklore. I grew up with John Henry and Brer Rabbit and learned about Anansi later on in life, but I had never heard about High John/John the Conqueror. The way folklore is dispersed throughout felt great and made the world of Alke feel colorful.

I want to read the original novel now because I feel like some of the emotional aspects will probably hit harder (not that they're bad in graphic form). I'm ready to see this adapted whether as a TV show or a movie.

This was a great collection to wind down the year. I read one story per day as a way to decompress after reaching my yearly reading goal. I ended up adding a few books to my TBR because I liked the story so much. Here's a little rundown of mini reviews-

Calamity Juice-2 stars-Just not into it. As soon as they mentioned clones my brain checked out.

Beware the Grove of True Love-2 stars-The kids were annoying and I didn't care.

The Cave of Doom-5 stars-Amazing. Loved it. It was compelling and I added the first novel to my TBR.

The Initiation-2 stars-Dumb. If space travel and colonizing other worlds has been achieved, why would you build a training facility on a gas giant? Or rather, in a gas giant's orbit? Like, wasn't there a solid planet somewhere that could be used?

The Gum Baby Files-5 stars-I love Gum Baby!

This book was meh for me. I kept getting lost and had to try and figure out what was happening multiple times throughout the book. It could be because I listened to the audiobook, maybe it would be different if I read it?

Again, another book I started before #socialdistancing but still ;)

I am still in the mythology stage of my Children's class. A coworker recommended this book to me to try. While I am discovering that this genre in just not my thing (and I'm feel like I'm saying that over and over again), I did appreciate one small thing

This book is something other than Greek or Roman Mythology. It honors African American and West African culture. It's a take on Anansi and the spider. It shows that there are multiple ways to describe myths and legends, fables and folktales than what we come to anticipate. The author won the Coretta Scott Kind Award for Author at the YMA Awards at ALAMidwinter and I feel it's deserved. This book shines a different light on its culture. And due to Rick Riordan's name being attached to it, I can't help but feel like it will get more readership.

This is a very satisfying ending to the Tristan Strong universe, weaving from hopelessness in the face of the legacies of racism to rage to community to defiance. Gum Baby continues to be a joy, and getting to read her sass out loud makes this one of my favorite series for family story time.

Highly recommended.

This collection of short middle grade fantasy stories is rather uneven in that some stories you need to have read the series to understand (and maybe not even then) while others stand very well on their own.

An anthology spotlights the many ways Black boys find joy as they learn and grow in the world.

Seventeen writers, some very well known—Jason Reynolds, Jerry Craft, Varian Johnson—others representing newer voices, present short pieces that depict Black boys exploring their communities, families, sexuality, and even space and time as they come of age and grow in confidence and understanding. Editor Mbalia contributes a story in three parts that provides a metanarrative that further emphasizes the magic of taking joy in life and in storytelling. While the thematic thread provides a scaffold, each of the stories is independently successful. Readers experience Black boys seeking excellence in, among other things, a debate about superheroes, a baking contest, learning to pilot a plane, skateboarding, and determining the true meanings of fly and cool. There is acceptance and celebration of differences in the expression of Black masculinity, along with respect for girls and women. Reflections of Black culture give the stories richness and texture. There are many examples of strong family connections and community support. Most of the contributions are prose, but the compilation includes a graphic story as well as one in verse. There is variety in tone and style: Some are humorous, some are poignant, but all are compelling reading. The length of the stories makes them ideal for discussion and student responses.

A unique, timely, and necessary read. (about the authors) (Fiction. 9-12)

-Kirkus Review

I love reading these books out loud for family story time. I love doing the Gum Baby voice. I love sulky Anansi trapped in a cell phone and getting to see more of Tristan's boxing. I love Keelboat Anne with her big hair and big voice.

Not everything about this book is fun, however, Mbalia handles the trauma Tristan and other characters have experienced with a gravity that feels appropriate to a middle grade level -- acknowledging that just because you "won," it doesn't make everything "fine," but without weighing down the story too much.

Tristan is a kid who leads with his heart and then with his fists -- hopefully someday he'll get better at asking for help/guidance, but the impulsivity makes sense for his character.

Can't wait for the third volume.

I enjoyed learning about folklore tales and legends that I was unfamiliar with.

I am so grateful for NetGalley for an advance reader copy of this book. I loved Black Boy Joy because it allows you to have a sampling of a variety of author styles. Some of these authors I had read before, some were new to me. Some of the stories I loved and a very few of them were just not for me. I think this will be great for reluctant readers because if they liked the story then maybe they will check out the books that author has written - I know I have put a couple of new authors into my to-read list. I hope that some boys will see themselves more in books and start to read more. I read the book and it filled me with so much joy and happiness, even though I'm not of the targeted audience. It was wonderful and I look forward to reading more by these authors!

This book has the potential to be so unbelievably rad -- from science fiction in an Ethiopian Afrofuturistic mythos, to the quick video game action, to the wild robotic cat. Maybe the intended readers will enjoy it more than I did, but I found it to be so action heavy that it lost impact, and I just didn't enjoy the characters. It felt like reading a Marvel movie, where the exciting visuals of the world building should carry some of the weight of the narrative -- since those weren't present, I just kept getting lost. I also don't really understand what the motivation of the Werari is to destroy Axum, if it's such a utopia. Also, if Moti runs HKO, why did he allow it to be hijacked into revealing Yared's name? Why doesn't he explain anything to Yared when he gets the chance, or behave as the loving uncle he's supposed to be? And I really didn't understand why the engines are the key to ending the war -- argh, just plot hole after plot hole with a half baked found prince in the middle of it. I expect it all gets explained eventually as the series progresses.

What an absolute delight -- hilarious, full of heart, stuffed with adventures, and a beautiful and thoughtful centering on African-American folklore. I mean really, I honestly don't see how this book could be improved, and Gum Baby is possibly one of the all time funniest characters I've ever encountered. I highly recommend the audio book version, which is extremely well done, and I can't wait to see what kind of trouble Tristan and Anansi get into next.

I enjoyed this book and the Hero's arc and journal are extremely presented and well done. It is a conversation style which annoyed me at first, but I do believe if I was reading this a young adult or a older children's reader I would have enjoyed it. Tristan was little too angry in my opinion, I understood why he was getting so frustrated at everything but he was a little too angry and they didn't really give the reader a chance to understand how to come out of that state. I definitely would recommend this book to a reader who lost a friend. They portrayed that feeling really well in my opinion.

7th grader Tristan Strong is struggling with the recent death of his best friend Eddie, yet he can’t get himself to open Eddie’s journal, the only thing he has from his late friend. But after he arrives at his grandparents’ Alabama farm, strange things begin to happen. Eddie’s journal is stolen by a doll (yes, a doll), so Tristan chases the strange creature and ends up in a strange world, one in which the inhabitants are the characters from stories his Nana used to tell him. Except, this wasn’t a story. This was real. And so were the characters. And right now, they were in the middle of a war.

What I liked: loved reading and learning about African mythology and southern black folklore. Tristan was a great protagonist, wanting to be a hero, but struggling with fear. I also loved the underlying themes spread throughout, including dealing with grief, feelings of not living up to parents expectations, etc.

What I didn’t like: the book was way too long. There were many scenes that I thought could’ve been shorter, and that made reading the book drag on sometimes, but the story itself was definitely interesting enough to keep me going.

Definitely worth a read.

4 out of 5 stars

If you like Rick Riordan's books, you'll love this one. It's similar thematically to his books in the fact that a regular American teen gets thrust into the world of myth and Gods.

In this case, it's a mixture of African Gods and Black American folklore. We meet a sassy Gum Baby, an interesting version of Brer Rabbit, and a grumpy but lovable Brer Fox. We also meet John Henry with his epic hammer, Anansi the trickster/weaver, Nyame the Sky God and many others. Tristan and his crew are believable and deal with many feelings that young readers will identify with. The antagonist and creatures are wonderfully evil and creepy and the settings are unique and fantastical.

What really makes this book endearing is Tristan's fears and emotions and the inspiring way he overcomes challenges throughout the story. It is a longer book at 500ish pages, and some chapters and transitions are a bit choppy. My 13 year old, who is a reluctant reader, was assigned this book for his 8th grade Language Arts class. They read parts of it together and parts on their own. They tied it in with a folklore unit and read other versions of the Anansi tales and John Henry store along with the book. He struggled, but really encouraged me to read it. I think this choice was very culturally appropriate for the school district they are in compared to other folklore units. It's important for the stories children read to reflect the predominate demographic in the school. Students need to identify with the characters in their book. It's important to note that even though these stories are based on African myth, Tristan is a typical American child and his experiences are relatable to all young adults.

This is a great conclusion to the Tristan Strong series. I love that it wraps up all the plot points, without making it feel like the characters themselves are finished—just the story.

There's a little bit of everything in this story: adventure, introspection, found family, daring rescues, sad moments, and even a touch of budding romance. I appreciate how the kids handle most of the action (it is, after all, a middle grade book) but the adults do provide real, tangible help. The adults are actually present in the book, which is nice to see.

There are definite mentions of and reference to slavery, but it is a MG book and everything is tailored to its audience. I think any age group could read this and learn something from it.½

Read it just for the experience of Gum Baby, but there is so much more. What a great start to a world built where new friendships, deception, and uncertainty come together in a compelling narrative.½