Super Short Summary

In Kwame Mbalia's Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, seventh grader Tristan Strong, grieving his best friend's death, visits his grandparents' farm in Alabama. After a doll named Gum Baby steals Eddie’s journal, a tussle ensues, creating a rift into the mythical realm of Alke. There, Tristan must repair the damage by embarking on a quest that intertwines African American folklore and confronting the monster Maafa. The book includes fantasy violence, brief representations of death, and discussion of the Middle Passage and slavery in America.