Readers of all ages will love the adventures that Tristan finds himself on, as well as the connections to African and African American folklore. Up against the Fetterlings, and the ultimate trickster Anansi, Tristan is in for the biggest adventure of his life. Teaming up with incredible African-American legends such as John Henry, Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, and High John, Tristan realizes that he holds the power of storytelling, and that he must be the brave hero in his own story. When Tristan meets the others that live in Midpass, such as Ayanna, Chestnutt, and Thandiwe, he realizes that he is to blame for the chaos, and teams up with the others to fix the problem he created. Tristan learns that when he punched a hole in the tree, he created a huge problem: the hole unleashed an evil group called the Maafa, which consists of metallic monsters called Fetterlings, and they are capturing everyone that they can. Tristan and Gum Baby are brought to another world called MidPass, which is filled with all kinds of creatures and humans. It causes a bottle to break, and the tree swallows him and Gum Baby up, sending them into a whole new world. When they reach the Bottle Tree, Tristan grabs the backpack with the journal inside of it, and punches the tree in anger. Knowing that this is all he has left of Eddie, Tristan follows the mysterious doll into the night to get it back. On his first night there, Tristan wakes up to a strange talking doll named Gum Baby stealing Eddie’s journal. Just when he thinks things couldn’t possibly get any worse, he is sent away from Chicago to live with his grandparents for a month on their farm in Alabama. After losing his best friend in a tragic bus accident and feeling like he’s a failure at boxing, a sport that has been in his family for generations, Tristan is completely down in the dumps. Seventh grader Tristan Strong feels anything but what his last name suggests.

What are some connections to African and African American folklore in the story?.How does the author weave boxing throughout the story?.What are some of the themes in this novel?.How does Tristan feel about himself at the beginning of the book? At the end?.Start My Free Trial* Essential Questions for Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky

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