Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky is a 2019 middle grade fantasy-adventure novel written by Kwame Mbalia.

Like many of the other works in the "Rick Riordan Presents" imprint, the book, which is the first in Mbalia's Tristan Strong series, has been praised for its diverse representation of characters and mythological deities, as well as its plot and character development Tristan Strong is a seventh grader from Chicago who is mourning the death of his best friend Eddie, who died in a tragic bus crash.

After Tristan loses his first boxing match, he is sent to Alabama to live with his strict grandparents for the summer and heal from the tragedy.

On his first night in Alabama, Eddie's journal is stolen by a strange doll-like creature covered in sap named Gum Baby.

Tristan and Gum Baby fall into a world called Alke, where the mythology and folktales in Eddie's journal are real.

Tristan learns that when he punched the Bottle Tree, he opened a rip in Alke and released a haint that made the Fetterlings stronger, and they are looking for him.

Tristan, Gum Baby, Ayanna, and Chestnutt set out to find Anansi's famed Story Box to draw him out and ask for help.

They are met by High John the Conqueror, who wants the Story Box to gain power, but Tristan convinces him to help heal Ayanna and Chestnutt instead.

They return to the Golden Crescent, where the MidFolk and Ridgefolk are both facing fetterlings, hull beasts, and brand flies.

"[9] School Library Journal, also in a starred review, said "this debut novel offers a richly realized world, a conversational, breezy style, and a satisfying conclusion that leaves room for sequels.

"[5] In a review for The New York Times, John Steves praised Mbalia's plot developments as "powerful and surprising," saying that the author "has a good ear for dialogue.

[13] Common Sense Media said about the characterization, "Author Kwame Mbalia has created a highly likable main character in Tristan, who's at first reluctant to be enmeshed in the magical battles but gradually accepts that his help is crucial to the cause" and that "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky deserves praise for the ways it pays respect to African cultures, displaying their vitality and continuing relevance," complementing the book's diversity and background.

"[15] Rich in Color praised the character of Gum Baby and the humanization of John Henry in the book as opposed to typic folklore in stories.