Will start this off by saying this is a re read but hadn’t read it in a long time. Read it in 2020. I know I loved it then and still really enjoy it. Its part of the Rick Riordan presents book line
“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 sent to heal from the tragedy.” **Not there is more the the synopsis that I’m leaving out to save room and in case anyone wants to read the book without knowing the full thing**
Such an amazing book with great characters. Tristan being my favorite due to how I can relate to his struggles with loss. Every page of this book is great to read and lets us dive into a world of stories. And that is the biggest theme around this story, how important stories are and the need to keep them alive by telling them. The book deals with themes of grief, how important stories are and has mentions of slavery. The book takes African American folk tales and West African mythology to weave a well written world. with the monsters being symbols of some of humanities worse crimes against each other.
The entire trilogy deals with these themes and a mature and well thought out way. And first time I read this book was at the height of racial tensions. So this feels like a very important book that needs to be read.
Good reads rating 5 stars
Real like rating 8 stars
by DevilMasterKING