A steampunk sci-fi fantasy adventure for middle schoolers that features a strong, young, female machinist; toxic star dust; a heroic gargoyleish shape-shifter; epic train travel; loyal friends and found family? Yes, please! Fantastically imaginative and fast-paced, this first book set in the Kingdom of Merrow and the Dragonfly Territories will have young readers looking for more adventures from the world of Solace (thankfully there are two more to discover)!

Topics, tropes, and themes:authoritarianism, socioeconomics, industrialization, ecology, found family, bigotry, loyalty, sentience, slavery, telekinesis, magic, community
Content notes:death of a family member (backstory), poverty, blood and injury, gun violence, fantasy violence, kidnapping, slavery, scientific experiments on sentient beings, strip mining, colonialism, tattoo

As in the first book, there's a lot of smart retelling/reimagining of folklore here, and we're introduced to some interesting new characters, newly expressed emotional distress for Tristan, and even higher stakes adventures for Alke, the land of the gods. What's also new, and very welcome, is the expanded role of Tristan's grandma, which gives the story heart and continuity.

The contemporary updates to the folklore seem fitting, and the ending teases a direction that I'm excited about, but the story here felt overly long and rambling at times (a bit of a weakness with the first book, too, but not as critical there when a whole world is being established).

Overall, a great expansion of the Tristan Strong story!

4.5 rounded up. I heard plenty of positive things about the award-winning "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" (all true!) before I finally had a chance to pick it up, but I don't think I ever heard just how funny it is! Tristan's narrator voice is funny enough, but the first (and second...and fifth...) time a character goes into a Sap Attack (tree sap, not mushy nostalgic sap) I laughed out loud. It's also a hugely ambitious book (especially for a debut) that represents sensitive topics and cultural touchstones with respectful inventiveness and skill.

I came for the retelling/reimagining of the West African and African American folklore, but I stayed for the high energy humor and adventure — and the relationships being developed (and put to rest) that are at the heart of the adventure. Highly recommend.

[Book two, "Tristan Strong Destroys the World" is also excellent and teases a third book that goes in a direction that has me Very Interested.]

Men in Black meets Harry Potter meets #BlackGirlMagic✨ in all the best possible ways in this new middle grade series!

Amari, her family (big sibling love here!), and friends (including a weredragon who hasn't learned to dragon yet

A clever bit of nonsense, probably best for 7- to 10-year-olds, but enjoyable enough for adults — especially if you're lucky enough to be reading it out loud to kids.

A picture book that is full of colorful critters and a simple, positive message set in rollicking, preschooler-pleasing rhyme! So cute and fun! And these rosy-cheeked critters are *busy* — there are endless little animal vignettes to look at so the book feels fresh for at least the first umpteen reads. For added STEM value, there's a checklist in the back for all 100 animals in the book.