CCBC Booklists

CCBC Review:

Tristan is visiting his grandparents in Alabama when he falls into another dimension. In Alke, Brer Rabbit, John Henry, Anansi, and others from African and African American folklore and myth—stories his best friend Eddie, who recently died, loved to collect—are alive. The rise of the Maafa in their bone ships from the bottom of the sea, and the attack of fetterlings—living chains and shackles—is threatening life across Alke. Tristan just wants to get back home, but the hole he made falling through the sky is feeding the evil and he agrees to find Anansi, the weaver, to fix it. With Gum Baby—small of stature but full of confidence, and often hilarious opinions—two young women, Ayanna and Thandiwe, and Chestnutt, a young rabbit, Tristan embarks on a weaving mission of his own: get the various communities in Alke, suspicious of one another, to work together. The threats of the mythical world are aligned with the slave trade history of our own in this complex, satisfying tale driven by entertaining and resilient Black characters and plenty of action, while also exploring Tristan’s grief over the death of his best friend. ©2020 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 9-13
Age Range: Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10) Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Format: Novel
Subjects: Action/Adventure African Americans Fantasy Folk and Fairy Tales Grief and Loss Humor Journeys and Quests Slavery
Diversity subject: Black/African
On CCBC Booklist: Fantasy for 8 to 12 Year Olds: Giants, Journeys, and Other Imaginings 

Publishers: Disney, Hyperion, Rick Riordan Presents
Publish Year: 2019
Pages: 482
ISBN: 9781368039932
CCBC Location: Fiction, Mbalia

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