Tristan Strong
#974.21 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 2019–2021 Reading commitment Medium Kwame Mbalia Last reviewed 2026-09-04
Overview
Tristan Strong is a complete middle-grade fantasy trilogy by Kwame Mbalia, published under the Rick Riordan Presents imprint. Grieving seventh-grader Tristan Strong accidentally punches a hole into Alke, a realm where West African (Anansi) and African American folk-hero mythology (John Henry, Brer Rabbit) come alive, and must team up with its inhabitants across three books (2019-2021).
Mythic fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
Tristan Strong Kwame Mbalia
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky | 2019 | 1 | core | 4.16 (10,971 ratings) |
 | Tristan Strong Destroys the World | 2020 | 2 | core | 4.32 (2,987 ratings) |
 | Tristan Strong Keeps Punching | 2021 | 3 | core | 4.32 (1,653 ratings) |
Complete trilogy; all Core Canon.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Tristan Strong? Tristan Strong's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for Tristan Strong? Publication order, starting with Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Tristan Strong finished? Complete (2019–2021).
- How much reading does Tristan Strong take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books).
- How is Tristan Strong ranked? #97 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 15,611 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #97?
Ranked #97 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.21 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (15,611 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #96, The Tide Child Trilogy (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 3 books · Complete · 16k ratings · Ranks #97 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length mythic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky (2019)
- Tristan Strong Destroys the World (2020)
- Tristan Strong Keeps Punching (2021)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- Coretta Scott King Author Award (Author Award), 2020: won: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.21 across 15,611 ratings on 3 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Admit Tristan Strong (Kwame Mbalia) accepted 2026-09-04
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-09-04
Rule: Core Canon is the complete three-book trilogy.