7th grader Tristan Strong is struggling with the recent death of his best friend Eddie, yet he can’t get himself to open Eddie’s journal, the only thing he has from his late friend. But after he arrives at his grandparents’ Alabama farm, strange things begin to happen. Eddie’s journal is stolen by a doll (yes, a doll), so Tristan chases the strange creature and ends up in a strange world, one in which the inhabitants are the characters from stories his Nana used to tell him. Except, this wasn’t a story. This was real. And so were the characters. And right now, they were in the middle of a war.

What I liked: loved reading and learning about African mythology and southern black folklore. Tristan was a great protagonist, wanting to be a hero, but struggling with fear. I also loved the underlying themes spread throughout, including dealing with grief, feelings of not living up to parents expectations, etc.

What I didn’t like: the book was way too long. There were many scenes that I thought could’ve been shorter, and that made reading the book drag on sometimes, but the story itself was definitely interesting enough to keep me going.

Definitely worth a read.

4 out of 5 stars