Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky: Chapters 18–28

by Kwame Mbalia
After the death of his best friend, grieving seventh-grader Tristan Strong goes to Alabama to spend a month with his grandparents. There, he accidentally opens a portal to a world populated by African gods and African-American folk heroes.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–17, Chapters 18–28, Chapters 29–40, Chapters 41–51
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. interrogation
    formal systematic questioning
    “So, you’re a boxer, hm?”
    The question took me by surprise. I’d expected a lecture, or an interrogation, not idle conversation.
  2. idle
    silly or trivial
    “So, you’re a boxer, hm?”
    The question took me by surprise. I’d expected a lecture, or an interrogation, not idle conversation.
  3. jibe
    be compatible, similar, or consistent
    “Ayanna said you moved like lightning in the forest. Said your fists were a blur.”
    My neck grew hot. “She said that?”
    “Mm-hmm. And that don’t jibe with how you say you did in the ring. So you probably ain’t as bad as you think. Who holds the bag for you?”
  4. stint
    an unbroken period of time during which you do something
    “Yeah. Disrespectful, right? All for not wanting to shoot anybody in a war. But anyway, he did his stint in the doghouse and came out smelling like roses. Won back his title and did it in style. ‘Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.’”
  5. brood
    the young of an animal cared for at one time
    “One of Sis Crow’s brood spotted this—they always got an eye for something shiny, and this little thing glows like you wouldn’t believe. Anyway, they found this in the trees, and, well...I thought you might want it.”
  6. feint
    deceive by a mock action
    Bob and weave, I could hear Dad shouting. Then attack! I feinted, then made a quick jab.
  7. breach
    an opening, especially a gap in a dike or fortification
    Smaller fetterlings poured in through the breach around it, leaping over the broken branches and thundering across the field.
  8. unfurl
    unroll, unfold, or spread out
    Without a moment to lose, the ladies tucked their wings close and knifed toward the ground. At the last second they unfurled them and unleashed powerful flaps.
  9. cretin
    a person of subnormal intelligence
    “Take that, you blundering cretin!” someone shouted from behind me.
  10. schematic
    diagram of an electrical or mechanical system
    “Little bunny knows everything about everything,” Ayanna said with a roll of her eyes, but she smiled at Chestnutt to take the sting out of her words. “The weak points of every iron monster, schematics of every palace in every region of Alke—you name it, she can lay it out for you, no trouble at all.”
  11. indignantly
    in a manner showing anger at something unjust or wrong
    Two short, stubby legs poked out from the bottom, and the weird creature stomped indignantly out to the middle of the raft.
  12. divert
    send on a course different from the planned or intended one
    I sighed. Maybe nothing bad would come of it. And if it did, well, then at least I’d be diverting iron monsters from the Thicket. Yeah. I’d be doing the gods a favor….
  13. materialize
    come into being; become reality
    The story materialized with little effort this time.
  14. diorama
    a three-dimensional representation of a scene
    Either way, everyone on the raft oohed and aahed as the bubbles of mist surrounding us swirled and stretched into a diorama.
  15. conjure
    summon into action or bring into existence
    Just to see what would happen, I conjured an image of Eddie in my mind. I squeezed my eyes shut, reached out toward the mist, and tried to bring the little cloud boy back.
  16. solemn
    dignified and somber in manner or character
    The solemn expression on her face wiped the smile off mine.
  17. spire
    a tall tower that forms the superstructure of a building
    In the distance, near the city center, spires of midnight black and dream silver stood proudly next to ivory domes and marble castles.
  18. grotto
    a small cave, usually with attractive features
    Inside, a waterfall splashed in a grotto, while a spiraling waterslide connected it to the bottom level, where a miniature beach awaited.
  19. insurmountable
    not capable of being overcome
    We actually planned on stealing a god’s treasure. Nyame, the sky god. The one who first created stories, and who’d awarded them to Anansi after the Weaver had completed three seemingly insurmountable tasks.
  20. ravage
    make a pillaging or destructive raid on, as in wartime
    “Where did all the people go?”
    “Brer said the Golden Crescent was the first to be ravaged by the iron monsters,” she responded. “Maybe they’re all in hiding. Or...”
  21. flank
    be located at the sides of something or somebody
    She stood near the statue on the throne, her silly cape fluttering in a gentle cross breeze, and pointed at the two figures flanking it—one of a large leopard in mid-leap, the other of a python lashing forward.
  22. circlet
    decorated metal band worn around the head
    His head was balding, and around the detailed crown of curls, he wore a circlet studded with large jeweled insects.
  23. preside
    act as executive officer
    Finally they landed on the figure seated on the throne. An old man, almost larger-than-life, presiding over the room like a king.
  24. intently
    with strained or eager attention
    At first I thought Gum Baby had fallen, but...no, there she was, sitting on my foot and staring intently at the sand.
  25. usurper
    one who wrongfully seizes and holds the place of another
    Take what you will, usurper, but your time will come. You cannot hold us here forever.
  26. disengage
    become free
    Two more had disengaged from Leopard and Python and joined the group.
  27. cacophony
    a loud harsh or strident noise
    A loud whump sounded behind us as the wet sand landed directly on the bosslings. They collapsed in a cacophony of grinding metal and shrieks as they struggled to extricate themselves.
  28. extricate
    release from entanglement or difficulty
    They collapsed in a cacophony of grinding metal and shrieks as they struggled to extricate themselves.
  29. brandish
    exhibit aggressively
    Chestnutt screamed, and Ayanna brandished her staff, but I raised my hand.
  30. writhe
    move in a twisting or contorted motion
    When I opened my eyes, four oversize fetterlings were writhing beneath both of her heels, like roaches being smooshed on a kitchen floor.
  31. sate
    fill to contentment
    “The monsters still lurk here, too,” he said. “I’d hoped that their appetite would be sated by now, that my people could return...”
  32. sentry
    a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
    “What about those statues? The sentries? We could take a couple to help fight.”
  33. imbue
    fill or soak totally
    “No harm will come to it. I may be suffering from brand-fly poison, but I can still imbue a charm or two.”
  34. wistfully
    in a pensively sad manner
    "...The heartbeat of this world. If you concentrate, the sound can become so vivid you can almost see it.” Nyame sighed wistfully before pointing at the adinkra he’d just bestowed to me.
  35. clarity
    the quality of being coherent and easily understood
    “I cannot give you one of my sentries, Anansesem. But I can give you this charm. It will bring focus to your surroundings, and help you gain clarity. You’ll find the mysteries of Alke a bit...easier to solve.”
  36. clairvoyant
    perceiving things beyond the natural range of the senses
    “Man, you gave me a charm from the department store. Dad gives those to Mom when he forgets her birthday, and you expect it to make me clairvoyant against evil. Okay.”
  37. snippet
    a small piece of anything
    Anansi’s table was outlined by a snippet of a fable. A bed was covered in a spread made of lullabies. The cooking pots and the kettle were rimmed with opening prayers.
  38. poised
    marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action
    But the object that had frightened me half to death, standing right in the middle of the room, was the golden silhouette of a fetterling, poised to attack, with legends coiling around its chain body.
  39. impenetrable
    not admitting of passage into or through
    “According to this entry here,” Chestnutt said, “something stronger than fett—those things over there came along, and Anansi fled. I guess Brer Rabbit did, too. But before they did, it looks like Anansi sent the Story Box somewhere impenetrable. Where no one could get it until he was ready to retrieve it.”
  40. foreboding
    ominously prophetic
    The schematic of a dark, foreboding mountain range was scrawled on the paper, showing tunnels, access points, and exits.
Created on Mon Nov 18 16:35:49 EST 2019 (updated Fri Nov 22 10:43:48 EST 2019)

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