What books are similar to Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky?

The 10 closest matches to Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia on ReadingList include The Labors of Hercules Beal, The Lost Hero, The Mark of Athena, A Tale Dark and Grimm, and Willa of the Wood. Each is scored on shared themes (mythology, grief, and courage), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.

How does ReadingList choose similar books?

Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Books like Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky

If you liked Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, read The Labors of Hercules Beal, The Lost Hero, or The Mark of Athena — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes and reading level.

Closest match: The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt — shares mythology and grief

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Looking for books like Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia (Fantasy · grades 4–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of mythology, grief, and courage. The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 4–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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The Labors of Hercules Bealgrades 3–7: Shares themes of mythology and grief and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Lost Herogrades 5–9: Shares themes of mythology, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–9). Amazon → books like this →
The Mark of Athenagrades 5–9: Shares themes of mythology, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–9). Amazon → books like this →
A Tale Dark and Grimmgrades 4–7: Shares themes of courage, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Willa of the Woodgrades 4–7: Shares themes of courage, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Amari and the Night Brothersgrades 4–7: Shares themes of courage, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Ella Enchantedgrades 4–7: Shares themes of courage, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Gregor the Overlandergrades 4–7: Shares themes of courage, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–7). Amazon → books like this →
Old Yellergrades 5–8: Shares themes of grief and courage and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Night Traingrades 4–8: Shares themes of grief and courage and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky for younger readers (K–2)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— same scoring, different audience.

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin · grades K–3 — Same genre (Fantasy) and the same era (2010s).
The Forbidden Library by Django Wexler · grades 2–8 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (2–8), and the same era (2010s).
Dadaji's Paintbrush by Rashmi Sirdeshpande · grades K–3 — Shares themes of grief.
Enchanted Wood by Ruth Sanderson · grades K–3 — Same genre (Fantasy).
Eyes of the Dragon by Margaret Leaf · grades K–3 — Same genre (Fantasy).

Books like Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab · grades 4–7 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s).
Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin · grades K–3 — Same genre (Fantasy) and the same era (2010s).
Max and the Midknights by Lincoln Peirce · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2010s).
Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of grief and overlapping grades (3–6).
Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of grief and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab · grades 4–7 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s).
Max and the Midknights by Lincoln Peirce · grades 3–6 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (2010s).
Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai · grades 3–6 — Shares themes of grief and overlapping grades (3–6).
Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of grief and overlapping grades (4–7).
Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe by Jo Watson Hackl · grades 4–7 — Shares themes of grief and overlapping grades (4–7).

Books like Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross · grades 9–12 — Shares themes of courage and same genre (Fantasy).
Cinder by Marissa Meyer · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Fantasy) and the same era (2010s).
Everless by Sara Holland · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Fantasy) and the same era (2010s).
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green · 850L — Shares themes of grief.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Fantasy) and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky?: The 10 closest matches to Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia on ReadingList include The Labors of Hercules Beal, The Lost Hero, The Mark of Athena, A Tale Dark and Grimm, and Willa of the Wood. Each is scored on shared themes (mythology, grief, and courage), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.
How does ReadingList choose similar books?: Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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