Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword

Title: Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword
Author: Barry Deutsch
ISBN: 9781419706196
Published: 2010
Characters: Mirka, Fruma, Zindel
Genre: fiction, graphic novel
Reading Level: 2nd grade
Interest Level: 3rd-7th grade
Plot Summary: Mirka is an 11 year old Orthodox Jewish girl who is being raised by her stepmother Fruma. But Mirka has a hard time staying out of trouble and bringing shame to her family, especially her sisters. Mirka dreams of being a dragon slayer, which is not what orthodox Jewish girls do. Hereville is a town of mostly other Orthodox Jewish families but one day when Mirka is out in the woods she comes across a mysterious house that she has never seen. Mirka is convinced that the women who lives there is a witch and when she eats a grape growing on the the fence she is chased down by a crazy creature. The creature it turns out is a talking pig that belongs to the women. Mirka later rescues the pig and earns a favor from the witch, who tell Mirka where to find a troll to earn herself a sword. But to get the sword Mirka must not only defeat the troll but disobey her family.
Review: Hereville is wonderful and very unique adventure. First, I really enjoy how Deutsch includes yiddish words throughout the story, thankfully he also includes what they mean. He really gives some great insight into the Orthodox Jewish culture and customs that those outside of the religion would not know or understand. Mirka is an unusual heroin but her devotion to being a dragon slayer leads her on an amazing and sometimes funny quest. The struggle between what she wants and what is expected for her is very relatable for tweens. I think it's funny that her knitting plays an important role in her earning her sword. I think it shows that the things from her culture and her family are important and that despite being an Orthodox Jewish girl she can still follow her dreams.
Reader's Annotation: Mirka is not your typical Orthodox Jewish girl, for starters she wants to be a dragon slayer. But first she must defeat a troll to earn her sword.
Main Themes: family, religion, quests
Read Alikes: Curses! Foiled Again by Jane Yolen
Why for Tweens? At 11 years old Mirka not only battles a giant pig but she defeats a giant troll to earn a sword for dragon slaying. The story is unique and fun and a wonderful adventure.