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Barry Deutsch

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Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword Hardcover – November 1, 2010

by Barry Deutsch (Author)

4.6 98 ratings

Part of: Hereville

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Spunky, strong-willed eleven-year-old Mirka Herschberg isn’t interested in knitting lessons from her stepmother, or how-to-find-a-husband advice from her sister, or you-better-not warnings from her brother. There’s only one thing she does want: to fight dragons!

Granted, no dragons have been breathing fire around Hereville, the Orthodox Jewish community where Mirka lives, but that doesn’t stop the plucky girl from honing her skills. She fearlessly stands up to local bullies. She battles a very large, very menacing pig. And she boldly accepts a challenge from a mysterious witch, a challenge that could bring Mirka her heart’s desire: a dragon-slaying sword! All she has to do is find—and outwit—the giant troll who’s got it!

A delightful mix of fantasy, adventure, cultural traditions, and preteen commotion, Hereville will captivate middle-school readers with its exciting visuals and entertaining new heroine.

Accolades and Praise for Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword •Sydney Taylor Award
•Eisner nomination
•Harvey nomination
•Ignatz nomination
•Nebula nomination
"Utterly ingenious." --Kirkus, starred review
"Withouth a doubt, the best graphic novel of 2010 for kids. Bar None."--School Library Journal, starred review
"A terrific story, told with skill and lots of heart."--Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Mirka is a spunky, emotionally realistic, and fun heroine."--Booklist, starred review
"Sequel, please!"--Horn Book Magazine

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 4-7–To the delight of his online followers, Deutsch's popular web comic featuring “Yet another troll-fighting 11-year-old Orthodox Jewish girl” is now available in print. Mirka is the heroine that girlhood dreams are made of: questioning and smart and willing to take on the world. She constantly battles wits with her stepmother, Fruma, whose argumentative nature and sharp nose conceal a warm and caring nature. Readers view the image of Mirka's deceased mother, who continues to play an influential role in her life. The child, stuck at home with knitting needles, longs to wield a sword and do battle with dragons. Instead she finds herself caught in a battle of wills with a talking pig. That's right: scenes of an Orthodox Jew with a pig add to the humor. The story is a captivating mixture of fantasy and a realistic look at a culture. The girl encounters both a mind-reading witch and a multilingual troll in her quest for a sword with which to fight dragons. Yiddish language and Jewish customs are an essential part of the story and provide excellent bedrock to the tale without overwhelming it. Mirka outwits the troll and obtains the sword, bringing the story to a satisfying conclusion. However, there is more to tell and it is obvious that further adventures await this young heroine. The illustrations are done in a monochromatic palette, with a color change from a warm earthy orange/cream for daytime scenes to a cool lavender/blue for the night scene. With engaging characters and delightful art, Hereville is pure enchantment.–Barbara M. Moon, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NYα(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

Set in a well-realized contemporary Orthodox Jewish community, this sweet and engaging tale of 11-year-old Mirka’s thirst for a dragon-slaying adventure unfolds in well-integrated images and text. Mirka’s family includes a stepmother who is strict but not evil, a marriage-obsessed older sister, and a little brother for whom Mirka alternately takes responsibility and finds unwontedly cumbersome. Deutsch creates authentic characters spiced with just enough fantasy to surprise: the members of the community use Yiddish and Hebrew expressions, which are translated as they appear in the text, and the arrival of a talking pig in the village presents a challenge for Mirka, as pig and girl compete to outmaneuver each other in arguments as well as actions. And then there’s the space alien who challenges Mirka to knit for her life. Details of Orthodox daily life are well blended into the art and given just the right touches of explanation to keep readers on track. Mirka is a spunky, emotionally realistic, and fun heroine for her peers to discover. Grades 3-6. --Francisca Goldsmith

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Amulet Books; Illustrated edition (November 1, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 144 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0810984229
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0810984226
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 - 12 years
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ GN380L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 7
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.75 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,936,288 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #628 in Children's Fairy Tales, Folklore, Legends & Mythology Comics & Graphic Novels
- #948 in Children's Jewish Fiction Books
- #2,379 in Children's Action & Adventure Comics & Graphic Novels

Customer Reviews:
4.6 98 ratings

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Barry Deutsch

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Cartoonist Barry Deutsch lives in Portland, Oregon, in a bright blue house with bubble-gum pink trim and eight (!) housemates, plus a variable number of cats and fish.

His 2010 graphic novel "Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword" was the first graphic novel ever to win the prestigious Sydney Taylor Award, and was also nominated for Eisner, Harvey, Ignatz, and Nebula awards. His new book, "Hereville: How Mirka Met a Meteorite," was published by Abrams in November 2012, and as of this writing (Nov 15 2012) has already received two starred reviews.

Deutsch won the national Charles M. Schulz Award for best college cartoonist in 2000 and was nominated for Comic-Con’s Russ Manning Award for Promising Newcomer in 2008. He is currently working on a third "Hereville" graphic novel.

Customer reviews

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Customers say

Customers find the story engaging with its twists and turns. They appreciate the appealing art style and realistic illustrations. The book is fun for both young and old, providing a glimpse of an Orthodox Jewish community. Readers appreciate the intellectual slant and the inclusion of Jewish culture without hindering the story. They enjoy the strong female characters with individual personalities. The book touches on girl empowerment and gives girls a positive image of themselves.

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Story quality Art style Fun for kids Slant Enjoyment Character development Empowerment Humor

15 customers mention "Story quality"15 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the engaging and exciting story with its twists and turns. They find the stories exciting, with adventure, humor, and emotional range. The dialogue is great, and the book provides insight into a fascinating world.

"...My daughter and I both enjoyed Hereville. My daughter liked the action and adventure, and I appreciated the intellectual slant...." Read more

"...His humor is amazing! The art is awesome and so are the twists and turns of each novel (the time loop in the fish book, beyond incredible)...." Read more

"...But what they will find is a cast of good characters, a riveting story, masterful drawing and a lot of Yiddish phrases strewn throughout...." Read more

"A wonderfully fun (and funny) graphic novel that my reluctant 9 y.o. reader sat and read in one long sitting...." Read more

11 customers mention "Art style"11 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the art style of the book. They find the realistic illustrations appealing with color. The book is described as wry and clever, with an Americanized manga style. Readers also appreciate the animation and find the story easy to follow.

"...I found the book to be wry, and very clever. I would absolutely recommend Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword...." Read more

"...His humor is amazing! The art is awesome and so are the twists and turns of each novel (the time loop in the fish book, beyond incredible)...." Read more

"...they will find is a cast of good characters, a riveting story, masterful drawing and a lot of Yiddish phrases strewn throughout...." Read more

"...It's an exciting, well-drawn graphic novel!" Read more

8 customers mention "Fun for kids"8 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book for kids and adults. They find it entertaining with strong female characters, sweet family challenges, and a humorous story. The book provides a glimpse of an Orthodox Jewish community and is a great choice to share with friends.

"A wonderfully fun (and funny) graphic novel that my reluctant 9 y.o. reader sat and read in one long sitting...." Read more

"...I've never seen anything like this, it is at the same time such a blend of fun and exciting fantasy, together with real Observant Jewish life." Read more

"This is a book both young and old can enjoy. I love any book that my reluctant reader will enjoy, and this fit the bill!" Read more

"My grandchildren loved this book. Bought for my granddaughter aged 12. She called to tell me the whole plot and she was so enthusiastic about it...." Read more

8 customers mention "Slant"8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's slant. They find it combines fantasy with real Observant Jewish life, and the Jewish Orthodox culture is present without hindering the story. Readers love their children being able to read about other faith traditions. The story of an Orthodox Jewish child dealing with the stresses of school and family is great. They appreciate the intellectual slant, action, adventure, and broader appeal that the setting in a Jewish shtetl provides. Overall, it's an exciting, well-drawn graphic novel.

"...My daughter liked the action and adventure, and I appreciated the intellectual slant. I found the book to be wry, and very clever...." Read more

"...also a family of faith and I love my children being able to read about other faith traditions (and even a few bits of Yiddish) and to see a bold,..." Read more

"...In fact, because it is set in a Jewish Shtetl (Yiddish for the Jewish part of town) and most of the names are Yiddish, it is unlikely many potential..." Read more

"...I think anyone ages 5 - 12 would enjoy Hereville. It's an exciting, well-drawn graphic novel!" Read more

6 customers mention "Enjoyment"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They find it clever and great, with a delightful Mirka character.

"...We enjoyed the book so much that we purchased our own copy. This graphic novel was written and illustrated by Barry Deutsch...." Read more

"...we have spent so many quality hours pouring over all three of his incredible graphic novels...." Read more

"...These are explained in an unobtrusive way, and are delightful. Oh, and the main character, Mirka, is a powerhouse of a girl...." Read more

"...The book is a great, wonderful graphic novel and fit the bill. I loved it, she loved it. A graphic novel about knitting? So awesomesauce!!!!!" Read more

4 customers mention "Character development"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the realistic and individual characters. They find the heroine bold and adventurous, finding strength in herself.

"...traditions (and even a few bits of Yiddish) and to see a bold, adventurous heroine also finding strength in her faith and her family's deep..." Read more

"...But what they will find is a cast of good characters, a riveting story, masterful drawing and a lot of Yiddish phrases strewn throughout...." Read more

"...But besides that it also gives you some delightfully individual personalities...." Read more

"...The story is cute with admirable, realistic characters. My only complaint was that the story is a little bit disorganized and uneven...." Read more

3 customers mention "Empowerment"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book empowering for girls. They say it gives them a positive image of themselves.

"...We are Seventh Day Adventist (we worship on Sabbath) and this book was empowering to her because it touches on girl empowerment and on the Sabbath..." Read more

"A unique and empowering role model for girls everywhere, and insight into a fascinating world most of us don't know." Read more

"...Great book to share with your friends. This book give girls a positive image of themselves." Read more

3 customers mention "Humor"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the humor in the book. They say it has action, adventure, and an Orthodox slant.

"...It’s got action, adventure, and humor- all with an Orthodox slant!" Read more

"...His humor is amazing! The art is awesome and so are the twists and turns of each novel (the time loop in the fish book, beyond incredible)...." Read more

"A wonderfully fun (and funny) graphic novel..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

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Maureen
Mirka is just delightful!
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2014
Verified Purchase
My oldest daughter is almost seven, and she is an avid reader. She prefers graphic novels to chapter books, and we are always looking for graphic novels with appropriate content for her. We found Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword at the library in the next town over. We enjoyed the book so much that we purchased our own copy. This graphic novel was written and illustrated by Barry Deutsch.

Hereville is subtitled “Yet Another Troll-Fighting 11-Year-Old Orthodox Jewish Girl”, and this pretty much sums up the book. Mirka lives with her father and stepmother and blended siblings. Mirka lives in a Jewish enclave, and she is so sheltered from the world that she doesn’t recognize a pig when she sees one. The pig has been following Mirka because Mirka stole from the pig’s garden. The pig does whatever it can to make Mirka’s life miserable, like stealing her homework! But when Mirka intervenes and rescues the pig from boys who are tormenting it, the witch who owns the pig offers a reward: there is a sword in Hereville, but Mirka must defeat the troll who guards the sword. Does Mirka have what it takes to fight a troll?

Deutsch uses a lot of Yiddish expressions, but he always provides a translation. I think that familiarity with the Orthodox culture helps understand the book, but it’s not mandatory. The book provides a fairly accurate portrayal of Orthodox Jewish life- except for the talking pig, etc. Readers will learn a lot about customs and traditions, and how they fit into Mirka’s personality.

Hereville is a very clever book. In the first two pages, Mirka doesn’t want to do knitting, and debates with her stepmother about free will and preordination. This intellectual trend continues throughout the book. While I don’t want to give away the ending, I will say that when Mirka fights the troll, she doesn’t use weapons.

The art style is fairly realistic, and the illustrations are enhanced by the use of the colored pages. Orange pages are used in daytime scenes, and blue pages are used at night. The body language and facial expressions are among the best I have seen.

My daughter and I both enjoyed Hereville. My daughter liked the action and adventure, and I appreciated the intellectual slant. I found the book to be wry, and very clever.

I would absolutely recommend Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword. The reading level is not very high, and this gives the book a broader appeal. Everyone from children in the middle years of elementary school to adults can enjoy Hereville. It’s got action, adventure, and humor- all with an Orthodox slant!

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Shannon
Awesome strong female characters, sweet family challenges, hillarious story and excellent art.
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2018
Verified Purchase
I adore the Mirka stories! I honestly think I ought to write Barry Deutsch a personal thank you note. We have three daughters and a son and we have spent so many quality hours pouring over all three of his incredible graphic novels. I love my children getting to read about strong female characters with strong family ties. His humor is amazing! The art is awesome and so are the twists and turns of each novel (the time loop in the fish book, beyond incredible). We are also a family of faith and I love my children being able to read about other faith traditions (and even a few bits of Yiddish) and to see a bold, adventurous heroine also finding strength in her faith and her family's deep commitment to their Judaism.
I can't recommend his books strongly enough.

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2 people found this helpful

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Mom by the Bay
Beautifuly done
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2011
Verified Purchase
Another writer mentioned this book to me, because my uncommon name is shared with the heroine, and is in the title. I HAD to get it.
And in this case I can recommend this middle grade graphic novel to all, even if your name is nowhere in it. In fact, because it is set in a Jewish Shtetl (Yiddish for the Jewish part of town) and most of the names are Yiddish, it is unlikely many potential readers would find their names there.
But what they will find is a cast of good characters, a riveting story, masterful drawing and a lot of Yiddish phrases strewn throughout. These are explained in an unobtrusive way, and are delightful.
Oh, and the main character, Mirka, is a powerhouse of a girl. She's the sort girls and boys would be thrilled to spend a few hours with, and come back again to many more times.
Try it, you'll like it. My grandma was right!

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Abigail
An Exciting Graphic Novel That Would Appeal to 5+
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2011
Verified Purchase
At first this book did not appeal to me because I thought it was too short. I read it again and have then re-read it several times and have now come to like it a lot. It is about a Orthodox Jewish girl named Mirka. In the story she accidentally comes across a witch's home and steals a very large grape. A talking pig suddenly attacks her, eating her homework and butting her off cliffs from behind. But keeping pigs is strictly forbidden in Hereville so her siblings think she is crazy for seeing a talking pig. In the end she has to fight a troll to get the sword that any real hero would have.

This book would appeal to fans of Jeff Smith's Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic in One Volume, in fact there is a hidden reference to Bone in the book.

Even though I am Jewish, I have learned a lot about Orthodox Judaism from reading this book, but it would appeal to anyone, Jewish or non-Jewish. I think anyone younger than 5 years old would be scared of parts of this book and some of the drawings could possibly be frightening to a young reader. I think anyone ages 5 - 12 would enjoy Hereville. It's an exciting, well-drawn graphic novel!

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3 people found this helpful

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Jeff
A wonderfully fun (and funny) graphic novel
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2018
Verified Purchase
A wonderfully fun (and funny) graphic novel that my reluctant 9 y.o. reader sat and read in one long sitting. She was thrilled to see characters with whom she could identify, and girls who looked and dressed and lived like her and her classmates. I've already bought her the next one, and will most likely by the third book in the not too distant future.

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Top reviews from other countries

WP
Gift for nine-year-old
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 24, 2015
Verified Purchase
Bought this as a gift for my nine-year-old niece. I read the first couple of pages before wrapping it and it looked like a lot of fun--i might need to borrow it! She loved it, though.

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Sonya
Great story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 2, 2019
Verified Purchase
Absolutely great, we loved it!

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Mrs DGB
She was absolutely delighted.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 25, 2015
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Bought for my daughter. She was absolutely delighted.

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Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword Hardcover – November 1, 2010

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