Deutsch, Barry. Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword. Colored by Jake Richmond. New York: Amulet Books, 2010. ISBN: 978-0-8109-8422-6
Author / Illustrator website: http://www.amptoons.com/
Media: The author/illustrator created the black-and-white drawings on a computer using Photoshop and a Cintiq tablet (described as a type of interactive pen-on-screen tool). The colorist used Photoshop to digitally add color to the drawings.
Awards/Recognitions: The Sydney Taylor Book Award, 2011.
Use of Allusion: (p.21) “No, but I once read a book about a pig and a spider,” alludes to the book Charlotte’s Web.
Use of Symbolism: (Throughout the book) Mirka’s mother is smiling from a picture watching over Mirka. (p. 78) Mirka is encased in a loaf of khale symbolizing the happiness and safety she feels when smelling the bread bake
Use of Onomatopoeia: (p. 61) “Gasp”, “Hork!”
Special Notations: Graphic Novel (fiction)
Annotation: Eleven-year-old Mirka Hirschberg lives with her large Orthodox Jewish family in a tight-knit community. She dreams of fighting dragons and longs to escape her hum-drum life and chores.
Personal Reaction: This graphic novel caused a rush of nostalgia for me. Mirka reminded me of Henny in Sydney Taylor's All of a Kind Family, another series about a Jewish family. Henny would have been right there with Mirka arguing with her stepmother! Mirka is a graphic novel character with a lot of depth, heart and imperfections that I was immediately taken with. I enjoy comic style graphic novels, but am delighted to see a graphic novel like Hereville that incorporates humor and lot more into this maturing genre. Mirka is an eleven year old Orthodox Jewish girl from a large family. She is struggling to find out who she is, whether or not she is a hero and what she believes in, all in the wake of her mother’s death. Readers watch Mirka interact with her siblings and stepsibling, schoolmates and her faith. Humor is generously sprinkled throughout the book such as on page 77, “Pre-ripping the toilet paper! (So no one has to rip it on Shabbos, which would be work.)” reads the narrative box over a drawing of Mirka’s stepsister Rachel. The details about Judaism are fascinating, but Mirka’s story has wide appeal for all adolescents.
