Eleven-year-old Mirka lives in Hereville, a tiny Orthodox Jewish community at the edge of a wood. Mirka’s head is full of dreams of becoming a dragon-...moreEleven-year-old Mirka lives in Hereville, a tiny Orthodox Jewish community at the edge of a wood. Mirka’s head is full of dreams of becoming a dragon-slayer, much to the dismay of her stepmother Fruma and her older sister Gittel, whose wishes for Mirka include concentrating on her knitting and acting “normal,” so as to not hurt her sisters’ chances at making good marriages. Acting normal, however, is not foremost in her mind when Mirka stumbles upon a mysterious house in the woods, launching her into an adventure far stranger than she could have imagined.
I loved the characters in this graphic novel – Mirka, simultaneously rebellious and dutiful; Fruma, efficient, argumentative, wise, and surprisingly tender; Gittel, pious and conventional and also loving; and Zindel, Mirka’s little brother, reluctantly adventurous and clearly in awe of his brave older sister. I loved the blend of the real – especially details of everyday life in an orthodox Jewish community – and the fantastic – a talking pig, determined to gain revenge on Mirka, makes a habit of eating her homework every day. I also loved the tender depiction of an ordinary family – their unique dynamic, their rituals, their squabbles, and their joys.
Hereville is a fun, irreverent adventure story, a tender family story, and a poignant coming of age story about finding one’s sword in life. Its sequel, Hereville: How Mirka Met a Meteorite, is in the works! (less)
This book was strange, and interesting. I can't say I loved it, though I was impressed by the writing - the voice of the main character/narrator is es...moreThis book was strange, and interesting. I can't say I loved it, though I was impressed by the writing - the voice of the main character/narrator is especially vivid and compelling (and funny). It's about a New York City girl who, pretty pissed off about her dad's jerky new wife and their impending child, and has dealt with this by developing a thick skin (not to mention anorexia), goes to live with her cousins in England. The cousins are magical and beautiful, and she falls in love with her cousin Edmond. Basically her new life is a dream come true(beside the inconvenient fact that her new boyfriend is related to her), and even when war breaks out and the kids are left with no adult supervision or security, they develop a kind of paradisiacal existence together. But when war escalates and reaches their country home, the family is separated and the story turns to a bleak survival tale.
As other reviewers here have pointed out, even though the book deals with "issues" - anorexia, cousins making out - the writing is so assured and unapologetic that they aren't really presented as issues in the quotation sense, more just the messiness of life.
I remember much of this book from reading it as a kid, but my very favorite part this go around I have absolutely no recollection of - the chapter cal...moreI remember much of this book from reading it as a kid, but my very favorite part this go around I have absolutely no recollection of - the chapter called Aunt Beast. This is just after the travelers have rescued Mr. Murry and have landed on the planet Ixchel without a guide. The "beasts" who live there look very ugly to Meg, at first, but she forms a bond with the one she calls Aunt Beast, and they all help to heal the spiritual and physical damage Meg has undergone over the course of their travels. It's really just such a tender point in the book. I guess perhaps glorious flying centaur-like creatures stick in a kid's mind...but as for my mind now, it's Aunt Beast. (less)
This is a powerful coming-of-age story, about figuring out what you believe and how you're going to act and be in the world. Sam is thirteen years old...moreThis is a powerful coming-of-age story, about figuring out what you believe and how you're going to act and be in the world. Sam is thirteen years old in Chicago in 1968 - his father is a prominent Civil Rights leader who adheres to Dr. King's vision of non-violent social change, and his older brother has secretly become involved with the Black Panther Party. As fear and frustration escalate within the community - an horrific incident of police brutality hits close to home, then Dr. King is assassinated - Sam is increasingly torn between his father's and his brother's methods of actions. In the author's words*: "What do you do when the two people you look up to most, those who you strive to emulate, split off in radically different directions? What happens when your lifelong beliefs are challenged? How do you channel your anger when the world around you is so unjust that you feel you could jump out of your skin?"
As reviewers here have pointed out, you won't often find nuanced depictions (or depictions of any sort) of the Black Panther Party in young people's literature, as you do here.
This is a fast-paced read - recommend to kids who like historical and/or contemporary realistic fiction with good characterizations and deep conflict. Let teachers know about this one, and it would also make a great choice for a book discussion.
Again, in the words of the author*: "Mostly, I want them to take away the experience of having read a good story. And I’d like the book to inspire people to have a conversation about it, whether it be in a classroom or between colleagues, family or friends. I believe there is a lot still to be dealt with in our country, with regard to the events of the 1960s, and I love having the opportunity to inspire those discussions. I also hope the book broadens people’s perspectives on The Black Panther Party, and really, the civil rights movement in general. Sometimes the way we talk about that time period makes it sound all too perfect, too pat, and while we shake our heads at the injustices that occur, there is a finality about it being of the past. To me, the Black Panthers makes it easier to talk about the things that haven’t changed, within the context of the community organizing that they did. We still need that kind of work, so the conversation about it is more dynamic than talking about overcoming legal segregation, which is really a thing of the past."
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