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Mendel the Mess-Up
Mendel is the unluckiest kid in the shtetl—but can his bad luck save the day when the Cossacks invade?
Mendel the Mess-Up follows the sometimes-hilarious, sometimes-bittersweet exploits of Mendel Schlotz, who lives in the remote Jewish village of Lintvint. Born under an evil eye, Mendel can't help but attract trouble. Ask him to herd goats, and they’ll get out; ask him to chop wood, and he’ll break the axe; ask him to read in the yeshiva, and he’ll spill ink everywhere. Will he be a schlemiel his whole life?
Mendel may be cursed... but when the Cossacks come to his village, could his famous bad luck be the key to saving Lintvint?
Sympathetic, funny, and warm, this fast-paced middle-grade graphic novel from a veteran Jewish comics star is perfect for young readers who feel just a little out of place in their world—and it will help show them the way to appreciating who they are.
Mendel the Mess-Up follows the sometimes-hilarious, sometimes-bittersweet exploits of Mendel Schlotz, who lives in the remote Jewish village of Lintvint. Born under an evil eye, Mendel can't help but attract trouble. Ask him to herd goats, and they’ll get out; ask him to chop wood, and he’ll break the axe; ask him to read in the yeshiva, and he’ll spill ink everywhere. Will he be a schlemiel his whole life?
Mendel may be cursed... but when the Cossacks come to his village, could his famous bad luck be the key to saving Lintvint?
Sympathetic, funny, and warm, this fast-paced middle-grade graphic novel from a veteran Jewish comics star is perfect for young readers who feel just a little out of place in their world—and it will help show them the way to appreciating who they are.
208 pages, Paperback
Published December 17, 2024
4 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Terry LaBan
116 books32 followersTerry LaBan decided to be a cartoonist at the age of 6. He grew up to draw political cartoons and illustrations, create alternative comics series for Fantagraphics Books and Dark Horse comics, and write for DC Vertigo and Disney Egmont, where he spent 14 years writing Donald Duck comics.
From 2001 to 2015, Terry and his wife Patty created the daily comic strip “Edge City”, which was syndicated by King Features. Terry has two kids and two cats, and lives just outside Philadelphia. Mendel the Mess-Up, his first middle grade graphic novel, will be published in December of 2024.
From 2001 to 2015, Terry and his wife Patty created the daily comic strip “Edge City”, which was syndicated by King Features. Terry has two kids and two cats, and lives just outside Philadelphia. Mendel the Mess-Up, his first middle grade graphic novel, will be published in December of 2024.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 2, 2025
3.5 stars This book reads like an absurd mash-up of Bullwinkle and Fiddler on the Roof, complete with a cursed village boy and a conflicted Cossack. The story follows Mendel, an ordinary kid whom the superstitious villagers believe is doomed because his mother was given the evil eye by a cranky mountain witch while pregnant. When Cossacks threaten their village, Mendel becomes the scapegoat for their misfortune. Enter Pivik, a Cossack who desperately wants to fit in with his group but secretly despises them—his internal struggle ultimately drives the plot.
Laban’s cartooning is a delightful throwback, channeling the style of Dudley Do-Right and Mr. Peabody, making for a delightfully retro experience. The goats are adorable. And if you’re not careful, you might even walk away with a good lesson on treating yourself with kindness and respect!
Playlist: enjoy with some Russian Folk Ensemble…then wonder wth it appears high on your Spotify Wrapped in December 😂
Laban’s cartooning is a delightful throwback, channeling the style of Dudley Do-Right and Mr. Peabody, making for a delightfully retro experience. The goats are adorable. And if you’re not careful, you might even walk away with a good lesson on treating yourself with kindness and respect!
Playlist: enjoy with some Russian Folk Ensemble…then wonder wth it appears high on your Spotify Wrapped in December 😂
Read
February 9, 2025Unlike the other books I discuss in this episode, this book already has a home in my classroom library since it was the January Kids Comix subscription choice. The main character lives in a close-knit small town and consistently messes everything up because of acurse placed on his mother while she was pregnant, or so everyone believes. When Cossacks go on a rampage and threaten their town, Mendel works with his mess-up tendencies to try to save everyone and learn whether he was actually destined to always fail at everything. Several students have already read and enjoyed this.
November 22, 2025
I was immediately attracted to this 2024 graphic novel from the cover alone! The owner of 2 goats and adopted by a third, I just adore caprines. Seeing the cover image of the main character astride a goat in full gallop, I was extremely intrigued and did not hesitate for a minute to check it out from my local library.
Mendel is a young boy living in a turn of the 20th century Russian village. When his mother was pregnant with him, she incurred a curse from the village witch which proclaimed that Mendel would fail at everything he tried until the day the old woman's missing son was returned to her. All Mendel's mom did was buy the last cabbage available at the market that day. But now, it seems like a self fulfilling prophecy with Mendel accidentally breaking, destroying or losing valuable items in an already financially delicate village.
When a bullying menace is warned to be approaching Mendel's village, the entire community and their herd of goats, vital to the local economy, take to the mountains in retreat. Not allowed to participate in the evacuation because of his ability to mess things up, Mendel decides to run away. But in doing so, he accidentally releases the entire herd who are making a b-line right back into town. Now Mendel must face the fierce hoards of Cossack soldiers in order to save his town's livelihood as well as prevent his convert loved ones from being discovered. And to do so, Mendel will have to turn his greatest weakness, his incredible bad luck, into his own personal strength!
I really loved this book from Holiday House. It was funny. It had some educational moments, as I had heard of the Cossacks, but I didn't really know who they were. There are definite vibes of Fiddler on the Roof with this book and as someone married to someone of European Jewish heritage, I really liked the glimpse into her family ancestry.
There was one element that I was torn about. I don't like it when animals are abused. Yet, as someone who grew up on farms and around hunters and fisherman, I am okay with killing of animals for food. Deer heads and taxidermied fish occupied the walls of many of my relatives. But from how I was raised, as long as the animal was also used for food, such displays are acceptable. To just kill an animal for the sport of it is forbidden. However, if you've ever kissed a goat, and Yes - I kiss my goaties all the time, I cannot and will not eat goat. Dairy from goats is okay.
Anyways, that all being said, the beautiful white goats in this book all become dinner for the invading Cossacks. I came very close to not finishing this book because of this turn of events. However, other than a couple of goat skulls and some other bones, you don't see the animals being slaughtered. Plus, the Cossacks do eat them, even though they did it by theft. So, unlike other books where animals are mistreated, I did complete this one because technically, the bad guys do follow rules of eating meat that I myself would adhere to. I figured that they just didn't know of the joy and companionship you can experience when you adopt a goat as a member of your family.
Mendel the Mess-Up was written and illustrated by Terry LaBan. I loved his cartoonish style. I'm a sucker for thick brushes and his doesn't get any wider! As for the writing style, it felt so real. Maybe because even though it was a work of fiction, it was based on the life and times of his grandparents from their days in the Old Country. Although is Russia the Old Country???
Recommended for readers aged 8-12, there are scenes of violence with the Cossacks destroying Mendel's hometown. The 'witch' in the story is quite intimidating. And of course, the goats get eaten. But it's a story with roots in historical truth as the Cossacks weren't very nice people. Sometimes the past isn't very nice and tidy. That doesn't mean that this isn't a book that the entire family could enjoy!
Mendel is a young boy living in a turn of the 20th century Russian village. When his mother was pregnant with him, she incurred a curse from the village witch which proclaimed that Mendel would fail at everything he tried until the day the old woman's missing son was returned to her. All Mendel's mom did was buy the last cabbage available at the market that day. But now, it seems like a self fulfilling prophecy with Mendel accidentally breaking, destroying or losing valuable items in an already financially delicate village.
When a bullying menace is warned to be approaching Mendel's village, the entire community and their herd of goats, vital to the local economy, take to the mountains in retreat. Not allowed to participate in the evacuation because of his ability to mess things up, Mendel decides to run away. But in doing so, he accidentally releases the entire herd who are making a b-line right back into town. Now Mendel must face the fierce hoards of Cossack soldiers in order to save his town's livelihood as well as prevent his convert loved ones from being discovered. And to do so, Mendel will have to turn his greatest weakness, his incredible bad luck, into his own personal strength!
I really loved this book from Holiday House. It was funny. It had some educational moments, as I had heard of the Cossacks, but I didn't really know who they were. There are definite vibes of Fiddler on the Roof with this book and as someone married to someone of European Jewish heritage, I really liked the glimpse into her family ancestry.
There was one element that I was torn about. I don't like it when animals are abused. Yet, as someone who grew up on farms and around hunters and fisherman, I am okay with killing of animals for food. Deer heads and taxidermied fish occupied the walls of many of my relatives. But from how I was raised, as long as the animal was also used for food, such displays are acceptable. To just kill an animal for the sport of it is forbidden. However, if you've ever kissed a goat, and Yes - I kiss my goaties all the time, I cannot and will not eat goat. Dairy from goats is okay.
Anyways, that all being said, the beautiful white goats in this book all become dinner for the invading Cossacks. I came very close to not finishing this book because of this turn of events. However, other than a couple of goat skulls and some other bones, you don't see the animals being slaughtered. Plus, the Cossacks do eat them, even though they did it by theft. So, unlike other books where animals are mistreated, I did complete this one because technically, the bad guys do follow rules of eating meat that I myself would adhere to. I figured that they just didn't know of the joy and companionship you can experience when you adopt a goat as a member of your family.
Mendel the Mess-Up was written and illustrated by Terry LaBan. I loved his cartoonish style. I'm a sucker for thick brushes and his doesn't get any wider! As for the writing style, it felt so real. Maybe because even though it was a work of fiction, it was based on the life and times of his grandparents from their days in the Old Country. Although is Russia the Old Country???
Recommended for readers aged 8-12, there are scenes of violence with the Cossacks destroying Mendel's hometown. The 'witch' in the story is quite intimidating. And of course, the goats get eaten. But it's a story with roots in historical truth as the Cossacks weren't very nice people. Sometimes the past isn't very nice and tidy. That doesn't mean that this isn't a book that the entire family could enjoy!
Read
March 31, 2025How? Random pickup at the library.
What? Mendel lives in Lintvint, a Jewish village whose main export is alcohol made from goat sweat; and usually the only danger to the village is that Mendel is a mess-up -- everything he tries to do goes wrong. This is because his mom was cursed by Star-faced Matja, a wise woman who was shattered by the loss of her son, and whose curse is that Mendel will mess up until her own son is returned.
And to top it all off, now the Cossacks are coming to pillage the village. Of course, Mendel tries to help and of course, things go wrong, to the point of him being kidnapped by the Cossacks, one of whom (Pivik) is sort of a stick in the mud: all the other Cossacks like to drink and have a feast, but Pivik is serious about destroying Jewish villages.
Mendel realizes that everything he tries to do goes wrong, so he'll try to help Pivik, which works -- that is, it goes wrong. Should I spoil the rest? Is it possible to spoil this if you're an adult with some experience with stories? That is, Pivik is Matja's son, and _eventually_ he returns; and Mendel realizes that he's only as cursed as he feels.
Yeah, so? A charming little story, with Jewish historical notes, which is about all the Jewish education the kid gets these days.
What? Mendel lives in Lintvint, a Jewish village whose main export is alcohol made from goat sweat; and usually the only danger to the village is that Mendel is a mess-up -- everything he tries to do goes wrong. This is because his mom was cursed by Star-faced Matja, a wise woman who was shattered by the loss of her son, and whose curse is that Mendel will mess up until her own son is returned.
And to top it all off, now the Cossacks are coming to pillage the village. Of course, Mendel tries to help and of course, things go wrong, to the point of him being kidnapped by the Cossacks, one of whom (Pivik) is sort of a stick in the mud: all the other Cossacks like to drink and have a feast, but Pivik is serious about destroying Jewish villages.
Mendel realizes that everything he tries to do goes wrong, so he'll try to help Pivik, which works -- that is, it goes wrong. Should I spoil the rest? Is it possible to spoil this if you're an adult with some experience with stories? That is, Pivik is Matja's son, and _eventually_ he returns; and Mendel realizes that he's only as cursed as he feels.
Yeah, so? A charming little story, with Jewish historical notes, which is about all the Jewish education the kid gets these days.
November 29, 2024
Reading this folktale [3.5] was a hoot. Twelve-year-old Mendel Schlotz is certainly well meaning, but for some reason--perhaps because he was cursed before birth--his good intentions always go awry. Even the simplest tasks such as setting the table for a meal or responding to questions in class end up causing a mess. Mendel just can't help it. But when Cossacks threaten the village of Lintvint, it's his quick thinking that saves the villagers. I won't spoil how this happens since there are several twists and turns as well as unexpected moments that make all the difference in the world. Middle grade readers will be familiar with the adage that sometimes our weaknesses can become our strengths. which makes Mendel's experiences all the more relatable, but they won't expect some of the events in this story or how that adage plays out. And ugh! a drink made from goat sweat! Even the thought of such a beverage will make readers shudder. The artwork and text fit together in an engaging way, making this read a delight from start to finish with plenty of humor, some pathos, and lots of suspense. There are surely plenty of Mendels out there who will see themselves in this one.
April 15, 2025
Mendle can't seem to do anything right. Everyone blames this plight on the fact that before he was born an old village woman gave his mom the "evil eye" and cursed her that her child would never do anything useful. The story takes place in a Jewish village in a fictional country that borders Russia, and when the Cossacks invade, the village tries to prepare. Mendel's mess-ups bring disaster, until a change in attitude and a chain of strange events turn the situation around. Terry laBan's silly story full of takes a light hearted look at Jewish history and the illustrations not only help set the time and place but add even more humor. The story may be funny, but readers can learn along with Mendle that maybe his short comings can be turned around into his assets. When his curse his finally lifted, he realizes that he may have been living up to ( or in this case down to ) expectations. All kids seem to go through a stage where they feel like a mess-up and will be able to identify with mendle. This is a great middle grade graphic novel that I would recommend to kids from any background.
November 16, 2024
This is the kind of book that isn't for me, but I would gladly pass along to a kid who enjoys comic-style humor, especially if they're Jewish. Mendel was cursed with the evil eye by an older woman who lives on the outskirts of his shetl when he was still in his mother's womb. The curse has made him a mess-up, meaning, he constantly messes things up. When the Cossacks come to the shetl to pillage it, he continues to mess up constantly, but when he learns to embrace his curse, he finds a way to work with it.
April 24, 2025
What is poor Mendel, the main character in Terry LaBan’s graphic novel “Mendel The Mess-Up” (Holiday House), to do? He was cursed before birth so that everything he does comes out wrong. Normally that just means crashing into people and objects, or causing a fire when he tries to set the dinner table.
See the rest of my review at https://www.thereportergroup.org/book...
See the rest of my review at https://www.thereportergroup.org/book...
July 15, 2025
4 stars (I really liked it)
This was a fun graphic novel with a great message about how the biggest "curses" are the ones we give ourselves. Mendel is a "mess-up" because he was cursed as a child. When invaders come to his village, he messes things up until he decides to try to help them because then he will actually mess them up. It's definitely the type of logic a kid would have. I do think the drink they make with goat sweat is kind of odd.
This was a fun graphic novel with a great message about how the biggest "curses" are the ones we give ourselves. Mendel is a "mess-up" because he was cursed as a child. When invaders come to his village, he messes things up until he decides to try to help them because then he will actually mess them up. It's definitely the type of logic a kid would have. I do think the drink they make with goat sweat is kind of odd.
February 7, 2025
Sometimes kids go through a phase where they can't do anything right, and they mess up everything. Set in a shtetl of an alternative past, Mendel "The Mess-up" tries to keep the Cossacks away from where his fellow villagers are hiding. Will he just mess it up again and lead them right to them? Give this to kids who are goofy and clumsy but good-hearted, or who need a good laugh.
February 15, 2025
Mendel is not quite a fool in the traditional Chelm sense…but then again he isn’t not that? But he is just a kid, doing his best in the face of a curse by Scarface Matja when he wasn’t even born yet. Everything comes to a head when the Cossacks come to ransack the village and he winds up caught in the middle of it. There were some great twists and the art fits nicely.
October 25, 2025
Fun easy book nicely illustrated with a lesson that we all have strengths and sometimes our weaknesses are our greatest strength. Having ancestors from this area near Bialystok, I liked the shetl and community vibe and learned more about the Cossacks. Will drop this in the next Little Free Library and pass the lesson on!
December 22, 2024
Before he was born, Mendel's mother was cursed that her new baby would always mess up. This seems to have come true. Everything Mendel touches goes wrong. When Cossacks invade their village, Mendel figures out how to turn his curse into a blessing and save the day. Recommended for grades 4 & up.
January 8, 2025
This book was amazing. it had me hooked I was reading almost 24-7. and I am not a big reader I hardly read at all. Still I loved this book the cartoony-comic book style was amazing. This was probably the best book I have read in a long time. I hope you guys like it too.
March 26, 2025
Everything Mendel does ends in disaster. It's because he was cursed with the evil eye while still in his mother's womb. But when the Cossacks invade his village, can he turn his greatest weakness into a strength? A fun read.
October 25, 2024
ARC from Edelweiss.
February 18, 2025
This book was great! It reminds me of super graphic novel version of a story telling by your grandpa from his childhood. Highly recommend. Mendel "messes up" until.....
May 13, 2025
A harrowing and funny historical story about a kid who always screws up.
June 10, 2025
A fun Jewish-themed graphic novel. Evokes the images of shtetl life directly from the world of Shalom Aleichem and Fiddler on the Roof.
August 10, 2025
Loved this tale of a cursed Jewish boy outsmarting the Cossacks who have invaded his shtetl. The illustrations and story gave me a nostalgic Lil Abner vibe which was awesome!
February 20, 2025
Terry, please write more Jewish graphic novels.
I admired how many fine lines this book manage to balance without falling off. It seemed to constantly be about to tip over the edge of modern sensibilities, but somehow just barely makes it. There were a few things I didn't love, but not enough to detract a star. It's also a beautiful book with some panes that just make you pause to admire the artistry. Would love to see more like this out there.
I admired how many fine lines this book manage to balance without falling off. It seemed to constantly be about to tip over the edge of modern sensibilities, but somehow just barely makes it. There were a few things I didn't love, but not enough to detract a star. It's also a beautiful book with some panes that just make you pause to admire the artistry. Would love to see more like this out there.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews