Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword

Deutsch, Barry. Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword
Amulet see Abrams, Harry 2010 unp 15.95
978-0-8109-8422-6 ms Graphic novel VG
Hereville is definitely a most unusual graphic novel. An Orthodox Jewish girl who is determined to fight a dragon is an unusual personality to find in the small religious community but Mirka is strong-willed enough to figure out a way. Hereville is definitely a most unusual graphic novel. An Orthodox Jewish girl who is determined to fight a dragon is an unique personality to find in the small religious community but Mirka is strong-willed enough to figure out a way. Unfulfilled by the rigid precepts that her religion holds for girls, Mirka is tired of knitting and housekeeping lessons and is unhappy with her only foreseeable future as a married woman. She is going to accomplish something else. When she runs afoul of the evil pig companion of the witch that lives in the woods, Mirka realizes that this might be her only chance to break free of her restrictions and discover a sword. The talking pig, an anathema to Jews, has decided to torment Mirka and forces her to resort to especially unladylike behavior. When she saves the pig and her younger brother from two bullies, the witch rewards her by telling her the location of a sword which is, naturally, held by the local troll. Challenging the troll to a battle for possession of the sword, Mirka discovers that the contest is to knit a sweater. Perhaps she should have paid more attention to those lessons her stepmother had been giving her after all.

This graphic novel is filled with accurate representations of the way that the people in an Orthodox community dress and behave. The clothing that is shown is appropriate and realistic as are the ways that children go about bending the rules. The important meanings of religious significance are explained and the Yiddish words used in speech are translated at the bottom of the page.
Ogintz, Susan
Graphic novel