Hereville: How Mirka Met a Meteorite

By Barry Deutsch

In this “truly clever” graphic novel series, the Orthodox Jewish heroine of Hereville meets her match—a magical doppelgänger of herself (Kirkus, starred review).

Mirka is back, and she’s still the only sword-brandishing, monster-fighting Orthodox Jewish girl in town. Or so she thinks. When a misguided troll aims a meteor at Hereville, the local witch grabs the closest thing available to transform the flying, flaming rock—and that would be Mirka’s hair.

The meteor is changed, all right: it’s now Mirka’s identical twin. Doppelganger Mirka, vowing to be a better version of the real girl, sets out to charm all of Hereville, including Mirka’s own family. Our heroine challenges the meteor girl to a three-part contest . . . and the loser will be banished from Hereville forever!

A delightful mix of fantasy, adventure, cultural traditions, and preteen commotion, this fun, quirky graphic novel series will captivate middle-school readers with its exciting visuals and entertaining new heroine.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Dec 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781613123737

Book preview

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

children's graphic novel; adventure/multicultural. Plotwise, this story was only so-so, but it's significant in its choice of characters (an Orthodox Jewish girl amidst and Orth. J. community). Kids are introduced to various aspects of the culture and reminded of similarities, too.

[sarahlh-41506 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A charming graphic with a strong-willed female protagonist that combines elements of epic fantasy with aspects of the Orthodox Jewish lifestyle which makes for a fascinating and fun read. Mirka is my favorite kind of heroine: clever and outspoken who ends up solving problems her own way.

[bill5bradford · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fascinating look at Orthodox Jewish life but I thought a little more exposition was needed.

[yonitdm · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Super cute book I read with my daughter. No goodie two shoes heroes here! the adventure was fun and the family relatable. looking forward to more!

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Cute enough, and certainly refreshingly original. I like Fruma (stepmother) best. Didn't hit my sweet spot, though, somehow. Did read both 1st & 2nd books, giving same review to both.

[maowangvater · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One day on her way to school Mirka Hirschberg discovers a house that she’s never seen before in her town of Hereville and in the yard of this house is a woman pruning a tree while floating ten feet off the ground. Mirka plucks one of the enormous grapes hanging on the fence of the house, and she’s set upon by a monster. The monster turns out to be a pig, but since Hereville is town inhabited only by Orthodox Jews, Mirka has never seen one, and doesn’t know what to call it until enlightened by her more worldly step-sister. Since Mirka’s ambition in life is to be a dragon slayer, she vows that she’s not going to be defeated by a pig. But when she sets a trap for the pig, she ends up having to battle a troll!

[ghelmus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Being my first graphic novel, I was unsure of what to expect. But I couldn't put this book down. The creativity of illustrations made it aesthetically pleasing, while the dialogue was easy to follow and kept the story moving. Seeing as it was a book based around the Orthodox Jewish religion, I also think it was a helpful touch to add Jewish words with their meanings at the bottom of the page. I would not have expected to learn about another religion while reading about a girl meeting witches and fighting trolls. It's a quick read, but a worthwhile one. It was clear what text was being spoken and what was setting/character information. Each character was thought out and redeemed in the end. I could see this book being enjoyed by children of any age.

[librarianmaven · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is, in my estimation, nearly as perfect a youth graphic novel as you can get. Mirka is an inspiring heroine, and I loved the warm portrayal of Orthodox Judaism and family, even as Mirka engages in untraditional girl behaviors like swordfighting trolls.

[akmargie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good art and a solid fantasy story with a strong female lead.

[sullywriter_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Odd, original, and quite entertaining.

[girlsonfire · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book of a unique graphic novel series. The story revolves around an 11-year-old Jewish girl named Mirka and her desire for adventure. In this novel, she must outwit a troll in order to obtain a magic sword. The graphic novel is infused with Yiddish dialect and Jewish tradition, which gives the book an educational but still adventurous slant and the orange, black, and white color combination makes it a pleasing story visually.

Readalikes: Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke.

[raizel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to like this book: it has a spunky heroine, who happens to be Orthodox, fantasy, lots of pictures---it's a graphic novel, afterall, and seems to provide a very good picture of what it is like to live in an Orthodox community, BUT there is a glaring error about the Jewish Sabbath starting when there are three stars in the sky! This is such a basic mistake, that it makes me wonder how accurate all the other details of everyday life are. Perhaps this was the result of a "helpful" editor "fixing" the text. (Admittedly, everything else sounded realistic to me.)
There also seems to be a missing backstory that would explain how Mirka's stepmother knows so much about monsters from non-Jewish folklore. I suspect that there are feminist undertones to the book. Mirka doesn't want to learn feminine tasks such as knitting, although this turns out to be an invaluable skill, but she also comes to realize that her stepmother's abilities include more than traditional womanly arts.

[nicollh_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An interesting introduction to some of the aspects of the Orthodox Jewish culture in a graphic novel format for kids, however the plot is rather thin and seems to exist mostly as a means of introducing these elements.

[francescadefreitas · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved the art and I loved the story. Mirka battles a troll in a most unexpected way to earn her sword.

[abbylibrarian_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Graphic novel about an Orthodox Jewish girl who wants to be a dragon slayer. A perfect blend of adventure, humor, and cultural education. Highly recommended!

[triciadm_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Mirka is unlike other Orthodox Jewish girls her age. She is not interested in knitting and other traditional duties, she wants to fight dragons. Can she find her sword without ruining her family and community's reputation in the process?

[5eva5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A beautifully made graphic novel about Mirka, an Orthodox Jewish girl, which introduces the reader to a well-functioning community without any comment on the "whys" but rather the "hows" of daily life in such a community. It is at its core a story about a little girl gaining her independence without breaking away, but with some fantasy and mythological elements to it. I have a tiny issue with the skill needed for Mirka to succeed in her task, but it's minor and is absolutely overshadowed by the drawing style, the lovely story telling, and the characters. It's definitely a story for younger readers, but is very readable for people of any age.

[bookmolady · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

First graphic novel for me. Mirka chafes against the roles imposed on her as a girl in a totally fictional orthodox village. She wants to fight dragons, to be a real heroine. Despite being told that she cannot because she is a girl, Mirka is determined. Her first major battle is with a talking pig, a pig she has enraged to the point where it tells her, "I will never forgive you. I will rip the chupa at your wedding! I will take your firstborn child! I will knock over the casket at your funeral!" Mirka eventually triumphs and wins a sword in a surprising contest of skills she didn't know would be helpful in her quest to become a true hero. I hope there are more books to follow.

[lilibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mirka wants to fight monsters, an activity not encouraged by her orthodox Jewish family. After meeting a witch in the woods, Mirka defeats some bullies, overwhelms a monstrous talking pig and gains a sword from a troll while learning that the womanly arts her stepmother stresses may not be useless after all.