Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword

Graphic novels are the new hot thing. In the last five years I've heard more and more about these books and I must admit I'm a bit prejudice. How can a comic book be taken seriously? They're just about superheroes and misogynistic men. Well there's a reason graphic novels have had a comeback. Graphic novels capture stories that are deep, heavy, emotional, action-packed, etc. etc. This is the perfect medium for certain stories and kids and adults alike are jumping at the chance to read in this style. Graphic novels have been a heaven send for parents and teachers with reluctant readers.

In this young adult graphic novel, Hereville, the young Mirka wants to go on quests to kill dragons and other monsters. The only problem is she lives in an orthodox Jewish town. Mirka helps her little brother escape bullies, but must run from them herself. While fleeing, she stumbles across a strange house she's never seen and a witch. After stealing a grape from the garden, the witch's pig, who Mirka thinks is a monster because their village doesn't have pigs, terrorizes her until she saves it. The witch grants her a wish for saving the pig and decides Mirka needs to get a sword to fight dragons, but in order to get the sword, Mirka must defeat a troll. But Mirka is not just a troll fighting, dragon slayer, she's an Orthodox Jew. That means doing housework, going to school, and celebrating Shabbat.

This book took me about 30-45 minutes to read. I thought it was great! A perfect mix of fantasy, which draws many readers in, i.e. me, and fact. Mirka is a tom boy who doesn't want to learn how to knit or think about marriage. A lot of the novel deals with orthodox Jewish culture and happenings. Some of the vocabulary is in Yiddish, but on the bottom of the page there's always a translation. I learned a lot about the culture through this format and enjoyed the story.

Although Mirka's dreams may be childish, the story deals with some serious topics as well. Religion isn't exactly a topic that's paired with fantasy and as far as young adult fiction goes, it's typically not something touched on or the book is considered an 'inspirational' or 'religious' book, which often deters many from reading it. Here the Jewish community is important to the story and it's not just used as a setting, but it's an essential element that is talked about and explained. Mirka's mother has died and her family has been combined with her stepmother's. Bullies, popularity, obedience, and rebellion are all topics that are dealt with.

Thank you Mirka for reminding me that graphic novels are not flippant or a cheap form of literature. This was a fun, fascinating read.