Thank you for all your good wishes on my new job. It’s no longer new, but rather newish. There are still days where I feel boggled, but I’m slowly settling in. I’m definitely enjoying the perks of the job. I keep spotting books I want to read and, with my new powers of librarianship, can magically and instantaneously check them out to myself. Dangerous!
Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword is a perfect example of this. I spotted it from my desk in the children’s library and, after casting interested glances, I ended up taking it back to my desk and checking it out. A graphic novel about an Orthodox Jewish girl who wants to be a dragon-slayer. Who could pass that up?
And it’s a wonderful book. Mirka is 11 and not remotely interested in finding a husband or pursuing any of the feminine accomplishments her stepmother tries to teach her, such as knitting. She doesn’t want to knit, but to slay dragons and have adventures. One day, having stolen an enormous grape from the house of a witch, Mirka finds herself confronting a talking pig, one full of wrath and vengeance. The pig eats her homework, pursues her on her way home from school, and generally gets her into trouble whenever it can. When Mirka has finally had enough, she lassoes the pig and tries to get it to leave her alone. He refuses, and they engage in an epic battle of wills. Mirka wins, leaving the pig behind, but finds the next day that he’s been captured by a group of hateful boys. When she runs them off and saves the pig, the witch who owned the magical house, appears and offers Mirka instructions to find a dragon-slaying sword. To win the sword, Mirka must not fight off a dragon but a troll. And what’s more, the battle is not with swords, but with knitting needles. It’s a knit-off for her life or the sword!
The plot line alone would guarantee that I’d like this book, but I loved it because of the perfectly drawn characters. And I do use that word in both its meanings, because Mirka is delightfully real both in terms of character and in the way she’s presented in the drawings. She is cross and argumentative, brave and dim, and alternates between being full of love and irritation with her family. There’s usually a moment in reading when a character I’m enjoying in a book becomes a character I love. In this book, it’s when Mirka is struggling with fractions and, trying to understand them in terms of cake to feed a certain number of people, her daydreamed solution is to whack the head off one of the people, leaving a tidy answer and perfect quantity of cake.
The other wonderful character to emerge is Mirka’s stepmother Fruma. She is an equally beguiling mix of odd and delightful, teaching knitting and argumentation at the same time, preparing Mirka for every situation that might come her way.
It’s a wonderful book – funny and genuine and full of Yiddish phrases and loving family members. And knitting trolls. Seriously…what’s not to like?
Very much enjoyed your review. I love beautifully illustrated children’s books. The colour palette looks interesting, too. I used to work in a library and I still miss it!
Nicola – I’m so glad you enjoyed the review. Working near children’s books all the time now, I’m a bit astounded at how amazing and beautiful so many of them are. I can see why you would miss them!