Synopses & Reviews
Spunky, strong-willed eleven-year-old Mirka Herschberg isnandrsquo;t interested in knitting lessons from her stepmother, or how-to-find-a-husband advice from her sister, or you-better-not warnings from her brother. Thereandrsquo;s only one thing she
does want: to fight dragons!
Granted, no dragons have been breathing fire around Hereville, the Orthodox Jewish community where Mirka lives, but that doesnandrsquo;t stop the plucky girl from honing her skills. She fearlessly stands up to local bullies. She battles a very large, very menacing pig. And she boldly accepts a challenge from a mysterious witch, a challenge that could bring Mirka her heartandrsquo;s desire: a dragon-slaying sword! All she has to do is findandmdash;and outwitandmdash;the giant troll whoandrsquo;s got it!
A delightful mix of fantasy, adventure, cultural traditions, and preteen commotion, Hereville will captivate middle-school readers with its exciting visuals and entertaining new heroine.
Accolades and Praise for Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword
- Sydney Taylor Award
- Eisner nomination
- Harvey nomination
- Ignatz nomination
- Nebula nomination
andquot;Utterly ingenious.andquot; --
Kirkus,
starred reviewandquot;Withouth a doubt, the best graphic novel of 2010 for kids. Bar None.andquot;--School Library Journal, starred review
andquot;A terrific story, told with skill and lots of heart.andquot;--Publishers Weekly, starred review
andquot;Mirka is a spunky, emotionally realistic, and fun heroine.andquot;--Booklist, starred review
andquot;Sequel, please!andquot;--Horn Book Magazine
Review
andquot;Colossaland#39;s full-color, cartoonish illustrations, with their heavy linework and simple figures, match the light, goofy tone of the stories.andquot;
Review
andquot;Colossal perfectly mixes action and humor...A promising first course in a series that could really take off.andquot;
Review
andquot;Rutabagaandrsquo;s culinary feats in the comic...could easily inspire young adventure chefs to make some gourmet grub of their own.andquot;
Review
andquot;The graphic-novel format works well here, pairing vivid retro-toned illustrations with a mostly cheerful, bouncy narration...future chefs will be well pleased that there are a few real recipes at the end of the book.andquot;
Synopsis
In a world where there are dragons, wyverns, and haunted squash, youandrsquo;d figure someone would have recipes for them, right?
Rutabaga and his magic cooking pot, Pot, join young adventurers Winnifred, Manny, and Beef on a quest to defeat a dragon, discover new ingredients, find monsters to have for and/or to dinner, and to save the day through cooking. Rutabaga will dare any danger to uncover new tastes, and thereandrsquo;s a whole world full of food to tryandmdash;from roasted mud leech to spider soup to peanut butter on crackers. His heroic recipes combine real ingredients, fantasy ingredients, and real ingredients that sound fantastical. Rutabaga the Adventure Chef is the perfect adventure for any kid grossed out when something weird shows up on the dinner table.
About the Author
Barry Deutsch attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City, and Portland State University. He won the national Charles M. Schulz Award for Best College Cartoonist in 2000 and was nominated for the 2008 Russ Manning Award for Promising Newcomer. He lives in Portland, Oregon. Visit him online at www.hereville.com.