Title: Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword
Author: Barry Deutsch
Year Published: 2010
Genre: Graphic Novel
Age Range: for ages 8 and up
Rating: ***

Eleven-year-old Mirka lives in an Orthodox Jewish community called Hereville.  Her kind, but formidable, stepmother Fruma insists that Mirka take knitting more seriously so she one day find a good husband, but what Mirka really wants is to find is a good sword so she can slay dragons.  On the way to school Mirka sees an animal that’s she’s never seen before.  Her step-sister, who has previously lived outside Hereville, tells her it’s a pig.  Mirka follows the pig and is set on an unexpected adventure where the many lessons she learned from Fruma are her ticket to making her own dreams come true.

I’d read a number of good reviews for this graphic novel.  It’s a fun story and the details about the life of the Orthodox Jewish community are respectful, detailed, and interesting.  I thought the conclusion was a bit slight, but this story is so unique and enjoyable, it’s a must-read if you have any interest in the Jewish community.