How Mirka Met a Meteorite (Hereville #2)

Gr 4-7-- Meteorite picks up right where How Mirka Got Her Sword (Abrams, 2010) leaves off. When Mirka, an 11-year-old Orthodox Jew, goes to retrieve her sword from the troll, he inadvertently summons a meteorite. Fortunately, she is able to prevent the destruction of Hereville with the help of the witch. Unfortunately, the witch turns the meteorite into a clone of Mirka. It isn't long before "Metty" begins to make our heroine's life difficult. When Mirka asks the duplicate to leave, Metty proposes three challenges to decide who will stay in Hereville, and who will be banished. Deutsch seamlessly weaves elements of Orthodox Judaism in with themes of individuality and self-worth. The color illustrations are as crisp and clear as they come. The endlessly creative panel and perspective work adds visual interest and gives experienced graphic-novel readers plenty to savor. A well-crafted addition to a truly distinctive series.--Travis Jonker, Wayland Union Schools, MI

Eleven-year-old Mirka Herschberg is as disheveled, prickly, competitive, and impulsive as ever in this companion to Deutsch's Hereville (2010). She's both a fish out of water (she dreams of being a sword-wielding dragon slayer) and committed to her Orthodox Jewish faith, family, and community. All of this makes her one of the most original and comically endearing heroines to come down the pike in a long time. The meteorite in the title is actually an alien life forma€"dubbed "Metty"a€"that becomes Mirka's reverse doppelganger: a too-good-to-be true twin who's not only neater, defter at dispatching bullies, and better at basketball than Mirka, but also determined to permanently displace her. With unexpectedly effective help from Mirka's family (who are savvier and more accepting than Mirka realizes), her messy personality triumphs over perfection. The drably handsome olive and peach palette provides visual cohesiona€"an anchor that allows Deutsch's extravagantly chronicled emotions to fly higha€"while simultaneously making the story's extraterrestrial elements and scenes (colored in bold yellows and blues) all the more magical and alien by contrast. Ages 8a€"12. Agent: Judith Hansen, Hansen Literary Agency. (Nov.)