March Book Club: Hereville by Barry Deutsch
March 15, 2011
Better late than never: please join NYCSLA’s book club with our March pick for the 2010-11 school year: Hereville by Barry Deutsch. The NYCSLA book club is dedicated to reading engaging new literature for children and young adults. Hereville is a graphic novel nominated for the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction & Fantasy, part of the Nebula Awards. Here’s a little bit of info about the book:
Spunky, strong-willed, eleven-year-old Mirka Hirschberg isn’t interested in knitting lessons from her step-mother, or how-to-find-a-husband advice from her sister, or you-better-not warnings from her brother. There’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 doesn’t stop the plucky girl from honing her skills…. A delightful mix of fantasy, adventure, cultural traditions, and preteen commotion, Hereville will captivate children and grown-ups alike with its exciting visuals and entertaining new heroine.
Please add your comments about March’s pick here! Also, we need your recommendations for future book club selections. Please fill out this simple form to let us know the best new books you’ve read this year, especially titles you have a hunch will show up on Newbery, Printz, or other major award shortlists… it’s early, but never too early to start guessing!
I absolutely adored Hereville (and I hope it’s the start of a long-running series…) It’s absolutely funny, sweet, and chock-a-block full of girl power goodness. The religious aspects are an integral part of the plot and characterization throughout (all Yiddish helpfully glossed), and the art is simple, but lovely. Such a fan! Read it!