Horn Book (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

In this third book, Hasidic Jew Mirka and pesky six-year-old half-sister Layele go into the woods, where bizarre magic always seems to happen. The girls encounter a wishing fish with a wicked plan to gain power by kidnapping Layele. Speech bubbles wind in and out of variably sized panels, and the eventual solution involves verbal gymnastics as much as heroics and compassion.

School Library Journal (Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2016)

Gr 4-6 In a third adventure in the Orthodox community of Hereville, Mirka learns more about her stepmother when she meets a magic fish whose powers are held in check by a wish Fruma made when she was a teenager. The fish takes Mirka's stepsister, Layele, hostage, making Mirka the "worst babysitter ever." A mix of humor and drama, with plenty of suspenseful chases and battles, this is an enjoyable and absorbing read. Cartoon-style illustrations with bold, clear lines and a limited color palette highlight Deutsch's deft use of the comics medium. At one point Layele, enchanted by the magic fish, dissolves into a school of fish that bombard Mirka with statements reflecting her conflicted feelings about their relationship. Dynamic paneling heightens the action and emotion in many scenes. In one, Fruma transforms into a giant redwood. A close-up of Mirka's shocked face is layered over smaller panels sequencing the transformation. On the next page, panels bleed into a wide view of Mirka running to the rescue. This sophistication and subtlety extend to the depiction of Mirka's relationships, particularly the push and pull with her stepmother. Fruma is argumentative and unsentimental, but she is a reliable and caring adult in Mirka's life. This stand-alone volume should appeal to readers of other graphic novels starring plucky female characters such as Raina Telgemeier's Sisters (Scholastic, 2014) and Vera Brosgol's Anya's Ghost (Square Fish, 2014), as well as fans of humorous adventures such as Jeff Smith's "Bone" series (Scholastic) and Shannon Hale's Rapunzel's Revenge (Bloomsbury, 2008). VERDICT An entertaining graphic novel adventure in which Mirka learns more about herself and her family relationships. Lisa Goldstein, Brooklyn Public Library

ALA Booklist

Just before Mirka's stepmother, Fruma, leaves her in charge of her little half sister, Layele, she hints that she saw some strange things in the woods when she was a girl, and Mirka should definitely never go there. Naturally, Mirka's unassailable curiosity wins out, and with Layele in tow, she starts hunting in the forest for magic d finds it. Thanks to a magic hairband, Mirka and Layele see 35 years into the past, and they watch Fruma find a wish-granting fish, whom she cleverly traps. But in the present, that fish wants revenge, and he's kidnapped Layele for leverage. Deutsch seamlessly integrates details about Mirka's Jewish Orthodox traditions into this third Hereville adventure, which is packed with puzzles, magic, and some comical sibling conflict as well as some touching family scenes. His colorful cartoonish artwork is packed with outsize emotions, but there are also moments of quiet contemplation, as when Mirka and her stepmother observe Shabbos while worried about Layele. Middle-grade comics fans, regardless of their religious backgrounds, will be charmed by spunky Mirka.