ALA Booklist (Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2012)

Deutsch continues his delightful and unique series featuring a modern Orthodox Jewish girl who is often bolder and braver than most 11-year-olds (boy or girl) might be. In this follow-up to How Mirka Got Her Sword (2010), she faces a bewitched meteorite-turned-Mirka-doppelgänger, Metty, who makes Mirka's life completely miserable: she co-opts Mirka's place at the dinner table, earns excellent grades, and becomes a basketball star. With the help of Mirka's stepsister Rochel, and a bit of self-reevaluation with the aid of her wise stepmother, Mirka both overcomes Metty's challenges and even provides insight that Metty's motivation for her behavior may stem from longing for her own family. Deutsch is a masterful storyteller with both realistic kid patter and expressive cartoons t only of Orthodox life but also of assorted trolls and other mostly benign fantasy creatures. A spunky adventure in kid-accessible truths revealed through the employment of fantasy.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Hooray! The charmingly imperfect Mirka returns to battle a miming meteorite (How Mirka Got Her Sword, 2010). Still grounded after her last adventure, Mirka wriggles her way out of her house arrest after an important game of chess with her stepmother, receiving from her a message of things to come: "[W]hen you have to make a decision, imagine the person you want to become someday. Ask yourself, what would that person do?" After another encounter with the witch and the multilimbed troll of the first book, Mirka finds herself stuck with a sapient meteorite that has assumed her appearance. What seems like a great idea (just think: They can split chores!) quickly sours when she finds herself missing meals and time with her family. When Mirka decides she's had enough, she challenges Meteorite Mirka (known as Metty) to an epic battle that will take brains—not brawn—to win. Watching Mirka fight the seemingly perfect version of herself is riveting. Deutsch has created a wonderful world in Mirka's insulated Orthodox village and continues to capture it adroitly—though he has left himself enough room to blast Mirka out to space without readers batting an eye. Mirka is unflinchingly likable because she is so tempestuous and inexact, and really, who can't relate to that? This truly clever series is lots of fun. (Graphic fantasy. 8-13)

Horn Book (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

Irrepressible Mirka (How Mirka Got Her Sword), an eleven-year-old Orthodox Jewish wannabe warrior, races to rescue Hereville from a meteor strike. A witch transforms the meteorite into a Mirka-clone, and the story is off. Melding fantasy, realism, and imagination in this quirky graphic novel, Deutsch incorporates the particularities of traditional Judaism and the universal foibles of a girl who dreams big but forgets planning ahead.

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Hooray! The charmingly imperfect Mirka returns to battle a miming meteorite (How Mirka Got Her Sword, 2010). Still grounded after her last adventure, Mirka wriggles her way out of her house arrest after an important game of chess with her stepmother, receiving from her a message of things to come: "[W]hen you have to make a decision, imagine the person you want to become someday. Ask yourself, what would that person do?" After another encounter with the witch and the multilimbed troll of the first book, Mirka finds herself stuck with a sapient meteorite that has assumed her appearance. What seems like a great idea (just think: They can split chores!) quickly sours when she finds herself missing meals and time with her family. When Mirka decides she's had enough, she challenges Meteorite Mirka (known as Metty) to an epic battle that will take brains—not brawn—to win. Watching Mirka fight the seemingly perfect version of herself is riveting. Deutsch has created a wonderful world in Mirka's insulated Orthodox village and continues to capture it adroitly—though he has left himself enough room to blast Mirka out to space without readers batting an eye. Mirka is unflinchingly likable because she is so tempestuous and inexact, and really, who can't relate to that? This truly clever series is lots of fun. (Graphic fantasy. 8-13)