Cursed from birth, Mendel Schlotz is the unluckiest kid in his village.Hes also the only one who can save it.Ask anyonetwelve-year-old Mendel cant do anything right. When he tries to herd goats, they get out. When he tries to chop wood, he breaks the ax. Its embarrassing to be called Mendel the Mess Up, but its worse to be so clumsy that he cant even stand to read aloud without destroying the classroom. Nobody expects Mendel to keep out of trouble least of all himself.But when the Cossacks invade Mendels remote Jewish village of Lintvint (famous for Lintvint kvatch, which is made from a very special ingredient), Mendels not the only one in trouble. When he slips away from the mountain caves where his fellow villagers are hiding, out of certainty hell find a way to make things worse if hes around them, he discovers an unexpected opportunity to save the day.Mendels always been different because everything he does turns into disaster. Now, hes the only one who can help the people who doubt him.Could Mendels bad luck be the key to saving Lintvint? Or will his plan to drive the Cossacks off go as badly as everyoneincluding himexpects?Sympathetic, funny, and warm, this fast-paced middle-grade graphic novel from a veteran Jewish comics star reminds young readers who feel just a little out of place in their world that sometimes our weaknesses can be our greatest strengths.
About Artists & Writers:
Terry LaBan is a lifelong comics artist and cartoonist whose work has been published by Fantagraphics, Kitchen Sink, and Dark Horse, and which has appeared in many magazines and comics zines. His syndicated daily comic Edge City ran from 2001 to 2015, appearing in thousands of newspapers nationwide. He is a member of the National Cartoonists Society.