Bera the One-Headed Troll

July 15, 2016
One-headed troll Bera finds a human baby and resolves to get it to safety.Happy, humble little troll Bera is the pumpkin farmer for the troll king. After finishing up the year's pumpkin harvest, she hears a cry and discovers monstrous mermaids have found a light-skinned human infant to torment. Compassionate Bera rescues the baby and tries to find out how a human ended up on her island in the troll lands. The answer comes right to Bera's door when Cloote, former head witch of the troll king, comes for the misplaced baby to use in creating a monster. Unwilling to turn the baby over for such a fate, Bera and her owl companion, Winslowe, seek out the famous heroes from Bera's books, hoping to find one who can go on the quest to bring the baby home. This quest of her own brings her to hedgehog wizards, goblins, shadow wolves, and more. The various allies and enemies all clear a path for a final showdown with Cloote and a final decision on how best to protect the baby that earns bighearted Bera a family. The world has a Norse vibe evoked by its population of creatures and by the gorgeous landscapes Bera travels through in artfully sequenced graphic panels. The character art's equally impressive, and the orange-and-burnt-umber color scheme's a smart choice for the nocturnal beings. An old-fashioned quest with a lovable protagonist. (Graphic fantasy. 7-14)

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September 1, 2016

Gr 4-8-Content to harvest pumpkins with her owl sidekick, Winslowe, Bera is a one-headed troll (most trolls have two heads) who has never left her island. When she saves a human baby, Bera realizes she must leave her quiet solitude and seek help from the ancestors in order to return the infant to the land of the humans. On the way, Bera meets friendly hedgehogs and fights off multiheaded trolls, goblins, and Cloote, the former Head Witch of the Troll King, a Baba Yaga-esque character who travels in a Viking boat with legs. Can meek and gentle Bera protect the child? Evoking an eerie, surreal mood, Orchard's rust-colored illustrations, populated by odd, grotesque creatures, are similar to Dave McKean's art in Neil Gaiman's Coraline. A masterly artist, Orchard makes excellent use of shading and light. There is sweet humor to be found throughout, from Bera's first encounter with dirty diapers to her attempts to use old and out-of-date maps. Persistent, resourceful, respectful of her ancestors, and true to herself, Bera is a heroine with heart. VERDICT Fantasy readers, graphic novel aficionados, and those with an interest in folklore will gravitate to this tale.-Laura Dooley-Taylor, Lake Zurich Middle School North, IL

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2016
Grades 2-5 Humble troll Bera is content to stay on her tiny island and harvest pumpkins for the troll king, but when a human baby washes ashore, she's determined to find its home. Bera travels with her trusty owl, Winslowe, to find a troll hero who can do the job right, and along the way, she tussles with goblins, mermaids, and one terrible witch, who wants to turn the baby into a monster. Though in many ways the plot is standard magical-quest fare, Orchard's eerie, sketchy artwork elevates the atmosphere considerably. Delicate ink hatching gives his odd, exaggerated figures lots of depth, while watercolor washes add a rusty red tinge to each scene. His stylized, hulking creatures, with hunched backs, expressive faces, and ominous noses, recall Maurice Sendak's Wild Things. While sharp teeth and empty eyes make Orchard's characters, even the good ones, look spooky, the warm conclusion and Bera's intrepid, compassionate quest imbue this story with plenty of heart. Elementary-schoolers who love their fairy tales on the grim side will love Orchard's weird and dusky offering.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)