★“LaBan offers a heartfelt, characterful, and exciting lesson in learning to meet our limitations with thoughtful consideration and patience with ourselves, while meaningfully embracing the adjacent concerns of scholarship and empathy. . . It rings perfectly with a story all about mistakes, but filled with so much to love.”—Booklist, Starred Review

★”Balancing action, suspense, and humor, the wonder-filled graphic novel Mendel the Mess-Up is about a boy who faces danger in order to save his family and friends.” —Foreward, Starred Review

★”LaBan (Edge City) skillfully unspools the jokes and fast-paced plot with broad cartooning reminiscent of classic Sunday comics and wraps it up with a triumphant depiction of a quintessential Jewish coming-of-age tradition.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“A coming-of-age fable, humorously told and illustrated.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Filled with humor, pathos, and surprises, this book will have children laughing out loud as they read of Mendel’s adventures. They will also identify with Mendel, as every child makes mistakes and wishes they could do some things differently. . . . The book is recommended for all libraries and family bookshelves.” —The Association of Jewish Libraries