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My goodness I loved this one so much. A five star read for me. A boy in middle school is managing a plant nursery with his adult brother after the unexpected death of their parents. A tough teacher assigns him 12 challenging tasks that mirror the mythical labors of Hercules. Throughout the book he learns about the value of friendship, found family, & the ways that we can save ourselves as we embrace a community and care for those around us.

Very good MG with some tough stuff. I came close to crying several times. Hercules has a school assignment to recreate the Twelve Labors of the mythical Hercules. It‘s a challenge, but it makes Herc learn about himself and how to process losing his parents. TW for death of parents and harm to animals (not by humans, all natural, but nature is kind of a bitch in this case).

Middle grade fiction. Excellent characters. Several difficult and/or very tragic events were a little too much for me. Very good audio narration.

A young boy named Hercules is given a Herculean task as homework. As he works to complete his daunting assignment, he befriends neighbors and classmates and begins to come to terms with the horrid tragedy which changed his life. Friendship and responsibility and grief are major themes. I will enjoy recommending this.

I enjoyed this journey so much! The classical mythology tie-ins were perfect; it was so much fun to see how events in our Hercules‘ life mirrored ancient Hercules‘ labors. The growth between Achilles and Hercules, and Viola and Hercules, and really between Hercules and every other neighbor, teacher, random person he encountered were beautiful and really showed how a community can come together to care for a child or family who needs it. I love it.

Happy sigh. That‘s the sound of me finishing this middle-reader book by an author I have come to respect for his emotional sensitivity. As in his past books, he deals deftly with life challenges, a strong teacher figure, and the importance of community. This was a beautiful and sensitive story and you can only cheer on the protagonist as he grows throughout an incredibly difficult time in his life. I absolutely loved this.