Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - The Labors of Hercules Beal

I'm starting to find Schmidt a little...I don't know if formulaic is the right word, but a lot of his books seem to follow similar trajectories and have similar plot beats and types of characters. That doesn't mean that what he does isn't well-written, because it generally is. For me, it's whether it rises above that trope-y feeling. After all, I love romance novels and they also often have similar beats. This one I enjoyed more than "Pay Attention Carter Jones." I liked the way Hercules Beal's life echoed the mythical Hercules, and how he did his various labors. When I read about the neighbors helping each other in Schmidt's stories, I really like it--makes me have faith in humanity again. I think this one is excellent.

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whitneymouse's review

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

I am FLOORED this was nominated by so many professionals for a literary award that celebrates the “best of Children’s Literature.”

The writing is mid at best. It’s repetitive (something his teacher calls him out for and he never fixes). If I saw “you wouldn’t believe x. You really wouldn’t believe it…you just wouldn’t believe it.” I get it 🙄 same with millimillionth.

But the worst part is that this child, whose parents apparently LOVED Greek myth SO MUCH that they named their children Hercules and Achilles, somehow doesn’t know anything about the myths he was named after and that his parents love so much. So here’s the short version:

Hercules murders his first wife, Megara, and their children. To atone for this, he’s told by the Oracle of Delphi he needs to do 10 years as a slave to King Eurystheus, who gives him labors to do and also two rules for those labors. Rule 1: you can’t get paid and rule 2: you can’t get help. Why? Because he’s ATONING FOR MURDER! He breaks both rules anyway and that’s why he does 12 labors instead of 10.

Got it? Good. Then you’re one step ahead of this character, who tries to pass it off as “Hercules was sad his family died and omg, isn’t Eurystheus so mean for yelling when he gets help from his nephew, Iolaus? I don’t think it’s too much to ask your family for help!” Well, it is when you’re atoning for murder and you know that’s one of the TWO rules you need to keep. His version of most of the labors was so inane and it drove me nuts. Also, like his namesake, he doesn’t even do like half of his labors. At one point, he acknowledges that his situation is nothing like the labor he’s supposed to be doing & we’re supposed to just accept that?

Additionally, losing your parents in a tragic accident is in no way the same situation as murdering your entire family and having to try and atone for it. And he’s learned NOTHING about Hercules the myth (as he’s called) because he ends the book with “well, he did other things until he became a god” and his take away is that Hercules was kind of a jerk and he had to “try and do better”. Except he IMMEDIATELY kills Iphitus and has to go back to the Oracle and do more enslavement, so he is not “trying to do better.” It’s maddening. And kids today read a LOT of Greek mythology. Better retellings of those myths, too. I’m sure more than one child will be frustrated by how poorly Hercules (and by extension, Schmidt) understands his source material.

So overall, no, I wouldn’t recommend this. It was a Herculean feat to finish. And I’m beyond words professionals wanted this book to be nominated for a Newbery. Kids deserve better.

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maryhannawilson's review

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes

4.5

Seventh grader Hercules Beal lost his parents last year in a car accident so his older brother moved back home to help him run the Beal Brothers Farm and Nursery. While they are both processing their grief and navigating life without their parents, Hercules begins school at a new middle school. During the first week, Hercules' homeroom teacher gives him the assignment to read all of the feats of the mythical hero, Hercules, and find a way to repeat them in his own life. While it seems like an impossible task, thanks to his friends (new and old), he begins to accomplish his task and he learns that he doesn't have to do it alone.

The connection between the stories from Greek mythology and the life of Hercules Beal was quite creative. Each chapter focused on one of the labors of Hercules as it played out in Hercules Beal's life. It made for unique storytelling that I enjoyed. Some of the connections were stronger than others, but the idea of relating the mythical feats to your own life was fun.

In addition to his challenging school assignment, Hercules is also grieving and trying to work out his changing relationship with his brother. While Hercules is becoming more independent, he is also learning that he can rely on others, including his brother. There is a beautiful "coming of age" theme happening in the book.

I didn't love the ending of the story. It seemed a little bit contrived and exaggerated. I don't want to give anything away but there were just moments that felt far from believable. I am usually pretty good at suspending my disbelief when immersed in a fun fiction story, but I had a little trouble with a few events in this one. (see below due to spoilers)

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The "Easter Egg" characters from previous Gary Schmidt books (Wednesday Wars) were fun to see. The content would generate excellent discussion in a book club or a classroom.

NOTE: Parents should be aware that both of Herc's parents died in a car accident and the night in the hospital with his dad before he passes is described in a flashback. If your child is grieving loss right now, this could be a difficult read.

SPOILERS BELOW*
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The part I really couldn't get past was that both Hercules and his brother survived car accidents in the end. It seems a little bit unbelievable that they were both involved in accidents just like their parents. I was ready to accept the brother's accident but when Herc was also in one, it seemed a bit over the top.

There was also a situation with men hired to help Hercules in the store while his brother was out of town. They irritated me to no end and were completely unbelievable as adult characters.

I know. I know. It's a fiction story, but these are just my honest feelings about it.

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lesliecarolineh's review

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funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I love Gary Schmidt. His books are so sweet and heartwarming.

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audreylee's review

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adventurous emotional funny sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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ashylibrarian's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Hercules Beal...I was not 100% sure if I was going to jive with the story after contemplating the description for a few months but I am happy to report back that I was 100% wrong to be.

The Labors of Hercules Beal is a story of growth, grief, friendship, and family. Readers are thrown into the emotions that Hercules feels throughout the story as he discovers what his name means to him, how to cope with the loss of his parents, and what friendship can truly mean.

I am planning to recommend this book a lot.

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library_kb's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I am 7 out of 9 on Gary D. Schmidt books....as in 7 out of the nine books from him that I have read have gotten 5 stars from me. In many ways, this book doesn't explore anything that has not been explored before in his other books. It is a book about grief and recovering from it, about building community, and learning about the character's own strength. A lot of the pacing felt very familiar to his other books. Yet, that didn't impact my enjoyment at all. I loved Hercules' voice, and this book made me tear up a little at the end, but yet still ends with the hope that is essential in Schmidt's books. I also liked how the Greek mythology is threaded throughout.

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