I love this book. Gary D. Schmidt knows how to write characters that really worm their way into my heart and make me cry so many tears. I feel so satisfied at the end of his books.

It is hard not to get drawn into the gentle pages of Hercules’ story of loss, perseverance, and courage in Gary D. Schmidt’s latest middle grade novel.

From the moment, we get to know Hercules and the way he tells his story, we are right there by his side, wondering how he will complete the seemingly impossible assignment given to him of completing the mythical Hercules’ 12 labors and connecting them to his real life by his new teacher.

After all, he is just a 7th grader whose parents have died, whose brother makes him work at their nursery, and who has to switch schools to start 7th grade.

Poignant, funny, and perfect for a read aloud, I may have cried a little at times too. Hercules’ story will stay with me for a long time.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Hercules Beal lost his parents in an accident. Now he lives with his brother, Achilles, running Beal Brothers Nursery, trying to figure out how to go on. When he has to start a new school where he is assigned to learn and write about the Labors of Hercules and to perform related labors in how own life, he has no idea how he can do that.

This is quite possibly the best middle grade book I will read this year, and it’s only January!

Hercules Beal is the smallest kid at his new school, and he finds that he has trouble living up to his name when his teacher has asked that he recreate the twelve labors of Hercules. Not only that, but Hercules has had to deal with the sudden death of both of his parents while also finding a way to live with his older brother. Hercules is a great example of how a community can come together when bad things happen.

I absolutely loved this book a lot more than I thought I would. Hercules is a loveable character who has a lot to carry on his shoulders, and that makes his story more relatable.

I actually think that Gary D. Schmidt is as good here as he ever is. This story is filled with rich characterization, profound realities, and so much emotional depth. Hercules is an incredible protagonist and readers will want to inhabit his world.

I did not have time to download and read this book before it was archived, so I'm unable to leave a review.

An incredibly unique and fabulous story. Tells the story of Hercules Beale through the labors of Hercules. Hercules is a 7th grader who has recently lost both of his parents. His brother has moved back home to take care of him and their nursery and now Hercules has to go to a new school so that he can walk there. For a mythology unit, his teacher, Lt. Colonel Hupfer, gives everyone in the class an unusual assignment for them to learn about mythology, but also to learn about themselves. Herc wants nothing to do with it, especially since his assignments is to write 12 150 word essays on the labors of Hercules. Turns out that life throws some things at him that test him in ways similar to Hercules and can be similarly understood. As the book progresses, Hercules learns a great deal about himself and about the mythological figure. There were so many great things about this book - strong characters, a fabulous story, life lessons, and heart. Highly recommend!

Gary D. Schmidt stole my entire heart with this book. There are not adequate words to describe all the feelings that Hercules Beal invoked.

Hercules is not so sure about his new teacher- especially when he assigns him the task of completing the 12 labors of Hercules. How on earth is he going to overcome this seemingly insurmountable task?! Schmidt takes Hercules down his path in a beautiful and heart-wrenching journey. This story is full of moments that simultaneously break and heal your heart.

This book was not perfect, but I'm still giving it one of my rare 5 stars. I was able to relate to it in so many ways. The audio version is fantastic! Fred Berman does a wonderful job of making it seem like Hercules telling the story, and has credible inflections to reflect the voices of different characters.
Was it contrived? Yes. Did some things not make sense? Yes (like driving to Cleveland at the drop of a hat-- twice) It's 11 1/2 hours without stopping, let alone flipping a car (which was still driveable?) It's hard to believe that the other houses in Truro had survived so many others storms but these were particularly harmful.
The Beal brothers' love for their parents was so palpable that it made the story that much more poignant. Schmidt has a way of crafting stories with adults being such a meaningful part of a student's life, something that should make teachers very proud.
I would love to talk to Schmidt about the ways he charted out the story to make the events parallel the Labors of Hercules. There were times that I forgot that the situation would be turned into a metaphor for a Labor.
An important thing to consider: even though this had some tear-jerker moments, overall, it had a lot of funny parts! My students often want more humor!
And, I wonder how much Mrs. Savage could have made from the sale of Ira.

The Labors of Hercules Beal was a fantastic story. I loved how it connected the story of Hercules to this modern day character. It was heartbreaking and energetic and kept me wanting more. This is definitely classroom bookshelf worthy.

Gary D Schmidt is a go to author for me and once again he did not disappoint! I loved this story, full of feelings and humor. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes stories about family and loss and of course to anyone who loves Gary D Schmidt’s writing.

Can't rave about this beautiful book enough! Schmidt's writing is always a gift and I feel grateful that he shares his stories with the world. The Labors of Hercules Beal is poignant, life-affirming, and funny, and the characters will stay with me for a long time.

One of the best Middle grade novels that I have read this year. Schmidt weaves the myth of Hercules into the real life struggles a the main character in a very relatable and realistic way.

I absolutely loved this book. It made me cry, laugh, and then cry some more. Herc Beal is my kind of hero. It is a gripping story about overcoming obstacles and being true to yourself and how failing and hardship help you grow. The author puts a fresh and modern twist on the 12 Labors of Hercules when a hardcore middle school teacher assigned Herc the task of finding a way to perform each of these infamous tasks in his small farm town. Every character in this book is endearing and I wanted to keep living in this world after I finished the last page. Bravo. Recommend it to fans of touching realistic fiction with adventure, friendship stories, family conflict, and lots of redemption.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt.
This book is a wonderful, inspiring story that shows the power of good in overcoming difficult situations. Schmidt once again creates characters that develop, making the reader find themselves cheering them on. This is a book that I look forward to recommending to middle grade readers.

A simply gorgeous middle grade book about grief, life, and coming of age. Easily my best book of the year so far and because I ended up reading the arc after the book was published the second I finished reading I ordered a copy for myself, a copy for my library, and a copy for my father three states away.

I really enjoyed this story, as I usually enjoy Schmidt’s work. I don’t know exactly who this book would appeal to. Probably thoughtful readers in upper elementary or middle school, especially those familiar with the Labors of Hercules. There’s some heavy stuff here, but humor, too. Overall just a really good middle grade novel.

Just when you start to think all the original ideas for books for kids have been used, here comes Gary D. Schmidt with The Labors of Hercules Beal, not exactly a modern-day retelling, but more a modern-day connection with the original labors of Hercules the Myth. I love the variety of Schmidt's characters, the humanity shown in both his children and the adults, and the way the kids are not portrayed as infantile and helpless, but are empowered and allowed to show their independence. Not to mention sections that are laugh-out-loud funny mixed in with sections that tear your heart out. I haven't read anything by Schmidt that I haven't loved, and this book was no exception.

This was just an okay book for me: not terrible, not fantastic. I liked the references to mythology, and the voice was spot-on for a 6th grade boy, but overall, it never made me have a strong reaction one way or another.

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

If you know me, you know of my admiration for Gary D Schmidt. I count The Wednesday Wars and Okay For Now among my top ten favorites. So it is no small praise for me to say that this volume approaches them in excellence. In this book Schmidt has recaptured the magic of The Wednesday Wars - a run of the mill kid who is forced by a teacher to have encounters with classic literature and in the process learns about the world and himself. The lessons he learns from classics helps him decide the kind of person he is going to become, what it means to be brave and honorable. Along the way he begins to see the people around him in a new light and to accept change no matter how much it hurts. These are big ideas and the plot does not attempt to simplify the world. This is one kid finding his own ways forward, not the easy answer that fixes everything. This is a book you can reread and appreciate every time.