Hale, Shannon, Dean Hale, and Nathan Hale. Rapunzel's Revenge. New York, NY: Bloomsbury, 2008. Print.
Summary
The classic tale is re-imagined in the Wild West by Shannon Hale, the author of the Newbery Honor-winning Princess Academy, along with her husband Dean and illustrator Nathan Hale (no relation.) Rapunzel lives in luxury with Mother Gothel, who controls the surrounding territory like a dictator with her "growth magic." When Rapunzel finds out the truth of where she came from and rebels against Gothel, Gothel traps her in the forest in a magic tree. The growth magic causes her hair to grow to its famous lengths, allowing Rapunzel to escape, not to mention giving her a rather useful weapon at her disposal, which will come in handy as she teams up with a bandit named Jack to save her birth mother and get her titular revenge on Gothel.
My Impressions
A clever retelling of the classic story that utilizes the western setting perfectly. Rapunzel's no damsel in distress here, and readers of all ages will be rooting for her and Jack. The Old West setting turns out to be the perfect setting for the fairy tale, as Rapunzel is able to use her long locks as a whip and a lasso. The graphic novel also turns out to be the perfect format for this story, as it keeps the action running and really sets the up the scenes for this adventure. If you're still on the fence about the value of graphic novels, as I once was, this may just be the book that wins you over.
What Other Reviewers Said
The popular author of Princess Academy teams with her husband and illustrator Hale (no relation) for a muscular retelling of the famously long-haired heroine's story, set in a fairy-tale version of the Wild West. The Hales' Rapunzel, the narrator, lives like royalty with witchy Mother Gothel, but defies orders, scaling villa walls to see what's outside--a shocking wasteland of earth-scarring mines and smoke-billowing towers. She recognizes a mine worker from a recurrent dream: it's her birth mother, from whom she was taken as punishment for her father's theft from Mother G.'s garden. Their brief reunion sets the plot in motion. Mother G. banishes Rapunzel to a forest treehouse, checking annually for repentance, which never comes. Rapunzel uses her brick-red braids first to escape, then like Indiana Jones with his whip, to knock out the villains whom she and her new sidekick, Jack (of Beanstalk fame), encounter as they navigate hostile territory to free Rapunzel's morn from peril. Illustrator Hale's detailed, candy-colored artwork demands close viewing, as it carries the action--Rapunzel's many scrapes are nearly wordless. With its can-do heroine, witty dialogue and romantic ending, this graphic novel has something for nearly everybody. Ages 10-up. (1)
Gr 5 Up-- This is the tale as you've never seen it before. After using her hair to free herself from her prison tower, this Rapunzel ignores the pompous prince and teams up with Jack (of Beanstalk fame) in an attempt to free her birth mother and an entire kingdom from the evil witch who once moonlighted as her "mother." Dogged by both the witch's henchman and Jack's outlaw past, the heroes travel across the map as they right wrongs, help the oppressed, and generally try to stay alive. Rapunzel is no damsel in distress-she wields her long braids as both rope and weapon-but she happily accepts Jack's teamwork and friendship. While the witch's castle is straight out of a fairy tale, the nearby mining camps and rugged surrounding countryside are a throwback to the Wild West and make sense in the world that the authors and illustrator have crafted. The dialogue is witty, the story is an enticing departure from the original, and the illustrations are magically fun and expressive. Knowing that there are more graphic novels to come from this writing team brings readers their own happily-ever-after. (2)
Suggested Activities
With Rapunzel taking center stage in theaters this week in Disney's latest animated feature Tangled, now is the perfect time for her to take center stage at your library or in your classroom, too! This article provides some ideas for a Rapunzel-themed display or book discussion time.
Other Citations
(1) "Rapunzel's Revenge." Publishers Weekly 255.31 (2008): 63. Vocational and Career Collection. EBSCO. Web. 21 Nov. 2010.
(2) von Wrangel Kinsey, Cara. "Rapunzel's Revenge." School Library Journal 54.9 (2008): 215. Vocational and Career Collection. EBSCO. Web. 21 Nov. 2010.
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