BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hale, Shannon and Hale, Dean (authors) and Hale, Nathan (illustrator). RAPUNZEL’S REVENGE. 2008. New York: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books. ISBN: 9781599900704.
PLOT SUMMARY
This is a modern presentation of the story of Rapunzel which is full of action and humor. Rapunzel lived with her mother Gothel in a luxurious villa surrounded by a giant wall. When she turns twelve, she spies over it and discovers the truth about her family through her real mother who lived as a slave on the other side of the wall. She also discovers Gothel’s true identity and how her family had suffered because of her.
This angers mother Gothel and she locks up Rapunzel on the top of a tall magical tree. While she stayed captive at the top of the tree, her hair grew longer which she used as a rope to escape. It was now time for Rapunzel to rescue her real mother from Gothel. She meets Jack and his pet goose who help her beat the villains, wild beasts and kidnappers. She finally saves her mother and they both discover their love for each other.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Author Shannon and Dean Hale have reimaged Rapunzel from a fairy tale character to an action hero. The story starts as the original story but is packed with action and wit. This modern retelling of the story is set in the American west. When Rapunzel comes to know about Gothel’s wickedness and that she was not her mother, she was banished to live on a tree. Rapunzel finds Jack who she made friends with and later falls in love. The story portrays good over evil and at the end Rapunzel saves her mother from the evil Gothel. The dialogs in the story are full of sarcasm. Readers of age group 9 and above will enjoy the modern version of Rapunzel.
Illustrator Nathan Hale has cleverly captured the emotions and feelings of the characters in the story. The illustrations flow with the story and make it even wittier. This modernized and inventive story of Rapunzel where she is described as a tough and brave girl will be enjoyed by both boys and girls.
I did enjoy reading the book but the setting of the book did not seem so appropriate to me. The story is set in the west and the cow boy feel to the story took me a little while to connect the real story with the modernized story.
AWARDS/ REVIEW EXCERPTS
ALA 2009 Notable Children's Book
YALSA 2009 Great Graphic Novel for Teens
Cybil Award Winner
"The dialogue is witty, the story is an enticing departure from the original, and the illustrations are magically fun and expressive." -School Library Journal
"This graphic novel retelling of the fairy-tale classic, set in a swashbuckling Wile West, puts action first and features some serious girl power in its spunky and strong heroine...Hale's art matches the story well, yielding expressinve characters and lending a wonderful sense of place to the fantasy landscape. Rich with humor and excitement, this is an alternate version of a classic that will become a fast favorite of young readers." -Booklist
CONNECTIONS
• Discuss the similarities and differences in the character of Rapunzel in Paul O. Zelinsky's Caldecott winning Rapunzel and Rapunzel’s Revenge.
• Related books
- Zelinsky, Paul O. (adapter, illustrator) and Brothers Grimm (author). RAPUNZEL. 1997. New York: Dutton Juvenile. ISBN: 9780525456070. (Caldecott Medal Book)
-Wilcox, Leah (author) and Monks, Lydia (illustrator) FALLING FOR RAPUNZEL. 2003. New York: Penguin Group (USA). ISBN: 9780399237942.
- Storace, Patricia (author) and Colon, Raul (illustrator). SUGAR CANE: A CARIBBEAN RAPUNZEL. 2007. New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN: 9780786807918.
• Readers interested in reading about the author and her books can checkout this link:
http://www.squeetus.com/stage/main.html
