Shannon Hale- Rapunzel's Revenge

Hale, Shannon. 2008. RAPUNZEL’S REVENGE. New York: Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children’s Books. ISBN 139781599900704

In this graphic novel we find Rapunzel living a lonely life in a beautiful villa. Rapunzel has dreams of a man and woman holding her as a young child and “didn’t understand then why (she) felt the way (she) did.” Rapunzel’s only friend is Mason a guard. “He taught (her) tricks when he thought Mother wasn’t looking.” It was on Rapunzel’s twelfth birthday that she discovered what was on the other side of the wall. It was then she discovered the oppressive and dreary conditions and the secret of her life. She found her real mother and her dreams became clear to her at that time. This made her step mother, “Gothel” angry for not appreciating all she had, Rapunzel was taken deep in the woods and locked in the top of tree. Rapunzel lived imprisoned in the tree for four long years. She dreamed of escaping and finding her “real” mother. She read books and entertained herself with her extremely long hair. Making it into a swing and doing the rope tricks she had learned from Mason. Then the day came when Gothel had enough and left her to die in the tree. Rapunzel quickly took action to escape using her long, long hair. She quickly meets up with Jack and they go together to find the Gothel’s Villa and her real mother. Rapunzel “had a thought to teach Mother Gothel that she can’t be a bully.” Rapunzel has her hair and Jack has a goose that lays golden eggs and the two of have a plan or several plans. Rapunzel uses her hair to fight off others to get her, Jack and his goose, out of trouble. Jack uses his quick wit and experience from being on the run to help along the way. The two face one obstacle after another. The reader finds that girl power can be very useful. In the end Jack uses his magic bean to destroy the Villa. (You knew there had to be a bean somewhere.) Mother Gothol is destroyed b and y her own magic and Rapunzel is reunited with her mother and learns the details of her life. As the story ends , Rapunzel cuts her hair and the goose lays a golden egg and Jack gets the girl. It is a” happily ever after” ending.
Rapunzel’s Revenge is a graphic novel that has a Wild West fairy tale theme. The characters are familiar to all who have read fairy tales. Rapunzel and her long hair and Jack of Jack in the Beanstalk are a great pair. Rapunzel even as a young girl knew what had happened was wrong and wanted to right the wrong. She not only wants to find her mother but teach Mother Gothol a lesson. If Rapunzel succeeds in her quest to” teach Mother Gothol that she can’t be a bully” then it means she has accomplished a lot more. There was magic involved with Mother Gothol and her “growth magic spells”, a goose that lays golden eggs, and the magic bean. As the wonderful illustrations reveal there are huge beasts in the forest another example of magic. The illustrations were so bright and vivid in the detail and action. The emotions of the characters were further explained through the details in the facial expressions the use of color. The gray of the jail, the browns used in the saloon and the sepia look when Old Man Jasper reveals he is the town witch all let the reader know these are important events in Rapunzel and Jack’s quest to find Gothol Villa. There is a happy ending with Mother Gothol being “ swallowed upby her own magic”, Rapunzel brings back the mines and color to the land, she has her mother back and of course Jack gets the girl. This story has all the wonderful things that fairy tales are made of.

Reviews & Awards
Booklist 09/01/08 Publishers Weekly starred 08/04/08
Horn Book 04/01/09 School Library Journal starred 09/01/08
Horn Book starred 11/01/08 Kirkus Reviews
Library Media Connection starred 11/01/08

Booklist (September 1, 2008 (Vol. 105, No. 1))- Grades 5-8. This graphic novel retelling of the fairy-tale classic, set in a swashbuckling Wild West, puts action first and features some serious girl power in its spunky and strong heroine
" Booklist -Rich with humor and excitement, Rapunzel's Revenge is an alternate version of a classic that will become a fast favorite of young readers."
Publisher's Weekly, STARRED REVIEW * "With its can-do heroine, witty dialogue and romantic ending, this graphic novel has something for nearly everybody."

School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW * "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."

Kirkus Reviews "A dash of typical fairy-tale romance, a strong sense of social justice and a spunky heroine make this a standout choice for younger teens."

I thought this book was funny and wonderfully written. I love the fairy tale characters and the Wild West theme that Shannon Hale used. The character of Rapunzel had spent her life very sheltered but when it came to survival and getting the revenge she wanted her “girl power” kicked in. She was smart and resourceful. Making her hair work for her and then in the end giving it up sent a subtle message I thought. Use what you have but it is your intelligence and heart (knowing right from wrong) that sometimes carries you through the difficult times in life not your hair. As a first grade teacher I would show this book as an example of a graphic novel. Graphic novels are a new genre for first grader, and for me. I would do a shorten re-tell of the book ( practice story telling) and highlight how the author took fairy tale characters from another fairy tale and paired them together. I would have older students explain why they think that Shannon Hale choose Jack. I found her web- site, http://www.squeetus.com/stage/books_rap.html to be very good. Shannon Hale’s web-site has many suggestions for bringing this graphic novel alive. She also discusses the importance of graphic novels.
The illustrations are so bright and action packed that I think my students would enjoy just looking at the pictures. This is a great way to hook a reluctant reader.