Rapunzel's Revenge

Bibliography

Hale, Shannon and Dean Hale. 2008. Rapunzel's Revenge. Ill. by Nathan Hale. New York, NY: ISBN 978-1-59990-070-4

Plot Summary

Rapunzel is a witty, rough-and-tumble type of girl with compassion for everyone. In essence, she is the complete opposite of her mother, Mother Gothel, a which with growing powers and an evil spirit. When Rapunzel finds out that her real mother is a slave in Mother Gothel's mines she is outraged and promptly imprisoned in a tree tower by Mother Gothel where her hair grows over twenty feet long. After escaping, Rapunzel, her twenty feet of hair and her trusty sidekick Jack journey back to Mother Gothel's villa on a mission to save her real mother and get revenge, facing exciting adventures and run-ins along the way. 

Critical Analysis

Rapunzel's Revenge puts an interesting spin on the classic fairy tale by turning the plot into more of a western than a "once upon a time" sort of story. Rapunzel is anything but a damsel in distress and is constantly saving Jack and others from accidents and their foes. The tale does end with a revert back to traditionalism, when Jack "steals" a kiss from "Punzie" and they live happily ever after. The juxtaposition of the hints of the classic tale against the wild west adventures and strong female lead make the graphic novel appealing to both boys and girls. The illustrations and dialog bubbles are arranged in an easy to follow manner and the illustrations support and enhance the plot line. 

Review Excerpts

"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." –Cara von Wrangel Kinsey, New York Public Library, School Library Journal

"Rich with humor and excitement, this is an alternate version of a classic that will become a fast favorite of young readers."-Tina Coleman, Booklist

Connections

*Have kids choose another classic fairy tale book and read it. Then have them rewrite the story in another setting or time and illustrate it.

*Bring a lasso and set up an area for the kids to try and lasso different objects from the book (such as a "sea serpent") to see how difficult it is to lasso things. Have another area where they can decorate a small milk carton like a house. Then have them plant a "magic bean" that they can take home and watch grow out of the house, like Jack's bean stalk grew out of his.