*Summary:
This book is a twist on the traditional Rapunzel story, taking the basic Grimm fairy tale to its roots. A farmer couple finally gets pregnant after years of
trying, but the wife develops a craving
for Rapunzel, a type of lettuce, planted in the garden of the couple’s
witch neighbor. Her craving grows so strong that her husband has no choice but to scale
the wall surrounding the Gothel's garden and steal some of the lettuce. The husband is spared, but is told that he will have to pay the price at some point. Little did the couple know, that Gothel would come to collect their child when it was born. Later, after Rapunzel escapes Gothel's garden and find out who her real mother is, Gothel has no choice but to lock Rapunzel up in a tower in the woods. This book is the tale of what happens when Rapunzel is able to escape the tower.
*Bibliography:
Hale, D., & Hale, S. (2008). Rapunzel's revenge: graphic novel. London: Bloomsbury.
*My Rating:
I LOVED this book! I would definitely use this book as a way to compare formats between graphic novels, traditional novels, and picture books.
*Reviews:
From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 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.–Cara von Wrangel Kinsey, New York Public Library
From Booklist
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. Young Rapunzel lives a lonely life, never knowing what lies beyond the high garden walls of her mother’s royal villa until one day she climbs the wall to see what’s on the other side. When she finds that the world outside is a dark place oppressed by her mother’s greed for power and uncovers the real secret of her own birth, she is imprisoned in a magic tree tower. In her years of captivity, she learns a lot about self-reliance and care for her exceptionally long hair, and eventually she is able to escape, vowing to bring down her mother’s cruel empire. Hale’s art matches the story well, yielding expressive 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. Grades 5-8. --Tina Coleman
http://www.amazon.com/Rapunzels-Revenge-Dean-Hale/dp/product-description/159990070X/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books
*Uses in a library:
A librarian could read excerpts from this book showing all of the great illustrations. Then, the librarian could give kids pre-made comic book pages where kids create their own graphic novel using another well-known fairy tale story like Cinderella or Snow White.
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