Bibliographic Information
Hale, Shannon and Dale Hale. RAPUNZEL'S REVENGE. New York, NY: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books. ISBN: 978-1599900704
Plot and Critical Analysis
This is not the typical telling of the story of Rapunzel, the princess locked away by the evil witch, alone in the tower, waiting for a prince to rescue her. This is the story of a girl who went out into the world and conquered it after learning that her mother, the evil Gothel, took her as payment after a poor farmer stole greens from her garden. Instead of a tower, Rupunzel lives in a villa behind a great wall (resembling a dam, more than a wall in height), until she scales the walls one day and meets the poor mine workers, her birth mother included. Her tower is not made of stone, but a very tall tree (given Gothel's growth magic)with a hollowed out room. There Repunzel spent years, with the growth hormone affecting her hair and nail growth before escaping. Before she can return to Gothel's villa or to her mother, she travels with a boy Jack (as in "Jack and the Beanstock") and she uses her long briads as lassos to fight theivs and protect them as they wander back to the mines to free her mother.
The graphic novel is divided into parts, each part a different portion of Repunzel's journey to both her mother and to teach Gothel a lesson. It takes on a more adult tale including flirting as a plan, egocentric characters, theives and kidnapping,and oppression. Repunzel and Jack travel through the badlands, a swamp, and the dessert that all surround Gothel's villa - the source that dried up the land and left the famers indebted to pay taxes to Gothel so she'd give them part of her growth magic.
In each part of the tale, Jack and Rapunzel not only visit different parts of the town, but readers will notice each part is inhabited by different ethnicities, cultures, and lifestyles, providing quite the diversity of people treated poorly by the powerful Gothel. It hits upon the topics of oppression and slavery, but then throws in compassion or humor and of course all ends well in the world, with Jack's Beanstock helping to save the day and Rapunzel reunited with her mother. The text is both comical in Rapunzel's narration as well as plot driven in dialog.
Hale, of no relation to the authors, provides illustrations both colorful and expressive. The reader can see someone's hesitation, joy, anger, and fear, but also is given the excitement of
graphic novels when illustrations shows Rapunzel using her hair as lassos to fight the bad guys. Flashbacks occur in a faded/yellowing illustration, but even those are clear to the feeling they are meant to cause.
Awards and Reviews
ALA Notable Children's Books - Middle Readers Category: 2009
Amelia Bloomer Lists - Middle Graders Fiction: 2010
YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens: 2009
YALSA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults: Twists on the Tale (2010)
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
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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
Connections
With the growing trend of graphic novels, it is a great way to combine different elements into this popular style. For instance, both a twist on a classic fairy tale as well as an empowering story of a female heroine, the Hales provide a creative and entertaining read. This is a nice connection from a recognizable children's fairy tale to something a teen would pick up for familiarity only to be faced with more adult themes and innuendos.
Similar Readings
Ella Enchanted (Gail Carson Levine): While it is not a graphic novel, it is the modern take on an enchantment and encourages girls to be true to themselves. Also a Newberry Honor.
Igraine The Brave (Cornelia Funke): A girl who wants to be a knight gets to prove her bravery when her parent's magical books are stolen.
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