Review: Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale



Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hale, Shannon and Dean Hale. 200. Rapunzel’s Revenge. Ill. by Nathan Hale. New York: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books. ISBN 9781599902883

2. PLOT SUMMARY

Based on the traditional story, Rapunzel is being raised by her “mother” Gothel in a lush and enchanting castle surrounded by a huge wall. Rapunzel’s curiosity gets the better of her and she discovers she was stolen from her parents by Gothel as a baby, and that beyond the wall Gothel is making people work her mines and pay extreme taxes. Gothel is a witch and with the use of various spells is able to make things grow or wither as she chooses. Imprisoned in a tower by Gothel for her rebelliousness for years, Rapunzel makes her escape using her hair, which has grown magically long. She soon meets up with Jack, an outlaw with his own problems, and explains her desire to fight Gothel and free the slaves working in the mines. As they make their way across the land back to Gothel’s castle, Rapunzel and Jack use their skills to help many other townspeople affected by Gothel’s evil spells.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

In this graphic novel version of the fairy tale, Rapunzel does not wait idly for a prince to save her and defeat Mother Gothel. Instead, this version of Rapunzel is strong and brave, and clever enough to find solutions to problems. She manages to get herself and her unlikely companion Jack out of many difficult situations, winning the friendship and confidence of wary townspeople along the way. As always with traditional fairy tales, the main theme is good vs. evil and Rapunzel especially is an example of a protagonist with strong morals, as she continuously rejects Mother Gothel’s offer of wealth and power choosing instead to bring back prosperity and freedom to the town.

The authors use many clever methods of bringing together a fairytale and a western as Rapunzel uses her hair as a lasso on many occasions. However, the differences in the cover art and the inside illustrations may disappoint some readers as the inside illustrations are cartoonish rather than realistic, which is the opposite of the beautifully rendered cover.

Nathan Hale has created dynamic and colorful illustrations, which are one of the main draws of a graphic novel. He captures many of the stereotypical elements of a western town, including a desolate landscape and deadly desert creatures. Each page of Rapunzel’s Revenge is full of multiple panels full of action. The desolation of the mining town is especially detailed and well illustrated. He appears to have understood the themes and storyline quite well, and translated the dialogue faithfully into illustrations.


4. AWARDS & REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

ALA  Notable Children's Book 2009
YALSA Great Graphic Novel for Teens 2009

Texas Lone Star Nominee

Cybil Award winner

Eisner Award Nominee

Starred review in School Library Journal: “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.”

Positive review in Booklist: “Rich with humor and excitement, this is an alternate version of a classic that will become a fast favorite of young readers.”

Positive review in Kirkus: “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.”

5. CONNECTIONS
* Shannon Hale’s Reader’s guide for Rapunzel’s Revenge: http://www.squeetus.com/stage/Rapunzel_TG.pdf

* Shannon Hale’s Rapunzel paper dolls: http://spacestationnathan.com/rapunzelpaperdolls.pdf

* Shannon Hale’s reader’s theater script: http://www.squeetus.com/stage/rap_script-rt.html

* Other books by Shannon and Dean Hale:

Calamity Jack. ISBN 9781599903736