Rapunzel's Revenge (Rapunzel's Revenge, #1)

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Rapunzel's Revenge (Rapunzel's Revenge #1)

by Shannon Hale (Goodreads Author), Nathan Hale (Illustrator), Dean Hale

3.73 · rating details · 4,807 ratings · 1,263 reviews

Once upon a time, in a land you only think you know, lived a little girl and her mother . . . or the woman she thought was her mother.

Every day, when the little girl played in her pretty garden, she grew more curious about what lay on the other side of the garden wall . . . a rather enormous garden wall.

And every year, as she grew older, things seemed weirder and weirder,

...more

Hardcover, 144 pages

Published August 5th 2008 by Bloomsbury USA Children's Books

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Community Reviews

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Sep 12, 2008

Elizabeth rated it

A popular novelist may be prone to looking at the whole of their oeuvre. They consider their past works, look to the future, and decide to write a graphic novel. What makes them do this? Is it the potential to reach whole new audiences? Is it the accessibility of the format? The trendiness of it all? Or it is something else? Could it be that graphic novels are the wave of the future? Could be. Certainly they offer an author a whole new way of looking at the literary format. Why an ente...moreA popular novelist may be prone to looking at the whole of their oeuvre. They consider their past works, look to the future, and decide to write a graphic novel. What makes them do this? Is it the potential to reach whole new audiences? Is it the accessibility of the format? The trendiness of it all? Or it is something else? Could it be that graphic novels are the wave of the future? Could be. Certainly they offer an author a whole new way of looking at the literary format. Why an enterprising young man or woman – and man, could perhaps even take a fairy tale and do wondrous things with it. You could even, and maybe I’m just talking crazy stuff here, take the fairy tale of Rapunzel, slap it into a pseudo-cowboy/wizardry setting. Add in Newbery-Honor winner Shannon Hale, her husband, and a guy with the same last name who doesn’t happen to be related to either of them, and you have a rip-roaring tale of betrayal, escape, romance, and very long locks. Hypothetically, of course.

First things first. You are all familiar with the story of Rapunzel I assume, yes? Witch takes neighbor’s baby after the husband steals some of the rapunzel plant for his wife to eat. Witch keeps kid up a tower until the child’s hair grows long and she is eventually rescued by a prince. It’s all pretty basic stuff. Well that’s sort of the true story, but not exactly. For most of Rapunzel’s life she’s actually kept in a lovely castle with the woman she thinks is her mother, learning rope tricks from the guards and generally having a good time. One day the girl grows inordinately curious about the tall wall that surrounds her home and so she scales it. Consequently, what she sees from the top causes her to question everything about her life. As punishment for this act of rebelliousness Rapunzel is kept in the hollow of a tall tree where her hair grows at an inordinate rate. Each year her "mother" asks if she’s ready to be forgiven and each year Rapunzel stays the same. When she finally breaks out of her treetop prison she joins forces with a boy named Jack and the two of them set out to break the power of her “mother” and save the hardscrabble land around them.

Rapunzel is one of those fairy tale characters that remain both iconic and relatively unblemished. Disney never did a thing with Rapunzel, after all. When you think of her, you mind may refer to Paul O. Zelinsky’s Caldecott winning picture book or other images of her in literature. From a personal viewpoint, my first reference tends to be the Rapunzel character in Stephen Sondheim’s musical Into the Woods. But where Sondheim played up the mother/daughter aspects of the relationship, Hale n’ Hale are not particularly interested in that take on the story. Here Mother Gothel, as she is known, is a pretty unrepentantly evil character. She bears little affection for the girl she has raised, which I think is a bit of a loss. It would have been nice to see a more complex villain. Someone who can care and love a little girl on the one hand as a mother, and then turn around and crush the spirit of a nation on the other.

That said, the Hales have a good sense of character and personality here. Rapunzel’s spirit is pretty evident, both visually and through her verve and words right from the get go. Heck, the first time you see her she’s hanging off a branch in the garden and falling into a small pond. The Hales avoid the usual tomboy-told-to-act-like-a-pretty-princess storyline that’s been so done and overdone before. Here Rapunzel is brave and curious right from the start, but with a way of communicating that is entirely her own. After all, when she first sees the devastation that surrounds her home of the past nine years her response is “Well I’ll be swigger-jiggered and hung out to dry.”

The cowboy feel and characters in this book are a bit odd, but they work within the context of the tale. It’s certainly a more American take on the Rapunzel story than you’ll usually find in a library. All spurs and lassos and riding bucks. Short of Indian attacks (of which there are blessedly none) all the usual tropes are there.

Nathan Hale was an interesting choice of illustrator for this particular outing. It took me a while to get attuned to his more cartoonish style, I admit. I had seen the work he’d done on his picture books Yellowbelly and Plum Go to School, which employed a mighty realistic take on your average everyday six-year-old monsters. For this book, Hale scales back the complexity (at least until he needs to use it) producing a simpler product. Once you get into it, it kinda works. I liked Hale’s ability to render the multiple uses of extremely long hair during the Rapunzel-grows-up montages. I liked that he was as comfortable presenting a grey desolate wasteland as we was a beautiful ball gown. If I'm not too much mistaken there seemed to be a visual Pippi Longstocking reference going on for much of the book (hey man, I always said she was the original female superhero). And I liked that he ends the book (spoiler alert, for those of you who care) with a very sexy kiss. Very sexy. Or maybe I just like boys in white shirtsleeves.

It’s a hard novel to place, in a way. There really aren’t that many younger reader graphic novels outside of the manga sphere to compare this to. I can’t help but think that it’s going to have to be a hit, though. A Newbery Honor winning author taking familiar fairy tale tropes and then wrapping the whole kerschmozzle in a kick-butt girl package? It’s going to have its fans. My only difficulty as a librarian is in figuring out what to recommend to my patrons when they finish the book and want more of the same. Suggestions on that topic are more than welcome. A fun new book worth taking a gander at.

Ages 10 and up.
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Jan 01, 2009

Eva Mitnick rated it

Shelves: ya, graphic-novels, children, fantasy

Rapunzel doesn’t know there’s anything wrong with her life – a gorgeous villa, plenty of food, servants and guards, a powerful mother named Mother Gothel – until she manages to finally scale the high wall that surrounds her opulent home. Beyond it lies an industrial wasteland, starving workers policed by vicious guards, and… Rapunzel’s real mother, a worker dressed in rags whose baby was taken from her by Mother Gothel. Rapunzel furiously confronts Mother Gothel, who has her taken away and imp...moreRapunzel doesn’t know there’s anything wrong with her life – a gorgeous villa, plenty of food, servants and guards, a powerful mother named Mother Gothel – until she manages to finally scale the high wall that surrounds her opulent home. Beyond it lies an industrial wasteland, starving workers policed by vicious guards, and… Rapunzel’s real mother, a worker dressed in rags whose baby was taken from her by Mother Gothel. Rapunzel furiously confronts Mother Gothel, who has her taken away and imprisoned at the top of the world’s highest tree. After five long years, Mother Gothel’s “growth magic” (the source of her power, as she can not only make things grow but keep them from growing) causes Rapunzel’s hair to grow to extraordinary lengths, allowing her to finally escape her prison.

Rapunzel takes up with a young lad named Jack (who travels with a goose who simply won’t lay an egg, a magic bean, and a number of other surprises) and they have an assortment of excellent adventures, greatly aided by Rapunzel’s hair, which she can use as a lasso or whip to great effect. All’s well that ends well – the intrepid duo rescues Rapunzel’s mom, vanquish Mother Gothel, and fall in love.

This works well as a graphic novel – the derring-do translates well to action-packed panels, as do the goofy visual gags. The setting is a fairy tale Wild West, and the sight of Rapunzel riding a horse with her copious braids coiled at her saddle like an orange lasso is priceless. The illustrations portray the humor of the story wonderfully, showing particular imagination in how folks are clothed.

Humor, both dry and broadly slapstick, bounces along on every page. There is plenty of silly banter between Rapunzel and Jack, and it only gets mushy at the absolute very end. Raging boars, snaggle-toothed and bearded bad guys, a ravening antler-wearing rabbit, and that ever-present goose provide non-stop goofy excitement, and Rapunzel’s hair is so much a part of the story that its eventual fate feels almost tragic.

Anyone who loves fractured fairy tales will dive right into this luscious tale, only wishing it were longer. Readers who enjoyed the graphic novel versions of Coraline and Artemis Fowl should also give this a whirl – boys as well as girls will like it, if they just get past the first few pages.

For readers ages 10 and up.
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Apr 20, 2009

Cara rated it

Shelves: fantasy, fairy-tales

When I first saw this title I hadn't realized that it was a graphic novel. As a rule I tend to avoid them since (at least to me) they don't seem like real books, but since I love Shannon Hale,s work I decided to give it a chance.
I enjoyed it a lot more than what I expected. It is a very unique and cool retelling of Rapunzel's story. It was more like she was a comic book hero (which wasn't bad), I guess what I'm trying to say is that I thought it was pretty cool that she had killer braids. ...more

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Dec 05, 2009

Marian rated it

Cute take. Of all the fairy tale princesses I have thought Rapunzel to be the dimmest--sitting all by herself with two long "ropes" to use for escape. So yeah for Hale empowering Rapunzel to wait for no one and save herself.

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Aug 19, 2008

Elizabeth rated it

Recommends it for: Shannon Hale fans! :)

Shelves: fairy-tales, legends

This was cute, laugh out loud, smile n sigh, graphic novel. (meaning basically a comic book the length of a novel... graphic as in pictures!)
I loved the illustrations, especially the expressions on some of the characters faces at times! :) This western tale of a girl with twenty-foot braids, and a boy with a quick sense of humor and a knack for stealing is a clean, fun read!

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Aug 18, 2008

Becky rated it

Hale, Shannon and Dean. 2008. Rapunzel's Revenge. Illustrated by Nathan Hale.

Rapunzel's Revenge is a graphic novel. A great graphic novel of an empowered and spunky Rapunzel who's on a quest for revenge. Really there are no words for how much fun this one is. It does begin in a familiar way, "Once upon a time, there was a beautiful little girl..." and it is loosely based on the fairy tale...but most of the story is original and fun and wonderful. The book really begins to t...moreHale, Shannon and Dean. 2008. Rapunzel's Revenge. Illustrated by Nathan Hale.

Rapunzel's Revenge is a graphic novel. A great graphic novel of an empowered and spunky Rapunzel who's on a quest for revenge. Really there are no words for how much fun this one is. It does begin in a familiar way, "Once upon a time, there was a beautiful little girl..." and it is loosely based on the fairy tale...but most of the story is original and fun and wonderful. The book really begins to take off when Rapunzel rescues herself from the tower. One of the first things she does is meet her "adventuring hero" who would have rescued her...not. Here's how that exchange goes:

Rapunzel: Ow! What in the--
Would-be-hero: Are you all right?
Rapunzel: Oh...am I...am I all right? Well I was until someone shot my new pet pig. I was going to call him Roger.
Would-be-hero: You're welcome! All in a day's work. I'm an adventuring hero.
Rapunzel: Well, It's nice to meet you. It's nice to meet anyone, really. Can you give me directions to--
Would-be-hero: I was getting so bored watching the workers farm my fields all day. So I left behind the civilized comforts of Husker City, following tales of a beautiful maiden trapped in a high tower.
Rapunzel: Oh! That's so noble of you to come all this way to help her.
Would-be-hero: Yes, noble is a good word for me. I can't actually rescue her, of course. The word is she's Mother Gothel's pet and I won't risk crossing the old lady. But I can tell her I'm going to rescue her. She's bound to be too naive to know the difference, and it'll be such fun in the meantime!
Rapunzel: Oh.
Would be hero: So, tiny ragamuffin, as payment for saving you from that rampaging beast, you may point the way to her mystical tower.
Rapunzel: Uh, yeah, the tower is a huge tree just back that way, but...but she's slightly deaf. If you keep calling out, she'll hear you. Eventually.
Would-be-hero: Excellent! And I'm off.
Rapunzel: Remember to yell as loud as you can!
Narrator: This is where the "once upon a time" part ends, with yours truly finally free from that perpendicular prison.

But Rapunzel's story is far from over. And her adventures have just begun. I loved the story. I loved the style. I loved the illustrations.

I loved this one!!!
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Aug 30, 2008

Kathryn rated it

Shelves: fantasy, middle-grade

When Repunzel discovers the woman she has always called mother stole her away from her family as a child and is sucking the life out of the land, she knows that she must use all of her meager skills to return the land to its fertile origins. With the help of her new friend Jack and his crazy goose Goldy, Punzie finds an inner strength and a community ready to come together to take down the most evil witch of all.

This a cute story that mixes the Brothers Grimm with Mother Goose and t...more

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Jul 23, 2008

Roxanne Hsu Feldman rated it

Shelves: 2008, 4-6grade, childrensbooks, graphicnovels, fantasy, bestbooks

It did not disappoint! Yeah! I had so much fun reading and looking at the text and the illustrations. Shannon Hale's telling, even with reduced amount of text due to the graphic novel nature of the book, is crisp and humorous, and with certain subtlety that amuses me, the adult reader, and yet not difficult to appreciate for young readers. (I had a 10-year-old girl today reading it and she absolutely loved the book -- then she found out that this is by the same author who gave her the pleasu...more

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Jun 14, 2008

Carter rated it

Recommended to Carter by: Erin

Shelves: graphic-novel, young-adult

It's funny, I thought that this had already been out for months b/c so many of my friends had read it. I was disappointed w/ my local bookstore b/c they still weren't carrying it. Finally on Thursday, I figured out that the book won't be published until September when the children's book buyer brought in a copy of the advance reader copy and let me borrow it over the weekend.

Great, quick read. There are very few graphic novels (non-manga) with a teen girl audience in mind. Rapunzel is...more

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Dec 17, 2008

Heather rated it

Shelves: read2008, childrens

Adorable!! This graphic novel version of Rapunzel is action packed from start to finish. Rapunzel is a no-nonsense heroine, with a funny (and conveniently handsome) sidekick with his own fairy tale story adding to the mix. Bad guys, monsters, and evil witches, watch out for this girl!

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Nov 18, 2008

Dlora rated it

Shelves: youth, lds-author

Sarah lent me her copy to read. Given her recommendation and that I really like Shannon Hale as an author, I was not surprised that I enjoyed this "comic book." It was extremely creative and fun to read. My great regret is that it was a comic book and therefore short. The characters were well developed but I wanted more of them. The plot was an intriguing blend of fractured fairytales but I wanted more developement. My low rating for this book was because I wanted more. I'm just not sa...more

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Jan 09, 2012

Katie rated it

Shelves: children-s, fiction, fairy, tales, graphic, novel

I love re-tellings of fairy tales, and when I saw the cover of this graphic novel, I had to read it - what could be better than a braid-whipping Rapunzel decked out like a cowgirl? The story begins with Rapunzel living in a beautiful villa with the woman she always thought was her mother. The villa is surrounded by a towering wall, and Rapunzel has never seen what is on the other side. Her only companions are the guards of the villa, who befriend her and entertain her by teaching her how to t...more

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Jan 29, 2009

Brandy rated it

Shelves: 2009, comics, childrens, for-reviews, teen, adventure

Rapunzel may have gotten locked in the tower, but she's hardly the helpless maiden she's made out to be. With braids long enough to escape on (and some handy training in how to use a lasso), Rapunzel is set to exact revenge on the woman who locked her away. Gothel has been using (and misusing) growth magic to control townspeople all over the land, demanding they pay her high taxes and obey her rules, lest she dry up their land and let them starve. Along the way, Rapunzel meets up with a stick...more

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Jan 04, 2009

Leslie rated it

"Now with a name like the Devil's Armpit, you'd think it'd be a right jolly place. -We didn't sleep much at night."

My first foray into the land of graphic novels was very entertaining. What's not to like about a red-headed chick with a scorpion tale hair braid and a stinging attitude to match it! Throw in a handsome, mysterious sidekick, an evil stepmother, plants and animals with serious growth issues, and you have a modernized version of the classic fairy tale.

...more

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Dec 21, 2008

Barky rated it

Shelves: graphic-novel, folk-fairy-tale-retelling, rapunzel, quirky, young-adult-fiction, juvenile-fiction, gutsy-girls, borrowed-from-the-library

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. In this fantastic graphic novel, Rapunzel takes her destiny into her own hands. When Mother Gothel imprisons her in an isolated tree tower, Rapunzel escapes using her hair (and her lassoing skills) to swing across to a neighboring tree and down – safely – to the ground. She makes her way into town and meets “Jack,” a thief about her own age, who immediately gets her into trouble. Together they face bandits and brigands, plan and execute a daring rescue, and eventually make their way back to t...more

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Dec 01, 2008

Jeremy rated it

Recommends it for: any fan of Shannon Hale

Recommended to Jeremy by: Sister-in-law Lisa, a birthday gift

Shelves: books-of-2008

Fun book, one of the few graphic novels I've read. The art was ... good but inconsistent. It was never bad, but there were moments when it was obviously hurried. Shannon Hale has worked magic with her other fairy tales, but this one, though fun I reiterate, just didn't ring true to me.

I am maybe too enamored of the marvelously complex Rapunzel/Witch relationship presented in Into The Woods, to be able to accept another viewpoint, but it didn't... feel full. There was no explanati...more

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Oct 20, 2008

Wendy rated it

So I finally got my reserved copy from the library. This seems to be a popular book, probably because it's written by Shannon Hale. Don't you just love her? I like reading graphic novels, and the pictures were amazing in this one. The artist is really talented. Unfortunately I didn't like the direction the story took, in a more old-timey Western direction instead of traditional fairy tale land. A lot of the jokes in the dialogue seemed forced and I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had hoped.

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Dec 22, 2011

Anna (Genre Reviews) rated it

Shelves: anna

We all know the story of Rapunzel, a young woman locked in a tower by a witch, spending her days alone until the man of her dreams comes along and uses her impossibly long hair as a rope ladder.

This Rapunzel, however, has no intention of waiting to be rescued. She's gotten herself down before the "prince" can get there, and when she finally does meet him, has no trouble seeing right through his arrogant and manipulative self to send him on his way.

Rapunzel is a grea...more

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Oct 16, 2011

Casey rated it

1. Genre: Graphic Novel

2. Summary: This is a great twist on a classic. Rapunzel starts to wonder why she has never been outside of the walls of her “kingdom” and realizes that her whole life as she knows it doesn’t seem right. Rapunzel sets out in search of her real mother and to find out who she is.

3. Critique:
a.) The illustrations in this book are really neat. I love how the book looks like a comic book and with few words tells the story of Rapunzel and her searc...more

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Aug 19, 2011

Laura rated it

Shelves: 2011, graphic-novel, middle-grade

I really enjoyed this interpretation of Rapunzel and totally recommend it as a middle grade graphic novel. Fans of the format will enjoy the story and it's a great introduction for new or reluctant graphic novel readers.

Rapunzel's Revenge is told from the perspective of Rapunzel and she is, by far, the most developed character. Mother Gothel, the witch who adopts Rapunzel, has some pretty amazing powers. She can grow or dry up huge amounts of land. She charges people living in the...more

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Jul 28, 2011

Karen Ball rated it

Shelves: 2011-challenge

Wanted: Dead or Alive: Rapunzel
For Horse Thieving, Kidnapping, Jail Breaking,
and Using Her Hair in a Manner Other Than Nature Intended!
REWARD
Graphic novel fairytale mashup! Loved this one -- set in the Wild West, where Rapunzel has grown up with her mother, Gothel, their guards and servants in a beautiful villa surrounded by extremely high walls. On her birthday, she sneaks up to the highest places to peek over the walls... where she sees utter ruin and devastation beyond ...more

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Jul 05, 2011

Kelly rated it

This isn't your grandmother's Rapunzel! If you're thinking of the classic tale of a girl trapped in a tower who has a prince save her - you are barking up the wrong tree. Set in what feels like the Wild Wild West, Rapunzel has come into her own, and she doesn't need a prince to rescue her.

Born in a sheltered house behind a secret wall, she has a mother with magical talents and a big secret. As a little girl she lives a charmed privilaged life - though she's not allowed to see what's...more

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Jun 22, 2011

Crystal Smith rated it

Although I have limited experience with graphic novels, Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale ranks among my favourites and not just because it has a strong female protagonist.

In addition to showing Rapunzel as strong and fully capable of taking care of herself, this book communicates the story without excessive violence. There are some scenes with fighting, but none of the blood that often appears in graphic novels.

There is plenty of adventure and some fantastical creatures, li...more

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Jan 16, 2011

Michael Cluff rated it

· review of another edition

What happens when you mix Pecos Bill and The Brothers Grimm? You get a tall-fairy tale called Rapunzel's Revenge; a graphic novel that any kid would love. The story takes place in an Old West fairy tale land called Gothel’s Reach.

In following the traditional story of Rapunzel, there is a girl that becomes imprisoned in a tower and then is able to escape through the use of her extremely long hair, but after that the story is a little different from the original. Let’s just say that t...more

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Dec 30, 2010

Karissa Eckert rated it

· review of another edition

This is the first book that I have read by Shannon Hale, although I have a few more books of hers that I want to read. This is actually a graphic novel/novella. I really liked this book.

This is the story of Rapunzel; with a few twists. Rapunzel escapes from her tower and proceeds to get revenge on her evil step-mother. She wields her many feet of hair as a weapon and defeats many a dastardly enemy with these deadly locks.

This was a really fun book. The drawings are well done ...more

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Dec 20, 2010

MonsterAteMy rated it

A girl with twenty-foot hair trapped in a high tower? You may think you know this story, but Shannon Hale gives the tale of Rapunzel a very fresh twist in this colorful graphic novel.
For as long as she can remember, young Rapunzel has lived a sheltered life in a luxurious villa with her mother. She's forbidden to look over the high wall that encloses them, but it's always drawn her curiosity. Finally, on her twelfth birthday, she gets her opportunity. What she sees horrifies her: a wasted ...more

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Dec 16, 2010

An Abundance of Books rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: graphic-novels-manga

I was looking for fractured fairy tales to order for a third grade writing unit when I stumbled upon Rapunzel's Revenge. Interesting concept, pretty good reviews, ooh! written by Shannon Hale (I really liked The Princess Academy), I decided to order it and the, sequel Calamity Jack, for the library. I'm really glad I ordered these books, they are so fun!

Rapunzel has grown up in the villa with her mother (Gothel), never having left it or seen what's on the other side of the wall. Whenev...moreI was looking for fractured fairy tales to order for a third grade writing unit when I stumbled upon Rapunzel's Revenge. Interesting concept, pretty good reviews, ooh! written by Shannon Hale (I really liked The Princess Academy), I decided to order it and the, sequel Calamity Jack, for the library. I'm really glad I ordered these books, they are so fun!

Rapunzel has grown up in the villa with her mother (Gothel), never having left it or seen what's on the other side of the wall. Whenever she asks, she's told it's not important. It's a similar response to what Gothel says when Rapunzel has the strange dreams of another family. One day, on her birthday, Rapunzel found a way over the wall and discovered a vast mine in the middle of a barren land. Nothing grew on the other side, it was such a stark difference to the rich greeness of the villa. Mother Gothel has strong growing magic, how could the land outside her home be dead? Rapunzel also so lines of slaves at the well that looked weak and abused. One slave recognized Rapunzel as her daughter Annie. Her true mother thought the then 3 year-old Annie had been kidnapped and killed as punishment for her father stealing greens for his pregnant wife to eat. When Rapunzel remembers everything after she hugs her true mother, "as if a spell had been broken". She's dragged away and taken to Mother Gothel who explains that Rapunzel was chosen to be her heir. Repunzel replies that if she had known what was on the other side of the wall, she would have refused it all sooner. As punishemnt Mother Gothel sends her into the Carrion Glade (more like a swamp) where a special tree has been grown as a prison.

It's the longest time out ever. Rapunzel is left all on her own, with food that grows inside the tree's room, a window that seals her in during the winter, and only three books. She notices that the creatures in the swamp grow to enormous sizes, but the only thing that changes about her is that her hair and nails grow quickly. Once a year Mother Gothel will ask Rapunzel if she's ready to come home. The witch never believes her admittedly insincere acquiescence and Rapunzel is left in the tower for four years. While trying to figure out ways to occupy herself, Rapunzel begins to teach herself acrobatics and to use her hair in different ways (it's a lasso, a swing, a pulley). While her hair never grows long enough to get her to the ground, it gets long enough for her to lasso a neighboring tree and swing away.

Rapunzel decides to head back to the villa, stop Mother Gothel, free the slaves, and live happily ever after with her mother. Along the way she sees the damage to the land and people that Mother Gothel has caused, as well as befriending the terrible thief Jack and his pet goose.

While I'm not normally a fan of western themes, I really liked how the Hales incorporated it into their fairytale world. Jack was a Native American from a large New York style city and Rapunzel was like a super spunk Laura Ingalls/ Laura Croft. Rapunzel was a narrator with an honest and witty tone that added quite a bit of humor to the story. She didn't wait to be rescued but saved herself as well as others along the way. The world was populated with a variety of people and creatures from fairy tales and stories. It was really fun to see some all favorites re-imagined around with stage coaches, Native Americans, railroads, and more.

My only complaint would be the art. I feel bad saying that since Nathan Hale (no relation to the authors) spent over a year on the illustrations, but... there you go. I think my problem is the pencil work. Nathan Hale is an excellent painter and a lot of the detail was evident in the subtlety of his inking (it was very good), but I would have preferred more details in the drawings themselves. However, a random sampling of donut fairies (students bringing us treats from a variety of classroom Christmas parties) showed that kids liked the artwork and we already have a wait list for the books when school starts back.

Verdict:
Not what I expected (I somehow missed that it was a graphic novel), and even better than I thought! Despite my dislike of western themed books, I enjoyed this little treat. Rapunzel was great and spunky and Jack recognized and appreciated her great qualities. He respected her opinions and had no problem admitting that she was the muscle and the brains of their little team. It's a fun adventure story and a great treat from the library.(less)

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Sep 26, 2010

Laura Bang rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fairytales-folklore, graphic-novels, young-adult, childrens, fiction

Shannon and Dean Hale give a new twist to the familiar tale of Rapunzel, a girl with excessively long hair imprisoned in a tower by a witch. In this story, Rapunzel is no damsel in distress. She is an active, curious, and compassionate girl who adapts to situations quickly. Upon learning the truth about her witch “mother,” Rapunzel is imprisoned in a tower in a magical forest where things grow faster than usual—including her hair. She learns to use her long tresses lasso-fashion and thereby ...more

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Sep 02, 2010

Sara rated it

Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale
3 Stars
144 pages

Once upon a time, in a land far far away, and even further away from the fairy tale we all thought we knew, the young Rapunzel grew up, raised by Mother Gothel in a huge villa surrouned by massive walls. Every year she would ask Mother Gothel what lay beyond the wall and every year she was told to stay away from the wall. Finally, the year she turned 12, Rapunzel's curiosity could no longer stand to be left unsatiated. ...more

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Aug 01, 2010

Erin rated it

Shelves: graphic-novel, juvenile, fiction

This ended up being a fun and unique take on the Rapunzel tale. I loved Nathan Hale's illustrations for the text- they really added a lot of action, comedy, and personality. The protaganists face does seem to mutate somewhat alarmingly from frame to frame but not so much as to disturb the story. Instead the pictures become somewhat whimsical and open to a lose, casual feel. The overall plot line takes some unexpected turns and seems to balance a nice path through the feminist pitfalls of fai...more

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About Shannon Hale

Shannon Hale is the New York Times best-selling author of six young adult novels: the Newbery Honor book Princess Academy, multiple award winner Book of a Thousand Days, and the highly acclaimed Books of Bayern series. She has written three books for adults, including the upcoming Midnight in Austenland (Jan. 2012), companion book to Austenland. She co-wrote the hit graphic novel Rapunzel's Reveng...more

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Rapunzel's Revenge (Rapunzel's Revenge #1)

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