Module 13: Rapunzel's Revenge

• Book Cover Image:

• Book Summary: Rapunzel’s Revenge tells the story of the main character of fairy tale fame in graphic novel style, with a twist. Instead of being a forlorn, helpless girl waiting to be rescued, the protagonist in this story takes matters into her own hands and not only saves herself but goes on a quest for justice set against the backdrop of the wild west. Using her long hair as a lasso and at times, a weapon, Rapunzel becomes a hero as she fights off the dangers she and her companion Jack, of Beanstalk fame, encounter.   

• APA Reference of Book: Hale, S., & Hale, D. (2008). Rapunzel’s revenge. New York, NY: Bloomsbury.

• Impressions: Although it took me awhile to get into the story, I eventually started recognizing characteristics that made this title a quality graphic novel. One example is how the sizes of the boxed pictures vary throughout the book. While some pages had many, smaller sized boxes, other pages had fewer, larger sized boxes. The visual sequence of the story included use of graphic art illustrations as well as use of onomatopoeia text. While this story did not deal with a controversial theme, some of the illustrations could be considered violent in nature and not appropriate for younger readers. Nathan Hale, the illustrator, adds diversity to the book by creating Hispanic, black and Asian characters, which is not commonly seen in “mainstream” comics.  

• Professional Review: 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.

Kinsey, C. vW. (2008). [Review of the book Rapunzel’s revenge, by S. Hale & D. Hale]. School library journal. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Rapunzels-Revenge-Shannon-Hale/dp/1599902885.

• Library Uses: With 5^th grade students, make a list of fairy tale characters they know. As a group, choose one to reinvent a story about. Divide students into groups and have one group design an alternate setting, another group create characters, and yet another group create the plot line. Over a series of meetings, create a new story complete with illustrations.