This set of reviews brings us back to fairy tales, but with
a twist. . . A lasso-swinging, graphic novel twist. Children and young adults
are drawn to graphic novels, and this resetting could win over readers that
might otherwise pass by some classic stories. We also get to visit two worlds very much like our own.
They, too, come with a twist. One twists time, and the other twists in a
beautiful (and terrifying!) creature straight out of mythology. These last two
books definitely step up to the middle grade/young adult reading audience. Take
a journey, stretch your mind.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
RAPUNZEL'S REVENGE - Shannon & Dean Hale and Nathan Hale
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hale, Shannon, and Dean Hale. (2008). Rapunzel’s Revenge. Ills. by Nathan Hale. New York: Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-59990-070-4
Hale, Shannon, and Dean Hale. (2008). Rapunzel’s Revenge. Ills. by Nathan Hale. New York: Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-59990-070-4
2. PLOT SUMMARY
In this graphic novel retelling of the classic, Rapunzel has grown up in a lush villa, surrounded by high walls. Driven by curiosity to see what is on the other side, Rapunzel discovers her real mother and how Gothel has used her magic to drain the surrounding land of life. True to the original, Rapunzel is locked in a tower. This spunky Rapunzel eventually gets herself out and finds herself on a series of Old West quests to break Gothel’s power. Accompanied by Jack (think beans and a goose), Rapunzel turns her tresses into lassos to save the day.
In this graphic novel retelling of the classic, Rapunzel has grown up in a lush villa, surrounded by high walls. Driven by curiosity to see what is on the other side, Rapunzel discovers her real mother and how Gothel has used her magic to drain the surrounding land of life. True to the original, Rapunzel is locked in a tower. This spunky Rapunzel eventually gets herself out and finds herself on a series of Old West quests to break Gothel’s power. Accompanied by Jack (think beans and a goose), Rapunzel turns her tresses into lassos to save the day.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Rapunzel’s Revenge is a hybrid of fairy tale, tall tale, and graphic novel. The story is far more about the action than about character development. Rapunzel is outraged both at having been taken from her parents and at Gothel’s enslavement of the region. She is determined to rescue her mother and foil the villain. The other characters, even Jack, are flat. They provide a series of calamities, but do not reveal character traits or significant themes. Jack seems to be thrown in to add a male main character, but his presence seems contrived. Other books are more successful at combining characters from different fairy tales. Background characters are caricatures of people who might have been around during the Old West or Gold Rush: a Chinese woman, African Americans, and Native Americans. While a graphic novel of a fairy tale is not necessarily meant to be instructive, it should not reinforce stereotypical images. The Old West motif is embellished with scraggly outlaws and an overly-buxom young lady, complete with rose and beauty mark, who looks more like a saloon dancer than a pioneer traveling by covered wagon.
As a graphic novel, the story is set out in illustrations
and dialog, with narration by Rapunzel as transitions. The dialog tries a
little too hard to use Old West phrases, failing to sound authentic. The
setting is captured through the illustrations, creating a backdrop of swamps,
deserts, arid rock formations, frontier towns, and pueblos. A map pulls
together all the locations through which Rapunzel and Jack must travel and helps
the reader to visualize an Old West journey. As cartoon-style drawing, pieces
of the images are rendered in detail, while others are reduced to minimalist
outlines. This serves to draw the reader’s attention to the most salient
details.
While the reader may want to know how Rapunzel defeats
Gothel in the end, the string of crises is almost over done, with too many
disasters. There isn’t much of a twist from the basic storyline of the original
beyond the transposition to the Old West, so the overall plot is fairly
predictable. Scenes resolve a little too easily in order to keep the plot
moving forward.
Rapunzel’s Revenge
maintains the messages of the original tale: Rapunzel’s desire to know what
lies beyond the confines of the tower, discovering she doesn’t fit in because she
really belongs somewhere else, and the ultimate defeat of the witch at the
hands or the young woman she sought to control. While children’s experiences
may not be as extreme as Rapunzel’s, it is not unusual for children to feel
trapped in their lives, seeking what else they could be. The story also carries
an underlying message about ecology and the damage people can do to their
environment. Selfishly using resources depletes resources and affects people’s
lives. Only by restoring the balance can people hope to have a world that will
sustain them.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S) AND AWARDS
Cybil Award Winner, Graphic Novels (Elementary/Middle
Grade), 2008
ALA Notable Books, 2009
Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2009
Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2009
YALSA Top 10 Great Graphic Novels for Teens, 2009
ALA Amelia Bloomer List, 2010
Texas Lonestar Young Adult Reading List Nominee, 2009
H. W. Wilson’s Children’s
Core Collection, most highly recommended
School
Library Journal: “This is the tale as you’ve never seen it before.
. . Rapunzel is no damsel in
distress. . . 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.”
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. . . 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.”
Publishers Weekly: “…[A] muscular retelling of the famously long-haired heroine's story, set in a fairy-tale version of the Wild West. . . Illustrator Hale's detailed, candy-colored artwork demands close viewing, as it carries the action—Rapunzel's many scrapes are nearly wordless. With its can-do heroine, witty dialogue and romantic ending, this graphic novel has something for nearly everybody.”
Horn Book: “Shannon and Dean Hale's graphic novel
treatment transforms Rapunzel into a spunky, hair-whip-toting cowgirl. . . Readers
familiar with graphic novels will feel at home with the conventions of image
cropping, text placement, and facial emotional cues. Newbies may not realize
how particularly well-matched the Hales' gutsy tale is to its format, but this
introduction -- with its high action quotient, immediate sensory thrills, and
wisecracking heroes -- should win many converts. . . With such a successful
debut, one hopes to see more graphic novels from this trio.”
Childrens Book and Play Review: “. . . [A] delightfully whacky graphic novel version of Rapunzel. . . Nathan Hale's illustrations are colorful, fun, and full of action. They clearly communicate not only what is happening, but also how the characters feel. Nothing but pure fun and a great book for reluctant reader girls.”
Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices: “A spirited graphic novel twines characters from two traditional fairy tales into a fresh, funny new story. . . Shannon and Dean Hale establish the humor with Rapunzel’s self-deprecating storytelling and the lively exchanges between characters, while Nathan Hale’s full-color panel illustrations fulfill the possibilities of this witty tale full of long-haired heroism.”
Kirkus: “A beloved fairy tale gets a glossy graphic-novel makeover, reworked in a fanciful Old West setting. . . The Hales apply a new twist (or three) to the classic tale, creating a strong, sassy, braid-whipping character who waits for no prince. Nathan Hale's art, stylistically reminiscent of a picture book, provides a snazzy counterpoint to the folksy text. 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
- Visit Shannon Hale’s website, with background on the
characters, how to write a graphic novel, writing project ideas, a readers
theater script, paper dolls, and a teacher’s guide.
- Check out the sequel to Rapunzel’s Revenge, Calamity Jack (ISBN 978-1599903736)
- Share other graphic novel versions of fairy
tales, like Stone Arch Books’ Graphic Spin series, which has its own Rapunzel to add to the mix.
- Give students the opportunity to create their
own graphic novel versions of a fairytale at http://www.comicmaster.org.uk/
- Watch and critique book trailers for
the book, for example:
Videos
submitted to Hale’s official contest:
Other
videos on YouTube:
Which are most effective and why?
WHEN YOU REACH ME - Rebecca Stead
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Stead, Rebecca. 2009. When You Reach Me. New York: Wendy Lamb Books. ISBN: 978-0-375-89269-1
Stead, Rebecca. 2009. When You Reach Me. New York: Wendy Lamb Books. ISBN: 978-0-375-89269-1
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Twelve-year-old Miranda lives with her mother, a paralegal
who is training to appear on The $20,000
Dollar Pyramid game show. The story covers the ebb and flow of
relationships with friends, getting a job, and testing independence, but all of
these form the foundation for her response to mysterious notes that she
receives. The notes say things no one should know, and she can’t explain who
could be writing them. All she knows is that someone’s life may depend upon her
secrecy and her answer.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Miranda is an every-day twelve-year-old, growing up in New York in 1978. She tries to make her way through school, friends, bullies, and her relationship with her mother. They don’t have a lot of money, and she worries about how her friends will perceive her home. She misses her friend Sal, who starts avoiding her at the beginning of the book, and feels hurt because she doesn’t know why. Through the course of the book, she comes to understand that there are things you don’t know about people by looking at their public persona, from a bully who’s not really a bully, to a friend who secretly has epilepsy, to that girl she always thought hated her, but it turns out it was really the other way around. The characters are believable as well, whether Miranda’s peers or the adults. Their motives and actions fit their roles and add to the plot. There is an even balance between male and female characters, which would help all readers connect to the story.
Miranda is an every-day twelve-year-old, growing up in New York in 1978. She tries to make her way through school, friends, bullies, and her relationship with her mother. They don’t have a lot of money, and she worries about how her friends will perceive her home. She misses her friend Sal, who starts avoiding her at the beginning of the book, and feels hurt because she doesn’t know why. Through the course of the book, she comes to understand that there are things you don’t know about people by looking at their public persona, from a bully who’s not really a bully, to a friend who secretly has epilepsy, to that girl she always thought hated her, but it turns out it was really the other way around. The characters are believable as well, whether Miranda’s peers or the adults. Their motives and actions fit their roles and add to the plot. There is an even balance between male and female characters, which would help all readers connect to the story.
As the main character and narrator, Miranda drives the
story. Her words, actions, and challenges are consistent with someone her age.
She is a likeable character, and the relationship between her and the reader is
enhanced by the fact that the story is written in first person and the reader
assumes the role of “you.” There is more narration than dialog, but the dialog
Miranda includes invites the reader to be a part of the relationships rather
than just hearing about them. As a downside, the book is broken into a series
of very short vignettes, each only a few pages long. This makes the story feel
choppy and disjointed. In the end, the selection of short scenes makes sense in
relation to the resolution.
New York is a backdrop that readers will recognize. There is
little description of the city itself, as the story is limited to the characters’
apartments, school, and the route in between. Miranda shares her mother’s
worries about her safety coming home from school alone in the city. These
worries are realistic, especially because of the mentally ill homeless man with
bizarre behavior who lives on the corner. What will be less approachable to a
reader growing up today are the references to life in the 1970s, particularly
the ins and outs of The $20,000 Pyramid
and how Dick Clark never ages. Training for the show is a significant portion
of the plot line. Readers may appreciate some background knowledge so that the
references aren’t so foreign.
The twist that changes this from realistic, historical fiction
to low fantasy is the overarching theme of the nature of time. Is it fixed and
linear or not? Miranda tries to understand the theory that all times can exist
at once and that time travel is possible, but finds the concept difficult to
understand. There are multiple references to Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, Miranda’s favorite
book, and how the book has an unresolved time paradox. She is willing to accept
the book as a story, but then is challenged to think about what would happen if
time travel were actually possible. Readers may be challenged by this fantasy
aspect as well. One simple incident sets off a chain of events, and it is the
nature of time that ties together the seemingly random episodes involving the
notes, the homeless man, and missing items (a key, a shoe, and a bank). The
story is like a puzzle where you add pieces, but don’t really see what the
picture will be, and then you add the one piece that makes it all clear. By the
end, she has to believe. A noble sacrifice puts everything back into its
intended order. Within the parameters of the book, Stead maintains an internal
consistency between the real world aspects of the story and the fantasy layer
she creates.
Although the story is set in a particular location and
particular time, the themes used by Stead will resonate with readers regardless
of time period or location. While not the main focus of the story, Stead takes
on homelessness, mental illness, and racial prejudice, and how common
perceptions erase the individual and substitute a stereotype. Major themes in
the book are classic to realistic fiction, including friendship and loyalty,
learning to not judge people by first impressions, how different people can
have radically different understandings of a situation, and fighting to do
what’s right (even if it means calling your mother). These are issues that
adolescents struggle with, and Stead effectively shows her views without it
jumping out as a lesson. She also shows the importance of taking responsibility
for your actions, and how one small choice can affect the rest of your life.
Rather than finishing with a feeling that the future is already locked in
place, Stead shows that we have the power through our choices to change what
our future can be.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S) AND AWARDS
John Newbery
Medal winner, 2010
Andre Norton
Award finalist, 2009
International
Reading Association Children’s And Young Adult Book Award Winners, 2010
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Excellence in Children's Literature Winner,
Fiction and Poetry, 2010
Parents' Choice Gold
Award, 2009
Amazon Editors'
Picks: Top 10 Books, 2009
Bank Street
College of Education Best Children's Books of the Year, 2010
BookList Editors’ Choice: Books for
Youth, 2009
Horn Book Fanfare, 2009
Oprah and ALSC Kids
Reading List, 2010
Kirkus Best Children's Books, 2009
New York Times Notable Children's Books
, 2009
ALA Notable
Children's Books, 2010
National Council
of Teachers of English Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts, 2010
NPR Best Young
Adult Fiction, 2009
Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books,
2009
School Library Journal Best Books, 2009
Washington Post Best Kid's Books, 2009
YALSA Best Books
for Young Adults, 2010
YALSA Top Ten
Best Books for Young Adults, 2010
Texas Lonestar
Young Adult Reading List Nominee, 2010
H. W. Wilson’s Middle and Junior High Core Collection, most
highly recommended
School
Library Journal: “Discerning readers will realize
the ties between Miranda’s mystery and L’Engle’s plot, but will enjoy hints of
fantasy and descriptions of middle school dynamics. Stead's
novel is as much about character as story. Miranda’s voice rings true with its
faltering attempts at maturity and observation. . . The setting is consistently strong. The
stores and even the streets–in Miranda’s neighborhood act as physical entities
and impact the plot in tangible ways. This unusual, thought-provoking mystery
will appeal to several types of readers.”
Publishers
Weekly: “Over the course of her sixth-grade year, Miranda details
three distinct plot threads. . . Eventually and improbably, these strands converge
to form a thought-provoking whole. . .
It’s easy to imagine readers studying Miranda’s story as many times as
she’s read L’Engle’s, and spending hours pondering the provocative questions it
raises.”
Kirkus:
“Readers will immediately connect with Miranda's fluid first-person narration,
a mix of Manhattan street smarts and pre-teen innocence. . . Miranda's
crystalline picture of her urban landscape will resonate with city teens and
intrigue suburban kids. . . Keen readers
will notice Stead toying with time from the start, as Miranda
writes in the present about past events that will determine her future. Some
might guess at the baffling, heart-pounding conclusion, but when
all the sidewalk characters from Miranda's Manhattan world converge amid
mind-blowing revelations and cunning details, teen readers will circle back to
the beginning and say, ‘Wow...cool.’”
BookList:
“If this book makes your head hurt, you’re not alone. Sixth-grader Miranda
admits that the events she relates make her head hurt, too. . . Miranda’s
first-person narrative is the letter she is sending to the future. Or is it the
past? . . . The ’70s New York setting is an honest
reverberation of the era; the mental gymnastics required
of readers are invigorating; and the characters, children and
adults, are honest bits of humanity no matter in what place or time their
souls rest.”
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's
Books: “Though the
book seems initially like a low-key and solid school and family story, Stead gives it her own original spin
with the ongoing thread of mystery that blossoms into a science-fiction
revelation. That element never takes over the story, though, which is firmly
rooted in Miranda’s daily-life travails, especially her complex negotiation
with peers. . . and family. . . The
prose is streamlined and easygoing, while Miranda’s New York life is richly
peopled and authentically urban; touches of quirky humor add energy to a subtly
constructed story of individual growth. Offer this to kids who appreciate
daily-life stories that reveal the unexpected.”
5. CONNECTIONS
- Challenge students to read Madeleine
L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time (ISBN
987-0374386160), which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Discuss
parallels between the books and what students think about the nature of time.
- Check out the teacher’s guide, which
includes vocabulary, discussion questions, links to different curriculum, and
an author interview.
- Visit the Multnomah County Library
site for this page, with discussion questions, read-alikes, a link to a School Library Journal interview, and a
video interview (including why she chose her setting and time).
- Visit the Talkin’ Bout Books
website, which has discussion questions and links to learn how to tie knots.
- Watch clips of 1970s-era episodes of
The $20,000 Pyramid on YouTube. Find
out who the celebrities were. Create your own class show, creating the word
prompts like in the original game. You can play in with the class (swapping cards
with groups or other periods), or you could invite local “celebrities” to play:
the principal, the gym teacher, the band director, the mayor, a radio
announcer. (You might have to do this by speaker phone or Skype.).
- View photos of Dick Clark through the
decades to see how little he really did change.
- Read Stead’s other books:
First Light.
ISBN 978-0-375-84017-3
Liar & Spy. ISBN 9780375899539
- Check out other mostly-realistic novels
incorporating time travel:
Stone, Tamara
Ireland. The time between us. ISBN
978-1423159568
Gier, Kerstin. Ruby Red. ISBN 0805092528 (first in
series)
Card, Orson Scott.
Pathfinder. ISBN 978-1-4169-9176-2
(first in series)
Bush, Penelope. Alice in Time. ISBN 978-0823423293
Kessler, Liz. A Year Without Autumn. ISBN 0763655953
Dorfman, Joaquin. The Long Wait for Tomorrow. ISBN
0375846948
Asher, Jay, and Mackler, Carolyn. The Future of Us. ISBN
978-1595145161
Maas, Wendy. 11 Birthdays. ISBN 978-0545052405
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