Lis Loves Books: 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

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.

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

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.

http://www.squeetus.com/stage/books_rap.html

- 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:

http://oinks.squeetus.com/graphic-novels/