Rapunzel's Revenge

Ewww!

This book is weird, over all. I read in class because there were no more books read. I liked the comics, but over all it suck! Don't read it unless you are about 4-10 at oldest.

2 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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Once upon a time, there was a beautiful little girl named Rapunzel.

Stolen from her parents by a vengeful witch, Rapunzel grows up in a world of privilege and perfection except for the wall all around her home begging to be climbed.

On the other side of the wall, Rapunzel finds out the truth about her life and its lies.

She is trapped in a tower and she does escape. A gallant prince has nothing to do with it. But her mile-long braids-turned-lassos might.

Now that she's free and knows the truth, Rapunzel has one thing on her mind. With the help of her big talking, man with a plan, sidekick Jack (yes, that Jack . . . the one with the beanstalk, yup) Rapunzel is ready to right some wrongs in Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale (husband and wife) and illustrated by Nathan Hale (no relation to either Hale).

Like a lot of readers, Rapunzel's Revenge had me as soon as I heard about the premise. A feminist retelling of a classic fairy tale set in the American Old West? What's not to love?

Some readers might be surprised by the depth of both the illustrations and the text or put off by the comic book styling. Yes, the book is geared more toward tweens and older children, but there is nothing wrong with that. And don't let the comic book panels fool you, this is a humdinger of a book rich with enough detail and subtext to keep even the most advance readers busy (while the interplay of text and images can help readers on the other end of the spectrum).

There is an obvious juxtaposition between what Rapunzel narrates in what can only be called a "voice over" of the story and what she actually shows us. (For an example see the section on page 34 and 35 describing Rapunzel's triumphant escape.) This interplay adds a level or humor and depth to the story that, amazingly, can only come from a comic book format.

Nathan Hale spent more than a year creating the artwork for this book and it shows. Each panel is intricately drawn out so that the story jumps off the page. If you think the cover looks good, wait until you start reading the story.

Rapunzel is charming, Jack's fast-talking humor make him easy to love, and the setting itself is so original that it's easy to forget you might have met these characters before. Sometimes retellings of classic tales get it wrong. They're completely off-base and make no sense or just a dry, pale, rehash of the original. Rapunzel's Revenge is one that gets everything right.

Punzie and Jack's adventures continue in Calamity Jack.

Possible Pairings: Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, Kate and the Beanstalk by Mary Pope Osborne and Giselle Potter, Falling for Rapunzel by Leah Wilcox and Lydia Monks

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

An Intriguing Idea...

I had never read a graphic novel before and never thought I would, to be honest; but I thought I'd give this one a try, and I really liked it. This one's of the twisted tale variety, taking the Rapunzel story we're all familiar with and changing various elements of the original story until it's almost unrecognizable. That might be bad news to some, but for me it was a refreshing change. Who would have thought that turning this classic fairy tale into a story set in the Wild West could work so well? One thing I appreciated about Rapunzel's Revenge is that Rapunzel is no damsel in distress; and I think this sends a great message to girls, and shows them that they are capable of taking care of themselves. I also like how much humor is infused in this story, and that it doesn't take itself seriously at all. The illustrations are wonderful and provide enough detail to show me what's going on, and keep me interested. I don't think this book is for everyone, but if you enjoy reading tales of fantasy and magic, or just need a good laugh, this could work.

A Big Disappointment

Based on the quality of Shannon Hale's other books, I borrowed this book from the local library. I'm really glad I didn't pay for it because I would have been quite upset. The book was formulaic, predictable, and had little in the way of character development. There are too many good books out there to waste your time on bad writing. Skip this one.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A Rip-roarin', Hair raisin', rollickin' good time

I haven't read any of Shannon Hale's other work, but they are on my list. Still, when I saw the art for this book and read the premise of the story, I knew I really wanted to read it.

For those who haven't heard of the book, this is a graphic novel set in the fairy tale of Rapunzel. Rather than following the standard storyline where Rapunzel is trapped in a tower and rescued by some handsome prince, we're given the story of Rapunzel as a vengeful heroine who frees herself and sets out on a quest to overthrow the evil witch/queen and free her family and the other unfortunates in the land.

The artwork is whimsical and very well done. The story is quick paced and lots of fun with plenty of tongue in cheek elements. The general setting/tone of the book is a sort of fantasy wild-wild-west world. Rapunzel uses her long hair like lassos and bullwhips...knocking down, disarming, and otherwise tangling up the bad guys along the way. She meets up with Jack (of Jack and the Beanstalk fame) and together they work their way towards the wicked witch. Jack is quite a cad (which is how I generally considered him from his fairy tale), but he is of some help to Rapunzel and they make a decent team.

The story was a lot of fun and the art was very engaging. I also really enjoyed the fact that there wasn't anything too racy, violent or controversial...I finally have a graphic novel that I would let my kids read by themselves. This in itself is a great selling point for the book...the comic & graphic novel world has become very mature lately and it's great to see a rich graphic novel that is appropriate for younger kids. The book itself is a fairly short read (took me about an hour), but it's probably just right for younger readers.

Supposedly there's another Hale graphic novel in the works, so I'll keep my eye out. If you have younger readers or you're a kid at heart, and you want to dip into graphic novels while avoiding mature themes, I can definitely recommend this book to you.

****
4 stars (out of 5)

Reviewed by Rebecca Wells for TeensReadToo.com

Once upon a time, in a land very far away, there lived a girl with her mother. Every day as the girl grew and played, she also became more and more curious about the world outside. One day she finally climbed up her wall and discovered that she really knew nothing at all.

And that was when she decided to do something about it.

Think you know Rapunzel? You've never heard it like this!

With a feisty heroine who uses her ridiculously long hair as a weapon and a sidekick who travels with a goose that just might lay a golden egg, RAPUNZEL'S REVENGE takes the traditional tale of Rapunzel and turns it on its head.

Shannon and Dean Hale create a thoroughly entertaining world in which Rapunzel takes claims her life as her own. Follow along as she embarks on a swashbuckling quest to save the world from the evil witch who has held her captive in a move that sets the bar for adventurous heroines everywhere.

Be forewarned: RAPUNZEL'S REVENGE is not for everyone. It is a graphic novel, and while the illustrations are gorgeous and highly amusing, some readers may not be drawn in by the format. However, for those who love graphic novels, fairy tales, and awesome heroines, this story may be just the thing.

Happy reading.

Great Read!

This is another amazing book by Shannon Hale! I loved every page! It is different from her other books with the graphics but it is still really good! I reccomend this to everyone!

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