Rapunzel's Revenge

Hale, S. and Hale, D. (2008). Rapunzel's Revenge. New York: Bloomsbury.

We all know the traditional story of Rapunzel: Mom craved lettuce. Dad stole it from the witch's garden. Witch got mad and took the baby. She raised her in a tower and she was rescued by a prince. Not quite... In this version, set in the wild west, Rapunzel escapes her tower, becomes involved with a thief named Jack, and uses her long braids as weapons. She is determined to punish Mother Gothel for all that she has done to Rapunzel and the people she meets on her journey. By destroying the source of Mother Gothel's magic, Rapunzel wins.

This is not what I am used to from Shannon Hale. In fact I had no idea that she did graphic novels. I can't say that I like this as much as I do her other works. She has always put her own twist on fairy tales, but this was hard for me to get into. I can see the appeal to children, as Rapunzel is much more than a maiden in distress. I appreciate a strong female character who can take care of herself. Perhaps it was the old west setting that bothered me. I've never been one for westerns. Either way, this story has appeal for children, just not for me. Perhaps during lessons on traditional literature, this book would be a fun comparison to the original tale.