Rapunzel's Revenge

I adore fractured fairy tales. "But what is a fractured fairy tale?" you may be wondering. Well, this is when an author takes a well-known story or fairy tale and does something to change it. Maybe the author changes the setting, so that Cinderella now takes place on the African savanna. Or maybe instead of telling the story from the three pigs' point of view, we get the Big Bad Wolf's story. Or maybe we even get to see exactly what happens after Sleeping Beauty marries Prince Charming. Often, the normally weak female characters found in fairy tales become strong and take control of their own destinites. But whatever happens, a fractured fairy tale turns the story that we know on its head, making it unique in some way.

Rapunzel's Revenge is an absolutely brilliant fractured fairy tale in the form of a graphic novel, written by the excellent Shannon Hale (author of Princess Academy) and her husband Dean Hale, and illustrated by Nathan Hale (no relation to the writers). In this story, Rapunzel grows up happily inside Mother Gothel's villa behind a tall wall, but with every luxury she could ask for. But when she climbs over the wall on her twelfth birthday, Rapunzel discovers that Gothel is a terrible slave master and that her real mother is working in her mines. Gothel, who controls some powerful growth magic that can make plants either grow tall and beautiful of shrivel up and die, punishes Rapunzel by locking her inside the trunk of a very tall tree. After many years, Rapunzel escapes this prison on her own with the help of her 20-foot long braids, which she uses like a lasso. Now that she is free, Rapunzel vows to return home and rescue her mother from the mines and free the rest of the world from Mother Gothel's selfish cruelty.

I was very impressed with this graphic novel. The illustrations are excellent and really go a long way in helping to tell the story. Rapunzel's sidekick Jack, who readers will soon recognize as a character from another beloved fairy tale, is incredibly hilarious and his fairly complicated character is lovable. I also loved the magical Wild West setting that this story was placed in, and Rapunzel's whip/lasso tricks with her hair are pretty awesome. If you're looking for a great story with some familiar characters, but with a very strong heroine, this is definitely the book for you.

Overall Grade: A+

And, best of all, I hear that a sequel is in the works! Currently using the working title of Calamity Jack, this book should be available next year, and I absolutely can't wait.