"Rapunzel's Revenge" by Shannon and Dean Hale, Illustrated by Nathan Hale (no relation)

Hale, Shannon, and Dean Hale. Rapunzel's revenge. Illus. Nathan Hale. New York, N.Y.: Bloomsbury, 2008. Print. 144 pp. ISBN 10: 1599902885

Summary:

Rapunzel grows up surrounded by luxury – her mother, the powerful growth witch Mother Gothel – provides for her every need. There’s just one problem; Mother Gothel won’t tell Rapunzel what’s on the other side of the very very high wall surrounding Mother Gothel’s compound. One day, Rapunzel decides to climb as high as she can to try to see over the wall. When she does, she receives quite a shock. The land all around the compound is horribly dry, and is being mined by slave labor. But worst of all, Rapunzel comes face to face with her real mother! Mother Gothel stole Rapunzel as a baby as punishment for her real mother’s theft of rapunzel (lettuce) while she was pregnant!

Disgusted by Rapunzel’s willfulness, Mother Gothel orders Rapunzel to be locked up in a tall (tree) tower deep in the forest. Mother Gothel comes to her once a year to see if Rapunzel has repented; each year, she leaves disappointed.

The tree provides for all of Rapunzel’s needs and seems to grow extraordinarily fast. The magic is so strong that Rapunzel’s hair also grows quickly – and very long! After several years, Rapunzel’s hair is so long that she learns how to use it as a lasso, and then proceeds to use it to make her escape.

Not long after escaping, Rapunzel meets Jack, an admitted thief and bandit. Circumstances throw them together, and they decide to partner up – Rapunzel to go back and rescue her real mother, Jack to make his fortune so he can buy his mother a house. In the process, Mother Gothel puts a bounty on Rapunzel’s head, and Jack is always getting into scrapes from which Rapunzel must rescue him.

Will they succeed? Will Mother Gothel capture Rapunzel? Will they get out of each new predicament in which they find themselves? Just how many different characters from other fairy tales will they encounter?

Review:

 I was going to say this is a very good book for young girls to read, but then I decided it doesn't hurt for boys to read about a strong female lead, either. Rapunzel does not wait for Prince Charming to come rescue her. Instead, she rescues herself – over and over and over again! Jack is confident and sure as Rapunzel’s sidekick, and with the exception of a few frames here and there, seems content for her to take the lead. The situations are hilarious, and the illustrations by Nathan Hale are colorful and alive. I especially like the fact that the characters in the book are so multicultural. Unlike many other books for children, there is a wide range of ethnicities represented and all are treated with dignity. There are no “cheap jokes” using a character’s ethnicity for comic relief. Furthermore, women and men are presented as being equally capable.

The only issue I have with the book is the fact that the silly situations seemed to drag on. I felt as though the book could have ended and been wrapped up much sooner than it was without any detriment to the plotline. At one point, I wondered if they had been given a particular number of pages to fill and were stretching things out to meet their quota. However, young adults will probably not feel this way and remain entranced to the end with its wonderful resolution.

Awards:

ALA Notable Children's Book (ALA)

Amelia Bloomer Project Selection (ALA)

An Al Roker Today Show Book Club Pick

An IndieBound Next Pick

Cybils Award (Graphic Novels)

Great Graphic Novels for Teens (YALSA)

Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (YALSA)

Texas Maverick Graphic Novel List

Utah Book Award

Young Hoosier Book Award Nominee

Teaching Extensions:

Have students read Rapunzel’s Revenge and the original version of the Grimm’s fairy tale (if the school will allow it), then a “watered down” more modern version of the story, such as the award-winning Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky. Have students compare the different elements that make the stories so different. How do the different settings contribute to the plot? What elements are similar? How do the different styles of illustrations in the two modern versions make the stories different? Which illustrations do they like better? Why? Which one do they like best and why? The main point of this exercise is to get students thinking about and discussing the ways different story elements and plot twists contribute to make a story with the same root so completely different. To further extend the exercise, allow students to pick other fairy tales and put their own twists on the. Allow students to work in groups and brainstorm different plot elements. The stories may be in traditional or graphic novel format, but they must have illustrations. For those students who are not artistically inclined, arrange for them to be able to use the computer lab and introduce them to the computer program ToonDoo (www.toondoo.com). It allows students to create comics or classic illustrations using stock elements. They can then print out their comics/illustrations.

References:

Grimm, Jacob, and Wilhelm Grimm. The Annotated Brothers Grimm. 1. ed. New York: Norton, 2004. Print. 416 pp.

Hale, Shannon, and Dean Hale. Rapunzel's Revenge. Illus. Nathan Hale. New York, N.Y.: Bloomsbury, 2008. Print. 144 pp.

Zelinsky, Paul O., Jacob Grimm, and Wilhelm Grimm. Rapunzel. Weston, Conn.: Weston Woods Studios, 2002. Print. 48 pp.

Lunch Lady and The Cyborg Substitute

Author: Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 96 pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (July 28, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780375846830
ISBN-13: 978-0375846830

Synopsis: Lunch Lady is not only serving up meals in the cafeteria, she's serving up justice so she can make sure the students are safe! Follow the adventures of Lunch Lady and her faithful assistant Betty, along with student sleuths Hector, Dee and Terrence as they discover there's something fishy about the new substitute, and it isn't just the daily special they're smelling!

Review: This graphic novel was a quick read, but a very fun one. As would be expected, there's lots of action and humor. I especially enjoyed all of Lunch Lady's weapons disguised as ordinary cafeteria fare and utensils! Although the only colors in the graphic novel are black, white, gray and yellow, this does not detract from the plot line in the book - in fact, it seems to point the reader to where the focus needs to be, without a lot of background "clutter" to get in the way. I especially enjoyed the cliff-hanger ending of the book, sure to send readers scrambling for the next installment.

Awards/Reviews:

- WINNER 2009 Kid's Indie Next List "Inspired Recommendations for Kids from Indie Booksellers"
- WINNER 2010 Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices

"Yellow-highlighted pen-and-ink cartoons are as energetic and smile-provoking as Lunch Lady’s epithets of 'Cauliflower!' and Betty’s ultimate weapon, the hairnet. There is a nice twist in the surprise ending, and the kids’ ability to stand up to the school bully shows off their newfound confidence in a credible manner. Little details invite and reward repeat readings with visual as well as verbal punning." - Booklist review

Connections:

Get students to make their own superhero weapon for Lunch Lady to use. Print handouts of a page from the book at  http://www.lunchladycomics.com/llfinishthestory.pdf and let students write and draw their own dialouge and superhero gadget!

Print out more gadget blueprints for students from http://www.lunchladycomics.com/bettysblueprints.pdf and let students make their own blueprints and gadgets. Then have students write a journal entry about how Lunch Lady uses the new gadget(s). If students are artistically inclined, they can write it in graphic novel form. If not, prose is fine.

Prior to using this book in class, download and peruse the teachers' resource on the use of graphic novels from Random House  http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/teachers_guides/9780375846830.pdf. There are great ideas for integrating graphic novels into the classroom!