Rapunzel's Revenge
What's the Story?
Once upon a time, in a land you only think you know, lived a little girl and her mother . . . or the woman she thought was her mother.
Every day, when the little girl played in her pretty garden, she grew more curious about what lay on the other side of the garden wall . . . a rather enormous garden wall.
And every year, as she grew older, things seemed weirder and weirder, until the day she finally climbed to the top of the wall and looked over into the mines and desert beyond.
Newbery Honor-winning author Shannon Hale teams up with husband Dean Hale and brilliant artist Nathan Hale (no relation) to bring readers a swashbuckling and hilarious twist on the classic story as you’ve never seen it before. Watch as Rapunzel and her amazing hair team up with Jack (of beanstalk fame) to gallop around the wild and western landscape, changing lives, righting wrongs, and bringing joy to every soul they encounter.
What's the Buzz?
"The Hales seem like they’re having a ball with this story, and they like to mix in generous helpings of other myths and legends to flesh out the action. (Also, a couple other fairy tales find their way into the telling of Rapunzel’s Revenge, but it would take an evil stepmother to give them away here.)" - Graphic Novel Reporter
"Shannon and Dean Hale take Rapunzel's story, make Rapunzel totally kick-butt, plunk it down in a magical version of the American Old West, and add a little Jack (and the Beanstalk). It's fantastic." - Abby the Librarian
"Yee haw! Shannon Hale and her hubby Dean have taken the tired old princess-in-a-tower-tale and re-imagined Rapunzel as a rootin’ tootin’ cowgirl, complete with scarlet lassoin’ braids, and a sassy sidekick named Jack (yeah, he of the magic bean fame)." - Reading Rants
"For the first time, the story of a girl locked in a tower by an evil stepmother and her excessively long hair makes a certain amount of sense. Shannon and Dean Hale give Rapunzel character and motivation — she’s active, making choices, instead of someone bad things are done to." - Comics Worth Reading
"This is a story of growth, revenge, love and friendship that is both entertaining and absorbing. The colorful illustrations and witticisms complement each other in the telling, and the reader is allowed to experience the actions, emotions and hair-whipping brawls of the main characters as a result." - Dallas Library
"After reading the first 30 pages of Rapunzel’s Revenge I knew two things: 1) that I loved this version of Rapunzel with the force of a thousand thunderstorms and 2) that I would be glomming Mrs Hale’s backlist pronto. " - - The Book Smugglers
Rapunzel is a spunky, smart, strong heroine who triumphs mightily over villains and insurmountable odds to make her world a better place. - Ya Books Central
"Part fairy tale, western, romance, and comedy, Rapunzel's Revenge is a wild ride you'll never forget! I couldn't put this book down. Rapunzel is one of the greatest heroines you'll ever meet. The expressive sketches in this graphic novel make the story come alive, with humor written within the graphics themselves. Loved it!" - Symborse @ D.R. Hill Middle School
"The Hales are funny writers -- there were many asides and humorous bits that worked extremely well. A lot of that credit, of course, goes to Nathan Hale and his art work." - Estella's Revenge
"This clever and compelling take on the Rapunzel fairy tale is sure to delight readers who have a fondness for graphic novels, high adventure, the Wild West, romance, and magic."- Looking Glass Review
"This is going to be the perfect graphic novel for reluctant readers, fairy tale lovers, readers who love fairy tale retellings, and anyone who loves books that make you laugh out loud. I can not wait to pass this one onto my students." - The Reading Zone
"Sidekicks, villains, kidnappers, and giant sea serpents fill these brightly illustrated pages. This is a fun read, that will appeal equally to girls and boys. A fractured fairytale that goes deeper, Rapunzel's Revenge is a must for graphic novel readers." - Tweendom
"There is enough action, adventure, head-thumping and hog-tying to keep the story moving briskly along -- this is no sissy fairytale. Keep your eye open for guest appearances by other fairytale characters, and be ready for the humor tucked into both the illustrations and the text." - A Year of Reading
"The Rapunzel retelling itself is witty and unusual, and I love how the Wild West is seamlessly included in the story. It provides an adventurous backdrop for the characters, and gives Nathan Hale a lot of scope when it comes to his excellent artwork." - Wondrous Reads
"... 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)." - Miss Print
"If you don’t love this one… I’ll grow super-long braids and ride off into the sunset." - Shelf Elf
Where Can I Learn More?
Lots more about the book at author Shannon Hale's Website. (Psst, even though it's off topic, dig around on the site and find the "Dragon's, Abby's and Hags" adventure and play along. It's fun!)
Shannon's husband and co-author Dean Hale has a site as well. Be sure to stretch your brain before you visit because Dean's site is full of twisted stories, and you don't want to cramp.
Web comics, Illustrations & Lego's. Who doesn't want to visit artist Nathan Hale's site?
