Letters from Rapunzel

Once upon a time, there was a girl. Let's call her Rapunzel. A modern-day version. Abandoned. Alone. Waiting for her hair to grow and dreaming of a way to escape from her tower. She was trapped, you see. Not in the conventional fairy-tale way—this was the dreaded after-school Homework Club. A desolate place, where no gum could be chewed, and where Rapunzel sat day after day, cursing the evil spell that had been cast over her father. The doctors called it something else, but a true heroine can smell an evil spell a mile away. So when a mysterious letter addressed to P.O. Box #5667 falls into her hands, she knows she's found the pea under her mattress. But since when is finding happily ever after as simple as Just Writing Back? Winner show more of the Ursula Nordstrom Fiction Contest, Sara Lewis Holmes's enchanting debut novel is a breath of fresh air. Told through letters, with a liberal sprinkling of fairy dust, Rapunzel's quest for a happy ending gives every reader something to believe in. show less

Nine-year-old Georgie has height issues. As a dwarf, he isn't likely to grow much taller than his current 42 inches. Consequently school furniture is awkward, running track or playing a musical instrument isn't possible, and he knows his soon-to-be new sibling will quickly outgrow him physically. To make matters worse, he's had a misunderstanding with his best friend, Andy, and is being forced to partner with Jeanie the Meanie for a school report. Given these circumstances, this might easily have been depressing. Instead, first novelist Graff employs a light touch, turning in a poignant, often funny exploration of what it means to celebrate one's skills rather than lamenting one's limitations. Graff makes good use of an anonymous show more narrator (revealed in the last chapter to be one of the book's main characters), who provides kid-friendly information about dwarfism. An upbeat and sensitive look at what it's like to be different, this novel will spark discussion. Category: Books for Middle Readers--Fiction. 2007, HarperCollins/Laura Geringer, $15.99, $16.89 show less

Intense, at least more so than the cartoon-style cover art would lead a reader to believe.  A little too earnest, maybe.  Perhaps a bit formulaic, in that one parent is facing a personal challenge & is absent, and the other won't tell the child what is going on.  I think, by now, we know we need to talk to our kids - especially the imaginative ones.  And because the girl in this book is so very imaginative, the story is charming, and the ending, while not HEA, is satisfying.  I'd love to read more by the author.

Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Cadence Brogan aka Rapunzel may have found someone to help her with her problems. That someone is P.O. Box #5667.

Cadence's father has battled clinical depression most of his life. His recent bout has required treatment in the hospital to regulate his medication. Shortly after her father's hospitalization, Cadence discovers a torn piece from a letter her father had written to someone with the address P.O. Box #5667. Not knowing this person, but hoping whoever it is can help shed more light on her father's condition; Cadence begins writing her own letters.

The problems Cadence hopes to get help with include her father's rapid recovery and return home, a busy, hard-working show more mother, an annoying classmate named Andrew, and mandatory attendance in the GT (Gifted and Talented) program.

A great lover of fairy tales, Cadence focuses on the similarities between herself and the imprisoned Rapunzel. Many of her letters describe her hope to escape and her search to find a cure for the Evil Spell holding her father "prisoner." As she searches for answers, some of what she discovers is not pleasant. In an effort to protect her, Cadence learns that her mother, who refers to her husband's condition as C.D., has not been completely honest about the extent of the depression. Not being able to share her thoughts with her father, more and more of Cadence's feelings pour out in her letters to #5667.

Sara Lewis Holmes cleverly creates Cadence's story through these letters. She has Cadence holding out hope that her letters will be answered, but even as that hope fades, Holmes portrays a positive, up-beat Cadence. Any reader will identify with the struggle to overcome adversity, but this book is sure to hit home with readers who have experience with friends or family members suffering from clinical depression. show less

Cadence has discovered someone to share her problems with - an anonymous someone at P.O. Box #5667. After her father is hospitalized with clinical depression, she finds a piece of a letter he wrote to someone at that P.O. address. Maybe whoever it is can help her understand her father.

Cadence begins writing letters to the address. Her love of fairy tales inspires her to write as Rapunzel. After all aren't their situations sort of similar - Cadence feels like she is held captive and needs to be rescued. Will P.O. Box #5667 answer her letters and rescue her?

Through a series of letters written to a post office box, twelve-year-old Cadence describes her father's hospitalization for depression, her subsequent problems at school, and her hope that the mysterious recipient will help her find a happy ending.

not a bad first effort