EducatingParents.org rating: Under Review

An inventive twist on the classic Rapunzel (and Jack the Beanstalk) tale. Rapunzel lives in Mother Gothel's villa, but once she sees the misery outside the walls, and learns that her real mother labors in the mines, she tries to escape - but Mother Gothel brings her to a forest and places her in the top of a tree. Four years later, Rapunzel escapes and plans a rescue mission. Along the way, she meets Jack, and the two team up, facing various dangers (including Mother Gothel's Brute, a pack of wolves, outlaws with guns, a sea serpent, and rough terrain). They arrive at Mother Gothel's together the night of her annual shindig and bring her tumbling down; fittingly, she's enveloped in a giant tree. Jack kisses Rapunzel, and Goldy the goose finally lays a golden egg. ( )

Intermediate
An Old West take on the Rapunzel story in graphic novel form
I really enjoyed this book. I'd like to have this book in my classroom because it subverts the fairy tale tropes and is a fun adventure romp. Rapunzel is a tough girl who can hold her own but eventually forms an unlikely romance with Jack.

Rapunzel set in the wild west might not sound like a winner, but Shannon Hale's strong female lead and her lovely friend Jack are the perfect fit for this fairy tale retelling. ( )

This rocked. The Hales (and Hale) have taken traditional fairy tales and set them into a gritty historical world that resembles the United States 1800s, you know if there were monsters and giants and magic.

This is the first book in the series, and while I read the 2nd first, I was fine reading them out of order. This one takes place in the Old West, one run by Mother Gothel who has a mafia-like hold on the land because of her ability to make things grow... or not. Rapunzel is her daughter, only she discovers she was kidnapped from her real parents, and she decides to rescue her mother from Gothel's slave mines and free the land from Gothel's rule. Enter Jack, of the beanstalk, and his goose Goldy. The two join Rapunzel on her quest.

Hale's version of Rapunzel is fantastic. She's smart, independent, loyal, has a strong moral streak, and uses her long hair like lassos. I think I liked this story better than Calamity Jack. I liked the setting better, and Rapunzel better than Jack.

I hope the Hales write more in this series soon. I want more! ( )