Saturday, December 6, 2008

Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon & Nathan Hale, illus. by Dean Hale (Bloomsbury, 2008)

Cindy: This is my kind of graphic novel...super heroes in the guise of folktale heroines! "Punzie" and sidekick Jack are a great team with snarky reparte, a humorous flair, and friendship that hints of a budding romance. The western influence reminded me of another favorite graphic novel, Daisy Kutter: The Last Train. Glad to hear the authors are teaming up for a sequel. This Rapunzel escapes Gothel, uses her long braids as lassos to dispense with the bad guys, and returns to try to improve life of the citizens affected by Gothel's heavy taxes and detrimental spells. I need some other graphic novel reading suggestions. If you have a favorite, leave us a comment!
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Lynn: No quarrel here, partner! I loved everything about this book: the fairy tale set in the Old West, the perfect palette, the humor, the spunky characters, and the sassy dialog. I can’t resist lines like Jack admitting, “I have a serious problem with some giants.” What I like most about this terrific book is the way the text and illustrations work together to create the story. The Hales (all of them) smartly allow the illustrations to carry the action, often using vivid colors to heighten the tension. This is a perfect blend and I can’t wait to see more from this talented team. Oh - and the goose was a great character!
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Cindy: I just read Jen Hubert's Reading Rants post about this book--I want to be Jen when I grow up! The woman can write and she has fabulous hair!

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was happy to see you guys weigh in on this one, and I couldn't agree more with your assessment. "Rapunzel's Revenge" is a 2008 standout. A funny, well-illustrated, inventive take on the Rapunzel tale.