I am a huge Shannon Hale fan. She has written some of my favourite youth fiction books including Princess Academy, Book of a Thousand Days and Goose Girl, as well as Austenland, one of her adult fiction novels. So when I heard she had teamed up with her husband to write a graphic novel I knew I had to check it out. The story is loosely based on the character of Rapunzel. At the age of twelve, Rapunzel discovers that the woman she thought was her mother is actually a witch who stole her from her parents when she was a baby. The witch locks her in a giant tree (grown with magic) so that she cannot escape. The magic used to grow the tree also causes her hair to grow EXTREMELY long in the three years she is locked up. She finally escapes and her adventures really start. Rapunzel teams up with Jack, an outlaw that carries around a goose and a bean.... This take on the story really makes Rapunzel the heroine of the story, as she is the one who rescues Jack and many others along her way. She is strong and brave, making her a great role model. As far as story goes, it is typical "comic book" type action sequences, one after another, as Rapunzel battles wild boars, bands of outlaws, giant seas snakes, etc... The story lacks depths, but that seems to be inevitable in this format. Overall, a good story I would recommend highly, especially to reluctant readers.Click on the page for a sneak peek!
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