REPUNZEL'S REVENGE BY Shannon Hale, Dean Hale & Nathan Hale

RAPUNZEL'S  REVENGE

Bibliography

Hale, Shannon and Hale, Dean. 2008. Rapunzel’s Revenge. Ill. By Nathan Hale. New York: Bloomsbury. ISBN 9781599902883.

Plot Summary

Rapunzel’s Revenge is a fantasy graphic novel in which the protagonist Rapunzel ( now a cowgirl) is separated from her “real” family as a little girl and taken in by the evil mother Gothel. At age 12, Rapunzel decides to look over the wall and see what it beyond. What she sees is desolate and ugly. Beyond the wall, she meets the woman who is her real mother and is separated again from her as she is taken back to Gothel who punishes her by locking her up in a tall tree for four years. During this time, Rapunzel’s hair grows to incredible lengths, and she eventually escapes her prison vowing to find and free her mother. This vow takes her on an adventure where she meets Jack. Jack (the cowboy) and Rapunzel (the cowgirl) become good friends and work together to find a way to free Rapunzel’s real mother from the evil Gothel using all kinds of antics that would be found in an old western movie.

Critical Analysis

Shannon and Deal Hale use the “everything but the kitchen sink” recipe for this fantasy graphic novel set in the old west. They start with a heavy portion of fairy tale, add a little myth along with morals, and add a Wild West motif. Upper grade elementary as well as middle school students will love the strong sense of justice, adventure, and first love. For older students, the overuse of blending so many stories and cultures together may be tiresome but if they love the old west, they will be hooked! 

Since most of the characters are spin-offs from other tales, it does not take long to figure them out. Rapunzel of fairy tale fame has the same advantage of long hair that helps her out except that this Rapunzel is a risk-taker who is not going to sit around waiting for a prince to rescue her. She has taken on that "Annie Oakley, Calamity Jane" appearance and vigor. In fact, when a prince shows up, she tricks him. Rapunzel’s sidekick Jack is also of fairy tale fame better known as Jake (what a cowboy name) and the beanstalk coincidentally has the goose who lays golden eggs. The evil mother character embodied in Gothel is a collective of all the evil mothers and stepmothers from various fairy tales. The other characters are an interesting assortment of various cultures. There are Indians, Mexicans, Asian, a French woman and European woodsmen to name a few. The oddest group of characters are some bandits wearing pirate gear and one who looks like the "A-Team". These are all familiar characters pulled from various stories.

Most fairy tales are set a long, long ago, but the Wild, Wild West makes for an interesting twist on this one. Rapunzel starts out as a perfect child in a perfect villa until she decides to see what is beyond the wall. This is very reminiscent of the old adage “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” or in this case wall. Rapunzel finds the other side of the wall is not greener but instead dirtier and uglier. When she finally escapes from the tree that imprisons her, she heads out into unknown territory. The map on page 73 helps the reader understand the landscape that Rapunzel and Jack must travel. The illustrations also help establish the setting. At the villa, the pictures are filled with green and lilac, and then, dark and lots of brown colors in the other areas where Gothel has withered everything away. The illustrations are essential to the setting.

The plot follows the usual fairy tale format. There is a quest for Rapunzel. She must escape from prison in the tree and find her “real” mother to set her free. Along the way, Rapunzel meets up with many challenges and obstacles to overcome. She must overcome the obvious ones like hunger and sleep, but also magical ones of sea serpents and overly huge wild boar. As soon as she completes one task, then something else goes wrong, and she has one more thing to conquer. Her desire is like the "code of the west" the good guy always wears the white hat! Right the wrongs that others have done!  This pattern continues until she finally overcomes the evil mother Gothel, and everyone lives happily ever after. The plot is very predictable, especially for older readers.

I enjoyed the unusual style of writing which Shannon and Dean Hale used for this story. It was interesting using characters and themes from from other fairy tales which makes the story so different. The language was uncanny using a combination of Old Wild West  mixed with modern words from today. The reader might hear Old Wild West words like “swigger-jiggered,” “yep,” “dag-nabit” and “scared spitless,” words and phrases like “avatar,” and “That’s just wrong”. This use of different dialect will keep the readers on their toes wondering what will happen next and what era will be discovered by their language. I truly believe that any age group will split their jeans when they read jokes about passing gas and embarrassing first kisses which would appeal to any age group. Overall, it is an entertaining twist on old material for younger readers as well as middle school and who knows a high school reader might even enjoy this one!

Review Excerpts

Publishers Weekly – “With its can-do heroine, witty dialogue and romantic ending, this graphic novel has something for nearly everybody.”

Alan Review – “This is definitely not your grandmother's Rapunzel—the quietly submissive, long suffering princess, waiting for the prince to rescue her.”

School Library Journal – “The dialogue is witty, the story is an enticing departure from the original, and the illustrations are magically fun and expressive.”

Kirkus Review – “A dash of typical fairy-tale romance, a strong sense of social justice and a spunky heroine make this a standout choice for younger teens.”

Connections

* Use multiple versions of Rapunzel before reading Rapunzel’s Revenge. Then discuss how they connect. In addition use a Double Bubble Thinking Map to compare/contrast the stories and illustrations. Find Rapunzel written by different authors to see how the picture and style of writing are so different.

• Rapunzel
• Jack and the Beanstalk

*Create reader’s theater scripts for students to perform.

*In groups, have students select a fairy tale and rewrite it in a different setting.

A STEP FROM HEAVEN by An Na

Bibliography                                                                                                         
Na, An. 2001. A Step from Heaven. Asheville, NC: Front Street. ISBN 1886910588

Plot summary
This is a story of survival. Young Ju is a Korean immigrant whose family left Han Gook to come to America (specifically California) for a better life. Young Ju is suspended between adopting American ways and keeping her Korean heritage alive. Young Ju's family is not what it appears on the outside. Her father is abusive and an alcoholic. Her mother is obedient but strong. Young Ju is trying to cover up her reality and her brother is rebelling against everything. What becomes of this family makes a compelling story of how much a family can endure and overcome.

Critical Analysis

Each chapter from the book could be a story in itself.  The title is also the title of one of the chapters in the book where Ju's father explains how coming to America is like taking a "step from heaven".
This young adult novel is not just a story about a Korean family coming to America, it is story of how hidden lives of families who experience abuse and entrapment. It's about covering up so that no one really knows the truth about what goes on behind closed doors. It describes how Ju's family can just go on acting as though nothing is really happening when their world if falling apart. On top of Ju's family coming to a new country where no one in her family actually knows the language or the customs of their new home and trying to cope with abuse.
The problems that Ju faces are issues that many families face regardless of their race, country or culture. Children hide where they live because they are ashamed; mothers hide bruises left abusive husbands; no one knows really what goes on behind closed doors

The problems that Ju faces are issues that many families face regardless of their race, country or culture.  Children hide where they live because they are ashamed; mother hide bruises left by abusive husbands; no one knows really what goes on behind closed doors.

The first signs of abuse shows up relatively early in the text when Ju talks about her father slapping her mother. She describes how fast his hand was hitting her, and how the sound was so defining, sounding loud as breaking glass. She talks about how her father is frustrated with his life in America, and how he takes his anger out on her and her mother. Finally Ju is unable to take any more abuse from her father or watch him abuse her mother.  This becomes the turning point for the text. She calls for help, "...please ...send help...my father is killing my mother!"  How often does this actually happen and no one really knows the torture that children live in, or what pushed them to make that final call for help!

On a lighter note, the time when Ju went to school for the first time and she heard English, it was probably like so many of our own students that we have in our own rooms who speak a language other than English or like Charlie Brown listening to his teacher "WAA, WAA,WAA".  The words made absolutely no sense at all to her. The text tells how she began to develop her own words to help her cope with her new language, new environment, and trying to fit in. But in the end things finally begin to change and there is a ray of hope for Young Ju's family.


This is a very compelling book, bring a box of tissues if you decide to read it. But, take a moment to reflect on how our students feel when they come from another country where English is not spoken by everyone. Think about the issues that could be going on in their homes, the language barrier adding to the problems that already exists.
I think that teenage girls may find this book encouraging knowing that in the end things usually work out.


Review excerpts

BOOKLIST : "This isn't a quick read, especially at the beginning when the child is trying to decipher American words and customs, but the coming-of-age drama will grab teens and make them think of their own conflicts between home and outside. As in the best writing, the particulars make the story universal."

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: " Each of the chapters in this emotionally succinct novel might be read as a short story, although the plot-the acclimation of one young girl to a new
culture and to her own family- is steady and at times suspenseful."

hroughout the text the author inserts words from her native language helping to bring the story more to life. In the beginning you find Ju using more words from her native language, Korean, but as she begins to learn and become more confident she begins to speak more English and leaves her Korean words behind.  This irratates her parents, because they continue to speak Korean in the home and outside the home.  The language is more difficult for her parents to learn being older.  Ju and her brother begin to refuse to speak Korean which angers her father.

Connections

*Read Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club ISBN 0399134204.

*Have a class discussion about local services available to teens to help them if they are in similar situations. Where can they go that is safe? Who can they call (anonymously?) for help? What should they do if they suspect a friend is being abused? How can they stop the cycle?


*Create a "Getting to Know Our School" brochure that gives pictures of important places, with the accompanying English words or cognate that would help ELL students understand easier.  This might help new ELL students become more familiar with the school and community, as well as helping them learn new vocabulary in English.

JOEY PIGZA LOSES CONTROL by Jack Gantos

 

Bibliography Gantos, Jack. 2000. JOEY PIGZA LOSES CONTROL. New York: Scholastic. ISBN: 0439338743

Plot Summary

Joey Pigza, an extremely active young boy, is on his way to spend the summer with his dad whom he has not seen in many years. His dad, Carter, has the same little problem that Joey has...HYPER! But, his dad is trying very hard to get his life a little more calm. Joey's dad wants to get to know his son. Joey’s grandmother also lives with her son, she has just as many problems as her son, just in a different way. She's just as bad for Joey as his dad, smoking every breath and cohersting Joey to buy cigaretts for her over the phone!

During Joey's visit, his dad decides that neither one of them need their medicine patches any more! Carter's pataches are a little different than Joey's...one is for smoking. He decides that neither one needs their hyperactivity patch either! The story unflods as Joey sees himself return to his old troubled self. He knows there is a problem and he's losing control. Joey know that the things that he has starting doing again are just not right, but he can't seem to stop now.  

Critical Analysis

The story takes place in Pittsburgh a large but unglamorous city, perfect for the average guy. A general sense of time is indicated with the presence of a cell phone, but not everyone has one and the use of patches to treat smoking and hyperactivity. The theme, however, gives timelessness to the book. Children can always relate to Joey’s struggle with his hyperactivity and the problems of a child from a divorce. Joey is constantly aware of the power his ADHD plays in his life. With his medication he can deal with it, but is still very aware of the role it plays. When his dad takes away the patches, he knows this is wrong, but has a difficult time accepting that his dad made a bad choice for him and cannot tell his mom right away. Gantos is able to portray this through Joey’s voice and make it all seem plausible.

The characters are real people from the lower middle class with many day-to-day struggles. The mother works hard at a beauty shop, has no car insurance, an expired driver license, and is raising an overly active child on her own. Dad has the same problems with over activity and it has stunted his maturing. He has guilt over abandoning his son and wants to make amends, yet he cannot get beyond his own feeling. Joey want to understand and know a past he missed, but his dad is uncomfortable with talking about the bad things that have happened and won’t. Although he tries to change he cannot give up drinking and is currently doing community service for biting another man’s nose. He also abandons the nicotine patches he uses at the start of the story. He becomes obsessed with Joey helping his baseball team win a championship, yet he is not able to realize that Joey must have his medication to function productively. He has not changed or grown up.

Grandma is sick with emphysema and appears to be weak, but she is a wise old woman with much too offer. She informs Joey early on that things are not all good and that if he wants to stay he should not tell his mom everything that happens. She understands about his hyperactivity and comes up with ways to funnel it, such as going to the park and having him chase golf balls. She talks to him about the possibility that he may think he can get his parents back together and suggests that he not go there. She is not the picture of a typical coddling grandmother; she rides in a grocery cart and speaks roughly to him.

The story is told through Joey’s voice which makes it truly a kid’s story. We get to hear a running dialog of his views on everything that happens. For an overactive boy, he does some deep thinking and sees things pretty maturely. His first day alone with his grandma he decides to be nice to her, determining that it was up to him, the child, to set the mood. He also wishes that his mom could realize that Grandma is not all bad. When she gets tangles up in her oxygen cord and scrapes herself up, he calmly gets her home and cleans her up. Joey wants to get to know and admire his dad and tries real hard. He quickly learns that his dad likes to talk about the future, not the past, nor does he listen much. He worries when his medicine patches are thrown away, but works hard to control his behavior and believe that his dad is right about him not needing it. At times he feels like there are 2 Joey's; one for mom and one for dad. This is a good insight into determining who you are. The struggle gets too hard for him and he tries to tell his mom, but he is not successful. This is a lot for a kid to deal with. As the baseball season winds down and he has proven to be a good pitcher all the pressure and lack of medication overwhelms him. He falls apart at the last game and knows it is time to contact mom. He cannot succeed alone, he knows he needs his medication and someone who supports him – mom.

As I read this book I could see so many child that have passed through my class struggling with ADD or ADHD.  Many times their parents didn't want to face the fact that there was an answer, but it wasn't the one that they wanted to hear from their doctor.

Review Excerpts

Publishers Weekly
First introduced in Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, Gantos's hyperactive hero Joey Pigza has not lost any of his liveliness… Like its predecessor, this high-voltage, honest novel mixes humor, pain, fear and courage with deceptive ease. Struggling to please everyone even as he sees himself hurtling toward disaster, Joey emerges as a sympathetic hero, and his heart of gold never loses its shine. Ages 10-up.

School Library Journal
Gr 4-8-At the end of Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key (Farrar, 1998), this endearing, but incredibly challenging kid was adjusting to his new medicine patches for his ADHD. Now he is flung from the frying pan into the fire when he visits his father and grandmother for the summer. ... Readers will be drawn in immediately to the boy's gripping first-person narrative and be pulled pell-mell through episodes that are at once hilarious, harrowing, and ultimately heartening as Joey grows to understand himself and the people around him. The ride home isn't smooth, but it is hopeful and loving. Does this mean that he is on the way to a happy, "normal" life? As Joey himself would say, "Can I get back to you on that?"-Starr LaTronica, Four County Library System, Vestal, NY

Connections

Other Joey books
Gantos, Jack. 1998. JOEY PIGZA SWALLOWED THE KEY. ISBN: 0-374-33664-4

Gantos, Jack. 2007. I AM NOT JOEY PIGZA. ISBN: 0-374-39941-7
Have students write an essay on a time when they felt out of control. How did they handle it?