Rapunzel’s Revenge

Hale, Shannon & Hale, Dean. Rapunzel’s Revenge. Illustrated by Nathan Hale.

New York, NY: Bloomsbury, 2008. Print.

Annotation: In an Old West setting, the familiar tale of Rapunzel with her 30-foot braids sets out to break free of her tower prison and defeat Mother Gothel.

Booktalk: How many of you have tried reading a novel in pictures? (wait for response). Yes, I am talking about a graphic novel where the story is propelled by the fantastic pictures of a story in action. (Hold up to see front cover of book). This is the familiar tale of Rapunzel, who is taken away from her family and kept captive by the evil Mother Gothel. This re-retelling has a Old West flair and many new twists along the way. First, the story does not begin so badly for Rapunzel. She is living in a beautiful garden villa where she is practically a princess. [show page 4-5]. Rapunzel has a reoccurring dream that troubles her and not knowing what is on the other side of the tall garden wall. [show page 8]. She finally makes it to the top of the wall to see that the people live in a wasteland [show page 12] and not at all in a beautiful place like her villa. This discovery leads her to find her real mother, the image from her dream! Many questions later and a very angry Mother Gothel, Rapunzel finds herself in the tower [Show page 26]. If this was the traditional story, we would think all she has to do is wait for her prince – right? This Rapunzel is not a damsel waiting to be rescued but takes her own destiny into her hands. She is going to discover her own talents and motivation to escape the tower and defeat Mother Gothel. In her journey she will find the surprise help of another familiar storybook character. Any guesses of who could be a love interest for the spunky Rapunzel? (wait for response) The story is full of action and even a touch of romance watching the adventures unfold through the graphics. You won’t want to put this story down to see if Rapunzel finds her own way to happily ever after.

Honors & Awards

• ALA Notable Children’s Book
• Amelia Bloomer Project Selection
• An Al Roker Today Show Book Club Pick
• An IndieBound Next Pick
• Cybils Award (Graphic Novel)
• YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens
• YALSA Popular Paperback for Young Adults
• Texas Maverick Graphic Novel List
• Utah Book Award
• Young Hoosier Book Award Nominee

http://www.bloomsburykids.com/books/catalog/rapunzels_revenge_pf_883

image credit: storysnoops.com

A Step from Heaven

An, Na. A Step from Heaven.

Asheville, North Carolina: Front Street, 2001. Print.

Annotation: A young Korean girl and her family find it difficult to learn English and adjust to life in America.

Booktalk: How does your own culture define who you are and what you become? Four-year-old Young Ju leaves her small fishing village in Korea for a new life in "Mi Gook" – America. This place makes her parents smile and all Young Ju knows about Mi Gook is that people say it is heaven to live there. Her family takes the bus that flies in the sky so that must mean they are going to heaven. After arriving in American, her family laughs at this misunderstanding and tells Young Ju it is almost as good as heaven. Let us say it is a step from heaven. As time goes on, Young Ju feels further and further from heaven. Her family has very little money and rents a small, dingy apartment. At her new school, it is very hard to get her tongue around the new language. Her experiences are told through a series of vignettes portraying the world she is caught between - the old and new countries and her parent’s generation. Young Ju family is barely held together by the power of love and torn by the violence of despair. Young Ju's family struggles to stay afloat and you will see through her own voice the family's battles with economic hardship and physical violence as her desperate father, Apa, descends into alcoholism.

“We thought nothing would happen the way we wanted. Not ever. Not the time Apa, with a distant edge in his eye, took us to see the new houses being built on a nearby hill and said, we shall see. But then we never did see, although Joon and I asked every day and even packed our clothes in brown paper grocery bags in case we had to move fast.” (Page 72)

Young Ju attempts to find her place in her new world somewhere between Korean and being American. Does she find her new identity?

Honors & Awards:

• 2002 MICHAEL L. PRINTZ AWARD
• 2001 National Book Award Finalist
• 2002 Children's Book Award in YA Fiction – International Reading Association
• 2003 - 2004 Gateway Readers Award Nominee, Missouri Association of School Libraries
• 2003 - 2004 William Allen White Children's Book Award master list
• 2002 Notable Books for a Global Society – International Reading Association
• 2002 Notable Children's Book – American Library Association
• 2002 Best Book for Young Adults – American Library Association
• 2002 Children's Literature Choice List
• 2002 Notable Books for the Language Arts – NCTE
• 2001 Editor's Choice – Booklist
• 2001 New York Times Book Review Notable Book
• 2001 Best Books – School Library Journal
• 2001 Kiriyama Prize Notable Book Shortlist
• 2001 Best Children's Books – Publishers Weekly
• 2001 Best Book – teenreads.com
• 2001 Book LInks Lasting Connections
• 2001 Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children
• 2001 Top 10 Youth First Novels – Booklist

http://www.anwriting.com/astep_awards.html

image credit: bishopstang.libguides.com/librarianreadstoo