Children's Fantasy Review
- Lizardo Moreno
- Nov 21, 2018
- 9 min read
RAPUNZEL’S REVENGE
Hale, Shannon. (2008). RAPUNZEL’S REVENGE. New York, NY: Bloomsbury. ISBN: 9781599902883
PLOT & SUMMARY
RAPUNZEL’S REVENGE is Marvel Comics, Rapunzel, Lara Croft, Jack and the Bean Stalk, the Lorax, and the Wild West all rolled up into one harrowing adventure. Hale creates superhero Rapunzel and her sidekick Jack, but doesn’t let on if they will live happily ever after. In this fractured fairy tale, high fantasy, comic book Rapunzel is torn from her mother’s arms as a toddler. Rapunzel is raised in an elaborate Villa by magical sorceress, Mother Gothel, where she has everything she desires but has these recurring nightmares. By chance, she runs into her mother who was enslaved by Mother Gothel and the memories of that fateful day flood her mind. Rapunzel is punished for wanting to see her mother by being locked in a magical tower that feeds and shelters her for 4 lonely years. During this time her hair grows super long and she trains herself to use her hair as a weapon. When she won’t succumb to Mother Gothel, she is forced to escape from the tower before being trapped there forever. Rapunzel decides to journey back to the Villa to free her mother. Along the way she meets Jack, many perils and perfects using her hair as weapons. When she reaches the Villa, Jack’s magical bean creates a distraction that allows to Rapunzel’s to free her mother. Mother Gothel captures Rapunzel and cuts her hair. Will Rapunzel escape Mother Gothel or will she perish at her hand?
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Hale’s decision to use the format of a comic book to tell her fractured-fairy tale effectively captures the adventure, drama, and emotions that each character experiences in this journey to regain the warm love of Rapunzel’s natural mother. The maps of Hale’s world and Mother Gothel’s reach gives the reader a foresight as to what Rapunzel may encounter on her way back to the Villa. I used the Kindle version, which allows the reader to zoom in on each comic tile. It allows for greater interaction with the book itself and allows the reader to view illustrator’s Nathan Hale’s details in each of his scenes. I am glad that Hale has recreated Rapunzel from being a helpless damsel in distress to a strong goal-oriented female heroine who is sure of herself, strong, but still exhibits the feminine qualities of love and compassion for her fellow beings.
Awards for RAPUNZEL’S REVENGE include
2009 ALA Notable Books for Children, 2009 ALA Graphic Novels for Teens, 2009 ALA Great Graphic Novels for Teens
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
With its can-do heroine, witty dialogue and romantic ending, this graphic novel has something for nearly everybody. Ages 10–up. –Publisher’s Weekly
A beloved fairy tale gets a glossy graphic-novel makeover, reworked in a fanciful Old West setting. . . 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. (Graphic fiction. 10-14) –Kirkus Review
CONNECTIONS
Shannon Hale has continued to make over classic characters in
(2014). CALAMITY JACK. ISBN 9781599903736
(2007). THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND DAYS. ISBN 9781599900513
(2005). PRINCESS ACADEMY. ISBN 9781599900735
ECHO
Ryan, Pam Muñoz. (2015). ECHO. New York: Scholastic Audio. ISBN: 9780545788373
PLOT & SUMMARY
In her low-fantasy, historical fiction, ECHO, Pam Ryan Muñoz integrates 5 storylines that culminate at a world-class concert in Carnegie Hall. The story begins with the creation of a mystical harmonica in an enchanted forest. It is an instrument that inspires the musician to be bold and courageous. The following stories don’t seem to be tied together until the end. Read to find out how Friedrich finds the courage to try to free his father from the Nazi camps. Mike and his orphan brother get adopted, but something isn’t right with his adoptive mother. Mike finds the courage to pursue his musical dream. Finally, Ivy Lopez knows that she is musically gifted and find the courage to find out the truth about her Japanese neighbors during WWII. The characters that came in contact with playing this particular harmonica eventually meet each other and their families are proud of their accomplishment as musicians.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Listening to the audio version has its drawbacks, such as not being able to go back to a particular page, highlight quotes, or rewind to a particular minute. I used Alexa to read to me and she was good at picking up where I last finished listening. The advantage to listening to Echo is that there were references to much classical music, American Folk songs that I would have had to go research if the songs had not been embedded into the audio narrative.
In the beginning, the stories seemed disconnected. By creating the fantastical enchanted forest with a storyline reminiscent of Rapunzel, she creates a musical instrument that affected all her characters. Pam did a great job at researching what life was like in different time periods at different places. The listener is sucked into the danger of Nazi Germany, WWII and the fear of the unknown. Each character in their own English dialect had to grow from circumstances that were not favorable to them. Pam shows how the courage to pursue one's dream can have the effect of touching so many others. Reflecting the universal truth that good is more powerful than evil.
Echo has received the following Awards and Honors:
The Newbery Honor – The Kirkus Prize – New York Times Editors’ Choice – ALA Notable Book – New York Historical Society Book Prize – National Parenting Publications Gold Award – Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year – Washington Post Best Books of the Year – NPR 2015 Great Reads – New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing – New York Times Notable Book – SCIBA Middle Grade Book of the Year – The Audie Award – International Literacy Association Notable Book for a Global Society – Booksource Scout Award – NCTE Notable Book in the Language Arts – ILA/CBC Children’s Choice – The Américas Award – The New Jersey Garden State Teen Book Award
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
The book’s thematic underpinnings poignantly reveal what Friedrich, Mike, and Ivy truly have in common: not just a love of music, but resourcefulness in the face of change, and a refusal to accept injustice. Ages 10–14. –Publisher’s Weekly
A grand narrative that examines the power of music to inspire beauty in a world overrun with fear and intolerance, it’s worth every moment of readers’ time. –Kirkus Review
CONNECTIONS
Readers who enjoy Pam Ryan Muñoz’s writing style will be glad to know that she has authored several other books, this is a short list:
BECOMING NAOMI LEON (2005). ISBN 9780439269971
RIDING FREEDOM (1998). ISBN 9780590957663
ESPERANZA RISING (2000). ISBN 9780439398855
THE DREAMER (2012). ISBN 9780439269988
RULES
Lord, Cynthia. (2006). RULES. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN: 9780439443821.
PLOT & SUMMARY
Cynthia creates a book where readers can almost look into the imagination of an autistic child and a wheelchair-bound boy who can only communicate through cards. In this simple plot, Catherine is on summer vacation but has to babysit her autistic younger brother and she has to wait for him when he goes to occupational therapy (OT). A young artist, her mother tries to get her to go to summer camps which Catherine does not succumb to. Her summer vacation starts to get better when a new neighbor, Kristi, a girl her age moves in, and when she makes friend with Jason, another kid attending OT. When Kristi invites Catherine to a dance at the community center and asks her to invite her friend Jason, Catherine embarrassment not only of her brother and new friend Jason is too much to bear. She must decide if she will introduce Jason to her “normal” friend Kristi.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Cynthia’s characters live in a time before the advent of technology, where communication books for people with disabilities were their only mode of communication. It was a transition time from cassette players to CD players and motorized wheelchairs were new to the market, setting this story on cusps of historical fiction. The style of borrowed words from Arnold Lobel created a sense of what it is like to have limited communication skills. Throughout the story, Catherine is always writing rules so that her brother can adjust to the world around him. I liked how the text was distinct whenever Jason spoke as it gave the insight as to the limitations of a communication book. This book speaks to the love of family and friends helps to overcome obstacles.
Awards for RULES include:
2007 Great Stone Face Book Award -- Grades 4-6 (Nominee)
2007 Newbery Medal -- Children's (Honor Book)
2007 Schneider Family Book Award -- Middle-School (Winner)
2008 Black-Eyed Susan Award -- Grades 6-9 (Nominee)
2008 Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award -- Grades 4-6 (Nominee)
2008 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award -- Children's (Winner)
2008 Iowa Children's Choice (ICCA) Award -- Children's (Nominee)
2008 Kentucky Bluegrass Award -- Grades 6-8 (Winner)
2008 Land of Enchantment Book Award -- Young Adult (Nominee)
2008 Maine Student Book Award -- Grades 4-8 (Winner)
2008 Nene Award -- Children's Fiction (Recommended)
2008 Rhode Island Children's Book Award -- Grades 3-6 (Nominee)
2008 Volunteer State Book Award -- Grades 4-6 (Nominee)
2008 West Virginia Children's Book Award -- Children's (Third Place)
2009 Beehive Award -- Fiction (Nominee)
2009 California Young Reader Medal -- Middle School (Nominee)
2009 Colorado Children's Book Award -- Junior Novel (Nominee)
2009 Georgia Children's Book Award -- Children's Book (Nominee)
2009 Golden Sower Award -- Intermediate (Honor Book)
2009 Massachusetts Children's Book Award -- Children's Book (Honor Book)
2009 North Carolina Children's Book Award -- Junior Book (Nominee)
2009 Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award -- Grades 3-6 (Nominee)
2009 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award -- Grades 4-8 (Nominee)
2009 Sequoyah Book Award -- Young Adult (Nominee)
2009 Sunshine State Young Reader's Award -- Grades 3-5 (Nominee)
2009 Sunshine State Young Reader's Award -- Grades 6-8 (Nominee)
2009 Virginia Readers Choice Award -- Elementary (Nominee)
2009 William Allen White Childens Book Award -- Grades 6-8 (Nominee)
2009 Young Hoosier Book Award -- Intermediate (Nominee)
2009 Young Reader's Choice Award -- Junior/Grades 4-6 (Nominee)
2010 Grand Canyon Reader Award -- Tween (Nominee)
2010 Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award -- Grades 3-5 (Nominee)
2010 Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award -- Grades 6-8 (Nominee)
2010 Nutmeg Book Award -- Intermediate (Nominee)
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
A rewarding story that may well inspire readers to think about others' points of view. Ages 9-12 –Publisher’s Weekly
The details of autistic behavior are handled well, as are depictions of relationships: Catherine experiences some of the same unease with Jason that others do in the presence of her brother. In the end, Jason helps Catherine see that her rules may really be excuses, opening the way for her to look at things differently. A heartwarming first novel. — Booklist Online
But this book hurt to read. I worked really hard to get through it because I wanted to be able to say something about it, but in the end I just wanted to cry really hard for all the Davids out there. And the Jasons. –Riki Entz
CONNECTIONS
Other award winning books by Cynthia Lord are:
(2014). HALF CHANCE. ISBN 9781490614045.
(2010) HOT ROD HAMSTER. ISBN 9781456115340
(2010). TOUCH BLUE. ISBN 9781461807377
THE ARRIVAL
Tan, Shaun. (2006). THE ARRIVAL. New York, NY: Arthur A. Levine. ISBN: 9780439895293.
PLOT & SUMMARY
In this low fantasy, historical fiction novel, Tan demonstrate the experience of leaving your home and family in search for a better future, all the while thinking of who was left behind. When he arrives he struggles to understand the new land, but eventually with the help of friends made along the way he is Americanized.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Tan doesn’t need to text to communicate with the emotion of family separation or the experience of being new in a huge city. The sepia images effectively create the sense of someone looking into someone’s family album. The images allow the reader to imagine that this didn’t happen too long ago, perhaps 1930. Tan shows that making it in the world requires sacrifice, enduring the unknown in order to make a family life better.
Awards include: 2008 ALA Notable Books for Children, 2008 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Winner, 2008 ALA Best Books for Young Adults, 2008 ALA Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens, 2008 ALA Great Graphic Novels for Teens, 2008 American Booksellers Award – Children’s Literature Honor Book
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Such visual eloquence can only motivate readers to seek out any future graphic novels from Shaun Tan, regardless of where they might be shelved. –The New York Times
We seem to be living in a golden age of children's literature. Over the past few years we've been treated to several children's books which surely compare favorably to the best in modern times: The Invention of Hugo Cabret , The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane , and Shaun Tan's, The Arrival. –Speechlanguage-Resources.com
The Arrival is an immigrant story, but in a more universal sense it conveys the feeling that we've all had at some point of being lost, frightened or confused in an unfamiliar environment. It reminds us that new beginnings can be scary, and the spirit of patience and hospitality are always a welcome port in a storm. –National Public Radio
CONNECTIONS
Gene Leun Yang conjectures a list of other graphic novels “pure comics in the way they construct their narratives.”
Sendack, Maurice. (1970). IN THE NIGHT KITCHEN. ISBN 9780060266684
Rathmann, Peggy (2004). GOOD NIGHT, GORILLA. ISBN 9780399242601
Weisner, David (2006). FLOTSAM. ISBN 9780618194575