Rapunzel's Revenge By Shannon and Dean Hale and illustrated by Nathan Hale

Rapunzel grew up the daughter of a witch named Gothel. For the longest time, Rapunzel was content to live in the big palace and eat wonderful food, converse with the servants, and live pretty much alone. But when Rapunzel finally climbed the huge wall that surrounded the palace one fateful day, what she saw on the outside stunned her.

The land around the palace was a huge wasteland, no longer green and verdant, but filthy with dirt and soot. The people were imprisoned, and Rapunzel finally met her mother, her real mother, who was being rounded up to work in Gothel's mines. After so long a time, it was amazing that her mother recognized her, but recognized her she did.

When Rapunzel was returned to Gothel by the Palace Guards, Rapunzel refused to keep playing nice with the witch who had stolen her from her mother. In response, Gothel had her taken to a swamp and imprisoned in a huge tree that grew in mere moments. She was in there for years, and Rapunzel's hair also reacted to the growth magic, growing longer and longer until they were longer than she was.

Gothel visited, always trying to persuade Rapunzel to come home and be like her daughter again, but Rapunzel never cared to say yes- and the one time she lied, Gothel saw right through her. When she was 16, Gothel came one last time, but Rapunzel refused her last offer, then set about making her escape, using her long hair as a rope.

But Gothel's depradations had made folk a lot less trusting with each other, and soon Rapunzel found herself on the run with a boy named Jack, who nicknamed her "Punzie" and had a goose with him that laid golden eggs- or so he claimed. But as they fight their way across the vast land that belongs to Gothel, they must also find a way to bring her down- but how can they fight against "Mother Gothel"'s magic?

I really liked this book, which puts an Old West spin on a familliar Fairy Tale. Rapunzel goes from a spoiled child to a very grown-up woman, and along the way, she saves Jack's life over and over, using her long hair as a whip, a rope, or whatever else might be needful. Unlike the fairy tale, she isn't rescued, but manages to rescue herself- giving her lots of backbone.

But Gothel has magic, and what's to prevent her from capturing Rapunzel all over again and doing away with her for good this time? Only Rapunzel herself can answer that, and as she travels around helping those in need, she may find that friendship is the best sort of thing to have. Seeing how Gothel met her end was wonderful, and I liked the open-ended ending, which may promise more tales to come.

Kids who like mixed-up fairytales and strong female heroines will love this book. The book is well-drawn, and the art has a strong Western vibe that's clean and fun to read at the same time. Whether what's being drawn is a giant snake or other humans, there is a rightness to it that readers will enjoy. Highly recommended.