Book
Review: Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon
and Dean Hale, Illustrated by Nathan Hale
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
2. PLOT SUMMARY
As punishment
for her escapades and defiance, Gothel shuts Rapunzel in a tree tower for four
years. At the end of that time period, when Gothel realizes that Rapunzel will
forever search for her real mother, shunning her and all she stands for, Gothel
leaves Rapunzel to die. Using her excessively long hair, Rapunzel fashions a
lasso and escapes from her tree prison.
With her
escape ends all similarities to the more familiar story of Rapunzel. Instead, the
Hales’ Rapunzel becomes a lasso-wielding heroine of the country as she works
her way back toward her former home where she will try to save her mother and
defeat Gothel.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Another
surprising and familiar addition to this graphic novel is Rapunzel’s partner in
her adventures: Jack, of Jack in the Beanstalk. A more astute reader will
recognize him by the goose he carries around, but as the goose refuses to lay
eggs, a less aware reader may not realize who Jack is until the very end of the
novel when he plants his last magic bean. The ensuing beansprout proves
critical to the overthrow and defeat of Gothel.
Although
Rapunzel and Jack embody most of the story elements from other tall tales,
fairy tales, and legends, there are smatterings of details reminiscent of many
other tales throughout Rapunzel’s Revenge.
A shrewd observation of both text and illustrations will uncover dwarves,
giants, pirates, shamen, a jackalope, and, with a little more conjecture, a
whole slew of baddies from other stories.
Rapunzel’s
Revenge
is so well done that its conclusion leaves the reader wanting more. Perhaps its
only drawback is that readers unfamiliar with other fairytales, folklore, and
so forth will undoubtedly miss many of the nuances that make this book so charming.
Book
Review: Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon
and Dean Hale, Illustrated by Nathan Hale
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hale,
D., Hale, S., & Hale, N. (2008). Rapunzel's revenge: Graphic novel.
London: Bloomsbury. 144 p.
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Rapunzel’s Revenge is a graphic novel consisting entirely of
illustrated panels. The panels depict the story of the classic fairytale, Rapunzel…with a twist. Until she is twelve,
Rapunzel lives inside a beautiful villa, albeit one encompassed by an
impossibly high and thick wall of stone. On her twelfth birthday, Rapunzel
defies her mother’s (Gothel) wishes and sneaks over the wall. She is shocked to
find the surrounding town and countryside desert-dry with people enslaved in
the mines. Just before she is hauled back to the villa, Rapunzel has a chance
encounter with one of the mine slaves who recognizes the twelve-year-old as her
stolen daughter.
As punishment
for her escapades and defiance, Gothel shuts Rapunzel in a tree tower for four
years. At the end of that time period, when Gothel realizes that Rapunzel will
forever search for her real mother, shunning her and all she stands for, Gothel
leaves Rapunzel to die. Using her excessively long hair, Rapunzel fashions a
lasso and escapes from her tree prison.
With her
escape ends all similarities to the more familiar story of Rapunzel. Instead, the
Hales’ Rapunzel becomes a lasso-wielding heroine of the country as she works
her way back toward her former home where she will try to save her mother and
defeat Gothel.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This
graphic novel masterfully weaves a new tale from old materials. Rapunzel
herself is a familiar individual, but the Hales deepen her character by adding
other familiar elements to her repertoire of talents. Rapunzel’s abilities to
wield a lasso and crack a whip with deadly accuracy are reminiscent of the Old
West’s Pecos Bill. Her penchant for wearing chaps, a neckerchief, and leather
fringe brings to mind Annie Oakley. (At the end of the story we learn that
Rapunzel’s birth name was Annie.) The arid, inhospitable terrain Rapunzel
travels through has a distinctly Southwestern flavor. Each of these details
combine to create a new, yet familiar-feeling story that readers are
comfortable perusing.
Another
surprising and familiar addition to this graphic novel is Rapunzel’s partner in
her adventures: Jack, of Jack in the Beanstalk. A more astute reader will
recognize him by the goose he carries around, but as the goose refuses to lay
eggs, a less aware reader may not realize who Jack is until the very end of the
novel when he plants his last magic bean. The ensuing beansprout proves
critical to the overthrow and defeat of Gothel.
Although
Rapunzel and Jack embody most of the story elements from other tall tales,
fairy tales, and legends, there are smatterings of details reminiscent of many
other tales throughout Rapunzel’s Revenge.
A shrewd observation of both text and illustrations will uncover dwarves,
giants, pirates, shamen, a jackalope, and, with a little more conjecture, a
whole slew of baddies from other stories.
Rapunzel’s
Revenge
is so well done that its conclusion leaves the reader wanting more. Perhaps its
only drawback is that readers unfamiliar with other fairytales, folklore, and
so forth will undoubtedly miss many of the nuances that make this book so charming.
___________________________________________________________________
Book Review The Dark Game: True Spy Stories by Paul
B. Janeczko
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
2. PLOT SUMMARY
3. CRITICAL
ANALYSIS
This book is
well written in an interesting fashion. Even readers without particular
interest in the history of spying will find intriguing details in its pages. A
reader with a basic understanding of espionage is unlikely to find much to
capture his or her attention, however. The information provided in Dark Games: True Spy Stories is not
detailed enough for anyone other than a newcomer to the history of spying and
espionage in the United States.
___________________________________________________________________
Book Review: Dodger by Terry Pratchett
1.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Dodger,
without really thinking about it, jumps into the fracas and saves the woman
being kicked and pummeled by two thugs, not knowing that his spontaneous
decision to become involved would literally change the course of his life.
Saving the young woman from the hired hoods was only the first step in securing
the woman’s future and life. As Dodger strives to keep her safe, he
unintentionally becomes a hero, a gentleman (almost), and a savior.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
As a
work of historical fiction, Pratchett does an exceptional job melding fact and
fiction. Although he admits to taking a few liberties with some dates, many of
the people in this novel were real. Charles Dickens plays himself in the novel,
and the details Pratchett attributes to him are accurate. Henry Mayhew also
plays a role in this story. Pratchett explains in his afterword that Mayhew’s
research and published works played a significant role in his interest in and
writing of Dodger. Other characters
in the novel who were real people include a politician named Disreali; the
philanthropist Miss Angela Burdett-Coutts; chief of police, Mr. Robert Peel; and
Joseph Bazalgette, the man who did much of the legwork in improving London’s
sewer system – a labyrinth that plays a prominent role in the story of Dodger.
Although
this is a work of fiction, Pratchett worked hard to keep it real. The details
he includes throughout the novel strive to be true to life. However, it is
Pratchett’s quick wit that makes this tale so engaging. Pratchett regularly
sneaks one-liners into his narrative, causing a perceptive reader to chuckle
and wait in anticipation for the next one.
Despite
its captivating storyline, this book will be most enjoyed by readers with
strong vocabulary, significant background knowledge of England in the 1850s,
and the works of Charles Dickens. Without such knowledge, much of the humor of
the story will be lost.
Dodger is an engrossing book, and one of which Charles Dickens himself would be proud.
___________________________________________________________________
Book
Review: Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick
1.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
2. PLOT SUMMARY
As Sig waits
for Nadya and Anna to return, his mind continually strays to the Colt revolver
in the pantry, and he wonders if he can load it and fire it at Wolff, the
stranger who threatens Sig’s life with a loaded gun of his own.
The story is
told in a series of flashbacks that serve to show the reader why Sig and his
family live in such a barren, frozen world. They also help the reader
understand the significance of the Colt Revolver that Sig’s father has carried
with him for ten years. Finally, the flashbacks provide crucial clues about Wolffe,
Sig’s father, Sig himself, and the role of the revolver in the story.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Ultimately
Sig devises a plan that causes Wolffe to shoot the twenty-year-old revolver while
loaded with new cartridges. The old weapon can’t handle the new bullets causing
the gun to explode in Wolffe’s hand, taking off several fingers and part of his
hand. Sig knew the blast was unlikely to kill Wolffe and so leads him across a
frozen shell of ice where Wolffe falls through and can be captured by the men
who have finally arrived from Giron to help. Thus Sig feels he hasn’t betrayed
either his father or his mother, but has acted in a way that would please them
both. The reader is left on his own to decide if he or she agrees with the
outcome.
Although
this story explores gun ownership and responsibility to some degree, there
isn’t enough depth in the detail to make the book feel as though a gun is a
good or bad thing. It does, however, depict one scenario where an observer
could understand why shooting another person might be justified.
Revolver also presents
two different life views. Sig’s father was a cheat, a thief, and a liar. His
mother was so God-fearing that most people considered her a religious zealot.
The story tries to reconcile the two points of view in Sig’s ultimate decision
not to shoot Wolffe, but doesn’t fully succeed. Instead it feels as though Sig
has failed both of his parents to some degree.
Despite
its weaknesses, Revolver is a
compelling story. The reader is quickly caught up in the events unfolding in
Sig’s life. The action is paced quickly enough that there is no time to be
bored with it, and although the clues to the inevitable fortune in gold were
easy to discern and decipher, they were placed in the story at just the right
intervals to make them interesting. Overall, Revolver is a quick and enjoyable read.
___________________________________________________________________
Book
Review: Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Followed one
night by a rogue member of a group called New Smoke, Tally is forced to choose
between her perfect life as a new Pretty, and her prior life as a rogue member
of the Smoke. Her decision will affect not only herself, but also her new
friends, her old friends, and people from societies she hasn’t even known
about.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Eventually
Tally realizes who she was, and decides to take a pill to change her brain from
“pretty-minded” back to its normal, pre-operative state. Even after taking the
pill, though. Tally is still in New Pretty Town, which means that her actions
and thoughts are guarded and she has to pretend she is still pretty-minded. Again,
being a Pretty and acting pretty-minded don’t carry the same power as living in
the Smoke did.
One
thing Westerfeld does well in both Uglies
and Pretties is to portray what life
might be like if other people are making decisions for you. In Pretties, Tally is forced not only to
choose whether she will think for herself, but also whether she will give
others that choice. Like many dystopian novels, choice – or the lack thereof –
is a pivotal subject that highlights the need for societal change.
Overall,
Pretties is interesting, but not
compelling. It lacks too much substance to compete with other dystopian novels.
___________________________________________________________________
Book Review: Marcello in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Stork, F. X. (2009). Marcelo in the real world. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books. 320 p.
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Marcelo has gone to Paterson School since he was six. He has gotten an excellent education, and he has learned to care for horses. His skills are refined enough that he has been hired to be the stableman at Paterson’s during the summer, with the promise of greater responsibility if he does a good job. Just as he is to start his new position, Marcelo gets bad news. His father wants him to get a job in the “real” world and learn to follow real-world rules. His father feels he has been to sheltered at Paterson’s and hasn’t learned skills he will need in life. This is because Marcelo is on the high-functioning range of people with Asperger’s Syndrome, and doesn’t always relate to the world as a normal person would.
Reluctantly Marcelo agrees to a summer job at his father’s law firm, where he does indeed learn to function in the real world, although not necessarily in ways that his father anticipated. Marcelo learns to have conversations with people, decode unspoken meanings, rely on his instincts, and even fall in love. What he does with those new skills took not only Marcelo by surprise, but also everyone in his life.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Marcelo in the Real World provides an intriguing look into the mind of someone with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS). Throughout the story, Marcelo works on decoding meanings in idioms, phrases, looks, and expressions. As Marcelo learns about the real world, the reader learns how the mind of someone with AS thinks and reacts to situations most people barely notice. The story also addresses the ways society reacts to people like Marcelo. Some people, like his father, live in various degrees of denial about his abilities and limitations. Other people label him stupid or treat him as though he is incompetent. A few people, some by choice and others by necessity, learn to see past the outward differences until they appreciate who Marcelo is underneath his exterior mask called Asperger’s Syndrome.
This is an engaging story that forces the reader to confront how he or she reacts to people like Marcelo. It also causes the reader to reflect on what is right and wrong, and how one should respond to doing what it right even though it may have negative repercussions. It is a captivating look into humanity.
Finally, Marcelo and his family are Hispanic. This adds a layer of meaning that might have been absent were he Caucasian, as so many novels that address issues such as AS are written from Caucasian viewpoints.
Perhaps one drawback to the book is that most of the characters are very clearly “good guys” or “bad guys”. Marcelo’s father, Arturo, his partner in the firm, Wendall, the partner’s son, and the secretaries are all “bad guys”, although Marcelo has a hard time recognizing that in the beginning. Marcelo, his mother, Rabbi Heschel, and Jerry Garcia are “good guys”. The only person who is not quite as cookie-cutter “good guy” is Jasmine, the woman assigned to help Marcelo learn his new job. The overall story may have been enhanced with less predictable stock characters.
Book Review: The First Part Last by Angela Johnson
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Johnson, Angela. The First Part Last. New York: Simon & Schuster for Young Readers, 2003. Print. 131 p.
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Bobby is a sixteen-year-old when his girlfriend gets pregnant. The First Part Last chronicles the changes in Bobby’s life from the time Nia, his girlfriend, first tells him the news. Told in a “then” and “now” style, the reader compares how Bobby’s life was before Nia got pregnant to how it was after she made the announcement. It explores growing up, what makes a man, making decisions, and the ramifications of teenage pregnancy from a teenage father’s perspective.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
In her book, The First Part Last, Angela Johnson explores the impact of teen pregnancy on a young man. This perspective is not one often found in literature where almost all of the available material focuses on teenage mothers. Johnson does manage to capture a few glimpses into a young man’s thoughts and emotions, such as the time Bobby’s friend called and asked him to play basketball and Bobby ran out the door, forgetting he had a baby sleeping in the other room. However, many of Johnson’s attempts to paint a picture of teenage fatherhood fall flat. For example, a few weeks after the baby is born, Bobby finds himself with an extra hour and a half before he needs to be at school. He uses that time to tag a brick wall, but without his noticing, the entire day gets away from him – fourteen hours worth of unaccounted for time. There is no real explanation of why it took fourteen hours to tag a wall, how four cans of spray paint lasted that long, or even much clarity about why the wall was important to the story.
Many of the events in the book seem to lack enough substance to them to really make them believable. Bobby’s parents are middle class, as are Nia’s. Yet none of them are willing to help with the baby, insisting that Bobby do it all himself. Although this is a possible scenario, it seems incongruous with the lifestyles of the families involved. The circumstances of the baby’s birth are also sketchy. Nia has eclampsia, which apparently goes completely undetected until the day of delivery. As a result, she goes into a persistent vegetative coma, which she never comes out of, leaving Bobby to decide whether to keep the baby or give his newborn up for adoption. There was no warning that Nia’s pregnancy was at all abnormal, which is possible, but unlikely.
Overall, The First Part Last provides a tiny glimpse into what it means to become a teenage father unexpectedly, but does not have enough depth to make it gripping or convincing beyond that of a quick read.
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Book Review: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Anderson, L. H. (1999). Speak. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux. 197 p.
Anderson, L. H. (1999). Speak. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux. 197 p.
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Melinda has entered her ninth grade year with a secret. The secret is so dark, so painful that is stifles her voice. Some of her peers think Melinda’s change from good student and friend to a gray, voiceless shadow is a result of her ostracism… ostracism applied as a consequence after she called 911 at a party. But nobody asked Melinda why she called 911. Instead they blamed her for the arrest of the friends, injuries of relatives, and the unintended consequences of their own poor choices. None of them wondered if she stopped speaking because of the ostracism, or if that was only a coincidence. Nobody cared enough to wonder, and definitely not enough to ask.
Melinda has entered her ninth grade year with a secret. The secret is so dark, so painful that is stifles her voice. Some of her peers think Melinda’s change from good student and friend to a gray, voiceless shadow is a result of her ostracism… ostracism applied as a consequence after she called 911 at a party. But nobody asked Melinda why she called 911. Instead they blamed her for the arrest of the friends, injuries of relatives, and the unintended consequences of their own poor choices. None of them wondered if she stopped speaking because of the ostracism, or if that was only a coincidence. Nobody cared enough to wonder, and definitely not enough to ask.
The story of Speak is about Melinda losing her voice in a void of pain. It t is about depression. It is about being utterly alone with friends who have abandoned you, parents who don’t notice you, teachers who berate you, and peers who torment you. The story of Speak is also about Melinda finding her voice. Art helps her find her voice. The gradual thawing of cold shoulders and the gradual thawing of the block of ice in her soul help her find her voice. And finally, her realization that the things that happened at that party were not her fault helps Melinda find her voice, finally enabling her to start healing.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Speak is a powerfully written novel that exposes raw edges of adolescence. The story opens on the first day of Melinda’s freshman year. At the onset of the story, Melinda still hopes that she will be able to escape being a pariah as it has been several weeks since she called 911 at the party she attended. But it is quickly evident that her crime has not been forgotten and the student body becomes judge, jury, and executioner. The execution is a slow, never-ending torment, though. Anderson has captured many facets of adolescence in the pages of Speak.
Although the book’s main theme is about rape, and the effect it has on a girl little more than a child, it also explores many other dimensions of growing up: best friends turn on each other; parents are too wrapped up in themselves to notice the drastic changes in their child; depression that is palpable; unjust discipline; well-meaning, but ineffective teachers; teachers that are inept, and even cruel. Yet in the midst of all of it, Anderson is able to portray hope.
Hope is also realistically presented. There is no cure-all, end-all, joyful ending in Speak. Instead it depicts the gradual life that returns to Melinda as she comes to terms with what happened to her, the person she was, the person she has become, and the person she can sporadically glimpse whom she wants to be. Melinda takes baby steps toward healing, and that is perhaps the most important message of this story. Healing takes time, but it can happen.
___________________________________________________________________
Book Review: I am the Cheese by Robert Cormier
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cormier, R. (1991). I am the cheese: A novel. New York: Dell Laurel-Leaf. Chicago. 220 p.
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Adam is a fourteen-year-old boy who is cycling across three state lines to visit his father in the hospital. From the onset of the novel it is clear that things are not quite right with Adam. He begins his journey of over 70 miles by deciding not to take his medication, and by using the bicycle, even though he has plenty of money for bus fare. With steeled determination, Adam begins, and as he makes his journey, the reader comes to understand that Adam is also on a journey to find out who he is, and what the secrets of his identity are. Both journeys are wrought with pain, toil, and fear until finally, Adam reaches his destinations.
At first glance I am the Cheese is a coming-of-age novel: boy takes on world, overcomes the obstacles in his path, and triumphs by reaching his destination. However, it becomes very quickly evident that there is more to the novel than that. The journey Adam is taking in his mind mirrors the physical journey that he is making. Interspersed with his travels on his bicycle, Adam speaks with Brint. Although Brint’s identity is never fully defined his goal, as he often assures Adam, is to guide him, helping Adam fill in the “blanks” of his life. For most of the novel, it is unclear to Adam exactly who Brint is and what role he plays. The reader is faced with the knowledge, however, that Brint is not as harmless as he appears, and is indeed guilty of the things Adam suspects. Adam needs Brint, though. He wants to fill in his “blanks” and Brint helps him manage that, albeit not in a way that has any lasting benefit for either Adam or Brint.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
I am the Cheese is an edgy story, forcing readers to piece together broken shards of Adam’s life as they read. The completed puzzle doesn’t reveal a placid scene of a lake or forest glade; rather the completed puzzle still feels like there are pieces missing, and the parts that are in place have been warped by rain and sun, creating an image that is neither harmonious nor pleasant to view.
Despite the disconcerting number of threads that still dangle loosely at the novel’s conclusion, the story’s tapestry is nonetheless complete. The tough events of Adam’s life have driven him to literal insanity. The reader is left torn with revulsion for Brint as well as frustrated by the apparent, permanent condition of a once-happy young man. The book also drives the reader to question the role the government plays in our lives, and whether that role is more harmful than it is helpful.
I am the Cheese is biting in its subtle commentary on government involvement in our lives, as well as unsettling in its portrayal of events that drive a boy insane. It may not be for everyone, as there is no happy ending, but will definitely cause the reader contemplation.
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