Rapunzel's Revenge and Calamity Jack by Shannon and Dean Hale, Illustrated by Nathan Hale

 I've never read any graphic novels before and I've always been a little skeptical of them. When I think of graphic novels I think of nerdy, comic book obsessed, acne ridden teen boys, hiding out in their dark and dusty bedrooms. I'll admit I was mildly embarrassed to be browsing the graphic novel section of the library (after I was able to find it). But I must say, these were two of the most fun books I have ever read. I picked these up, of course, because they are written by Shannon Hale, whose books I have reviewed on this blog many times. I love her stories and was certainly not disappointed with these gems. Co-written by her husband with detailed and beautiful illustrations by Nathan Hale (not related), these short stories were captivating and full of action, humor, and a touch of romance.

Rapunzel's Revenge is the story of Rapunzel (obviously) and really gets going once her "mother" (at least, the one who calls herself her mother) puts Rapunzel in a tower for being disobedient. Mother Gothel has powerful magic and can make things grow but uses her magic to enslave the people. Her tower is actually a very, very tall tree. Food grows magically and somehow Rapunzel's hair is affected by the magic and grows super long. She escapes by using her hair as a lasso and soon runs into Jack. Together, Jack (of Jack and the Beanstalk) and Rapunzel go on an adventure to stop Mother Gothel's reign of terror, with the help of her trusty hair, and help people along the way, becoming heroes of the west. 

Calamity Jack picks up where Rapunzel's Revenge leaves off and is told from Jack's perspective. The pair heads east to Jack's hometown, where Jack is hoping to reunite with his mother and rebuild her house, since the first was destroyed by a giant beanstalk. When they arrive, they find themselves in a war zone and the city under attack by huge ant people and protected by giants. Jack and Rapunzel discover the giants are behind the ant people threat and fight to expose them to the city. In addition to the adventure, Jack goes through a personal journey of proving to his mother, Rapunzel and himself that he is a "good guy," despite having a shady background of scheming to get what he wanted.

Adjusting to reading a book that depends on the pictures to tell most of the story took a little time, but once I figured it out, the pictures were actually really fun to interpret and added so much to the story. I wish each book was about 3 times as long and I hope they write more sequels, though I haven't heard any reports for more books. I loved these books; they were so funny and easy to read. The pictures were so beautiful and detailed and expressive. Character development was also surprisingly good. Fun, fun stories I would absolutely recommend to everyone! Even those opposed to graphic novels, like I used to be. 

5 out of 5 stars