Letters From Rapunzel

Book: Letters From Rapunzel by Sara Lewis Holmes
Pages: 184
Finished: March, 2008
Challenges:
**Twisted Fairy Tales
** Spring Reading Thing, 2008
** Once Upon a Time

First Sentence: "Let me get right to the point."

Last Sentence: " I'm still working on mine"

From School Library Journal
Grade 5–8—"In the real world, you can only understand your life backwards," writes Cadence Brogan to #5667, the unknown post-office-box holder with whom she begins a one-sided correspondence. After finding the number on a mysterious torn piece of a letter written in her father's hand, she feels somehow that this is the key to unlocking the secrets surrounding her. Cadence sees her life as a modern-day fairy tale in which she is Rapunzel, alone, abandoned, and waiting for answers. Her father's clinical depression she terms the Evil Spell; the teacher at the after-school Homework Center is dubbed the Wicked Witch. Through a series of journal-like writings to the elusive #5667, she comes to terms with her life and begins to understand her father's illness. Although the plot loses momentum at times, Holmes carries the story to a satisfying ending through realistic, insightful dialogue and her ability to develop a bright, capable character in Cadence.
Cadence leaves readers with the wisdom that one must rescue oneself before rescuing others.


My thoughts:
This was a very creatively written story-set within the Rapunzel storyline, it is a much deeper story of a young girl grappling with her father's sudden absence (and struggle with mental illness), and not fitting in at school. Cadence is a very bright girl with a very creative imagination which frequently causes her trouble at school. I enjoyed the authors style--the written letter style is one that I enjoy--and she keeps this story moving along. This was written for middle school age children, so read with that in mind.