Author: Megan Morrison
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Release Date: February 2nd 2016
Summary from Goodreads:
"Think you know Rapunzel's story? Think again, because the tower was only the beginning..." -- Jennifer Nielsen, New York Times bestselling author of THE FALSE PRINCE
In all of Tyme, from the Redlands to the Grey, no one is as lucky as Rapunzel. She lives in a magic tower that obeys her every wish; she reads wonderful books starring herself as the heroine; her hair is the longest, most glorious thing in the world. And she knows this because Witch tells her so---her beloved Witch, who protects her from evil princes, the dangerous ground under the tower, even unhappy thoughts. Rapunzel can't imagine any other life.
Then a thief named Jack climbs into her room to steal one of her enchanted roses. He's the first person Rapunzel's ever met who isn't completely charmed by her (well, the first person she's met at all, really), and he is infuriating-- especially when he hints that Witch isn't telling her the whole truth. Driven by anger at Jack and her own nameless fears, Rapunzel descends to the ground for the first time, and finds a world filled with more peril than Witch promised ... and more beauty, wonder, and adventure than she could have dreamed.
In all of Tyme, from the Redlands to the Grey, no one is as lucky as Rapunzel. She lives in a magic tower that obeys her every wish; she reads wonderful books starring herself as the heroine; her hair is the longest, most glorious thing in the world. And she knows this because Witch tells her so---her beloved Witch, who protects her from evil princes, the dangerous ground under the tower, even unhappy thoughts. Rapunzel can't imagine any other life.
Then a thief named Jack climbs into her room to steal one of her enchanted roses. He's the first person Rapunzel's ever met who isn't completely charmed by her (well, the first person she's met at all, really), and he is infuriating-- especially when he hints that Witch isn't telling her the whole truth. Driven by anger at Jack and her own nameless fears, Rapunzel descends to the ground for the first time, and finds a world filled with more peril than Witch promised ... and more beauty, wonder, and adventure than she could have dreamed.
Review
Grounded is a creative blend of the Rapunzel and Jack and the Beanstalk fairy tales. Rapunzel lives in a tower and is cared for by Witch who plays a motherly role. Jack is on a mission and needs to get Rapunzel’s help. What I found to be interesting is Rapunzel reads fairy tales and is self-aware of Rapunzel books/stories.
Jack and Rapunzel do not get off to the best start seeing as Jack is the person who tries to explain to her that Witch is bad and attempts to answer all of Rapunzel's other questions. Rapunzel is full of interesting questions, like: what is a brother or a sister? Being cooped up in the tower for her whole life, Rapunzel is naive and innocent. She is faced with the harshness and beauty of the whole world all at once and it sometimes overwhelms her.
The book is very plot driven, as the title suggests, it is an adventure story. While I did enjoy the book, the middle of the story does slow down a bit while Rapunzel learns more and faces challenges on her journey. There is a cute potentially budding romance but overall Grounded focuses on the adventure and each character's back story rather than romance. Because of this I do believe this book can be enjoyed by a younger reader as well!
Jack and Rapunzel do not get off to the best start seeing as Jack is the person who tries to explain to her that Witch is bad and attempts to answer all of Rapunzel's other questions. Rapunzel is full of interesting questions, like: what is a brother or a sister? Being cooped up in the tower for her whole life, Rapunzel is naive and innocent. She is faced with the harshness and beauty of the whole world all at once and it sometimes overwhelms her.
The book is very plot driven, as the title suggests, it is an adventure story. While I did enjoy the book, the middle of the story does slow down a bit while Rapunzel learns more and faces challenges on her journey. There is a cute potentially budding romance but overall Grounded focuses on the adventure and each character's back story rather than romance. Because of this I do believe this book can be enjoyed by a younger reader as well!
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