Grounded: The Adventures of Rapunzel

Those expecting a Disneyesque Rapunzel in Morrison’s debut, first in the Tyme series, will be pleasantly surprised by the novel’s emotional depth and inventiveness. Lulled into forgetting her past—including several princely attempts to free her—Rapunzel escapes the tower where she’s been kept complacent and happy to save the woman she knows as Witch from supposed murderous fairies. With Jack (of beanstalk fame) by her side, and a grumpy fairy watching from the woods, Rapunzel is bidden to travel through the lands of Tyme. As she passes through its color-coded territories, Rapunzel discovers the truth about herself, the family she never knew existed, and the reason for Jack’s helpfulness. Morrison turns the idea of a naïve, sheltered princess on its head, and when Witch’s cruel actions are revealed, Rapunzel’s brave decision offers a final act of kindness that adds to the story’s already potent mythology and symbolism. The slow, circular dialogue at the beginning of the novel gives way to a full-bodied world worth revisiting. Ages 10–14. Agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary Agency (Apr.)