Strawberry Shortcake lets down her hair as Rapunzel in the latest installment of our best-selling Berry Fairy Tales series with glitter on the cover! Rapunzel is mistakenly accused of stealing a rare strawberry from the witch next door, who flies into a rage and locks the unfortunate girl in a tall tower with no doors. Rapunzel knows that she is innocent, but will she be able to convince the witch of the truth before her friends attempt a dangerous rescue mission?
I've counted books among my friends for as long as I can remember. I was born in Santa Monica, California, though that beautiful city is just one of many places I've called home; my family moved ten times before I graduated from high school. Moving so frequently gave me many opportunities to experience new places, meet new people, and make new friends . . . but it could be lonely, too, especially while I adjusted to a new town or school. When I felt homesick for people and places far away, I knew that I could always turn to my books, familiar friends who traveled everywhere I did. Reading so much inspired me to write my own stories and poems, on topics ranging from birds and snowflakes to castles and talking pasta (really!).
Looking back, all that reading and writing was the perfect preparation for my dream job: writing for children and young adults. I moved to New York City for college and after graduating from New York University with a degree in Dramatic Literature, I worked as a children's book editor for five years. Another move—this time with my husband—led me to close my eyes, hold my breath, and take the leap to become a full-time writer. It was the best decision I ever could've made.
I've lived in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for five years (that's almost a record for me) with my family, and I thank my lucky stars every day for the good fortune to write for kids and teens.
When I'm not writing, I'm . . . Knitting obsessively, just like my grandmother did (if there's a knitting gene, I got it from her) Drinking another pot of tea Doodling on a 3 x 5 index card Attempting to decipher the cryptic Post-It notes stuck to my desk Reading voraciously, especially nonfiction or current events Cooking vegetarian food (or, more likely, making dessert) Trying to save my garden from a fearless band of marauding squirrels Cuddling with my cat and wrestling with my dog Covering my kids with kisses (copied from the author's website)
Once upon a time in the entire kingdom, there lived a young girl named Rapunzel. One day, Rapunzel was outside playing... and saw her mother's entire garden. She had been doing it for a moment to picked one apple from the tree. And every day, the wicked witch Mother Gothel saw Rapunzel eating her apple. "Rapunzel, it's the same thing as you 🙏 can be done with the top comment on your reward," Mother Gothel said. "This is the last time I've seen anything else so that you 🙏 did not know what those were about." Mother Gothel stole Rapunzel and locked her in a tall tower. Poor Rapunzel was pretty bad for a few months ago and the first by traveling around the track was very bummer. She waited in the tower for her true love's first kiss. While she looked outside of the window, Mother Gothel arrived. "Rapunzel, let down your hair!" she called. "Coming, Mother," Rapunzel sobbed. Rapunzel felt very bad about this. "Rapunzel, there's nothing cry about," Mother Gothel answered. "I'm taking a good care of you 🙏, dear. There's lots of stuff to happy about. And Rapunzel, don't act to leave the tower." "Yes, Mother," Rapunzel answered sadly. Mother Gothel showed Rapunzel that Mother knows best.
My son found this on his shelf and asked me to read it. I don't know the provenance of this book, but I'd like to think that I didn't pay anything for it, as it now is going into the recycling bin. I'm all for teaching kids the value of conflict resolution and that enemies can turn into friends, blah blah blah... But when a witch kidnaps you and keeps you in a tower it is IN NO WAY okay to start liking the witch and choose to stay rather than leave when your friends find you and try to rescue you.