Golden

    Golden

 Cameron Dokey

    This is the story of Rapunzel. She is kind, gentle, meek, and bald. Yep, you read right... she's completely bald. Her mother craved the herb rapunzel when she was pregnant, so her father stole some from the sorceresses garden. The sorceres of course caught him, and asked for something in return. The deal was that the mother could have as much  rapunzel as she wanted until she gave birth, but when she did give birth she must swear to love her just as the baby is and what she becomes. If not then the sorceress would claim the child as payment for stealing the rapunzel from her garden. Of course her mother gave birth to a bald child and said that she couldn't love her because she wasn't beautiful. The sorceress, Melisande, took the child away to live with her.

       Now I know what your thinking, "Oh no, this child is going to have an awful life, she's living with a sorceress..." but that is not true in any sense. Melisande was a wonderful guardien. The child she took she named Rapunzel, (fancy that) and she never grew any hair. Ever.  Rapunzel grew up kind, gentle, meek, and yes. bald.

       One day, a tinker comes to visit Melisande and Rapunzel. With him, he brought a boy. This boy was the same age as Rapunzel and  named Harry. (I promise that you will learn to like Harry as a character. He is so cool.) Rapunzel catches Harry trying to escape one night and confronts him. He tells her that he was trying to get back to a normal life and that the Tinker took him away from his dead parents. Rapunzel convinced hime to stay and they became fast and good friends.

       So the story continues and Rupunzel and Harry grow up and became close. (No, Rapunzel still has not grown any hair.) Then the story tilts and a huge dramatic scene takes place between Rapunzel and Melisande. Melisande evidently has another daughter. She is trapped in a tall tower and has to wait for someone to come and rescue her. (sound familiar?). Melisande's daughter, Rue, has to wait for true love to set her free. Rapunzel agrees to help her, and calls out to Rue. "One so fair, let down your hair and let me go from here to there." All of a sudden this huge long braid comes down from the top of the tower and Melisande and Rapunzel climbe up.
       So if I say anymore, I will spoil the story. You'll just have to read it for yourself. This book is not like your stereo typical Rapunzel story. For one thing, she's bald, and another, there is a purpose behind the writing of this book which I thought was interesting. Many members in Cameron Dokey's, the author, family suffer from alopecia atreata, an autoimmune skin disease which can result in the loss of all hair on the body. Her brother's daughters both had this disease and aksed Dokey if she could do a version of Rapunzel where she doesn't have any hair. Dokey obviously accepted, and it turned out to be a hit. So this book is a great read, but it also has sentimental value to it which is awesome.
       I really enjoyed this book. I thought that it was creative, entertaining, up beat, and enjoyable. I would recommend it to anyone who loves romance, fairy tales, values, and hair :). I would give this book an A-. It was very good, and was written well.