Rapunzel wants to break the Evil Spell that afflicts her father. With few places to turn, she begins writing to a mysterious friend that her father wrote to before going away. She doesn’t know the friend’s name, just the box number in the address. Since this friend meant so much to her father, perhaps she or he can help.

This story is told through the letters that Rapunzel sends over the course of several weeks. Her name isn’t really Rapunzel, and her mother insists on calling her father’s evil spell “CD” (Clinical Depression). The fairy-tale analogies help her to cope, to put her feelings of captivity into words, so “Rapunzel” she is.  

Through Rapunzel’s letters, Holmes offers masterful writing for children in the middle grades. Each letter makes Rapunzel more real to the reader, her situation more touching. Rapunzel’s experiences are authentic. Furthermore, this will help give kids the sense that even when life gets difficult, they are not alone. Someone is always there to listen, as long as you are willing to reach out.

Sometimes adults forget how hard it is to be a kid, especially when big things are happening to family and friends. It is for this reason that I not only recommend this for ages nine and up, but also for adults who are around kids on a regular basis.