Rapunzella, Or, Don't Touch My Hair by Ella McLeod (author)

“a stunningly lyrical exploration of a teenager coming into her power as a young woman.” – United By PopA genre-bending YA that weaves together inner-city life and a wildly dangerous fairytale universe.Rapunzella is imprisoned in an enchanted forest made of her own Afro and the might of the evil King Charming seems unstoppable. But is it? Can Rapunzella use her power to change the future? You’re fifteen, you spend your time at school and at Val’s hair salon with Baker, Val’s son, who has eyes that are like falling off a cliff into space. The salon is a space of safety, but also of possibility and dreams… Dreams of hair so rich and alive that it grow upwards and outwards into a wild landscape, becomes trees and leaves, and houses birds and butterflies and all the secret creatures that belong in such a forest. Is there a future where such possibility and power is more than just a dream? Ella McLeod’s debut merges poetry and prose in a stunningly lyrical, heart-piercingly honest exploration of a teenager coming into her power as a young woman.

A bold new voice in YA fiction, Ella McLeod is a spoken word poet and actor.
Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo, Dean Atta and Kalynn Bayron.
A celebration of Black hair and the power of coming into your identity.

MORE PRIASE FOR RAPUNZELLA: OR DON’T TOUCH MY HAIR A Guardian BEST BOOKS pick – August 2022“Rapunzella cleverly weaves contemporary urban life with traditional fairy tale in a story that celebrates Black hair and identity.” - Just Imagine

Our October 2022 Teen Book of the Month

Our Teen book of the month is Rapunzella, Or, Don’t Touch My Hair from debut author Ella McLeod. This is a brilliantly imaginative twist on the classic Rapunzel story and fits right into the bestselling fractured fairy-tale trend. It brings important questions of identity and growing up to the surface, all whilst enchanting readers in a fairy-tale universe – a definite pick for any ‘to be read pile’!