Rootbound: A Tangled Novel by Margaret Owen
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers on July 28, 2026
ISBN: 1368101046
Pages: 316
Genres: Fantasy
Format: Middle Grade Fiction
Goodreads

This charming but muddled story picks up a month after the action in Disney’s 2010 movie Tangled. Rapunzel and Eugene are trying to adjust to their new roles, relationships, and expectations when they are summoned to an isolationist country on a suspicious diplomatic mission. Accompanied by a strict and fussy palace official, the pair must unravel a tantalizing mystery whose many loose ends touch celestial magic, a foreign country’s decline, a fraught royal family, and even Eugene’s own past. Unfortunately, the main storyline reaches a climax that is rather, well, tangled; the magic battle is overwhelming and confusing, while Rapunzel’s role in its resolution undermines her excellent character development up to that point. 

New and old side characters and animal hijinks keep the tone light, but the book’s real magic is its depiction of Rapunzel and Eugene not just as the lovable, spunky duo from the film but moreover survivors of difficult childhoods with relatable anxieties about their place in the world. Disney princess and Tangled fans will come for the nostalgia and hopefully stay for the uplifting character growth, magic aside.

Reviewed by Emily Ender, Oxford Hills Middle School Library, South Paris