Never underestimate the power of greed.

Ruby, one of the lost 12-year-old children of Fairendale, has been transformed into an old woman–but at least she has her magic. She uses this magic to help grow a garden outside the land of Rosehaven, as she used to do in her homeland of Fairendale. Her life, though lonely, is relatively orderly and safe–until she ventures into the village of Rosehaven.

There she meets a girl with the longest golden hair she has ever seen, a girl in desperate need of some chamomile for some mysterious purpose. Ruby grows chamomile in her garden, and the two become fast friends. And when news of a king’s reward for the lost children of Fairendale reaches the villagers, who are always looking for a quick way to riches, Ruby must find a way to protect Rapunzel from the hands of her own people–or die trying.

The Girl Who Built the Tower is the eleventh book in the Fairendale series, an epic fantasy middle grade series that explores both familiar and unfamiliar fairy tales, legends, myths, and folk tales. The world of Fairendale revolves around villains and heroes–all on a quest for what they believe is right. But one cannot always know, at first glance, who is the villain and who is the hero. Throughout the series, the story of King Willis and his determination to keep the throne of Fairendale (at all costs? Perhaps. Or perhaps not.) is woven into the story of his son, Prince Virgil, heir to the throne and friend to the village children, and the story of fairy tale children fleeing for their lives–children who become what we know as fairy tale villains, for one good reason or another.

But, remember, one cannot always know, at first glance, who is the villain and who is the hero.