Flunked

January 26, 2015
Calonita (the Belles series) blithely samples from fairy tales, nursery rhymes, and folklore in this lighthearted first book in the Fairy Tale Reform School series. Gilly is the 12-year-old daughter of a poor cobbler who lives in a boot, and she has a habit of stealing to support her family. But Gilly’s petty thefts result in her being shipped off to the Fairy Tale Reform School, founded by Cinderella’s formerly wicked stepmother in an effort to eradicate evil from the kingdom of Enchantasia and “turn wicked delinquents and former villains into future heroes.” The stakes are already high for Gilly—while she’s trapped at the FTRS, she’s anxious about how her family will make ends meet—before she becomes embroiled in a plot within the school, which may affect several of the reformed fairy-tale instructors. Recognizable fairy-tale characters abound (profiles of the school’s instructors, like Xavier Wolfington, the wolf from Little Red Riding Hood, appear throughout), and questions of whether goodness or badness run to the core of a person leave readers with plenty to consider. Ages 10–12.

January 1, 2015
When 12-year-old Gilly, eldest daughter of the shoemaker, is caught with stolen goods, she is sent to Fairy Tale Reform School for rehabilitation.Life as a commoner in Enchantasia, a fairy-tale kingdom ruled over by Cinderella, Snow White, Rose (aka Sleeping Beauty) and Rapunzel, is hardly ideal. Poverty, crime and social unrest plague this less-than-magical land. Gilly's father, inventor of Cinderella's famous glass slipper, struggles to feed his large family. Gilly's thievery is both her attempt to help her family as well as her revenge against the unfair caste system. A three-strike rule finds her arrested and sentenced to reform school. However, mysterious events during Gilly's incarceration reveal that life in Enchantasia might be a lot less magical than even she thought. With the Evil Queen and the Wolf for teachers and trolls, mermaids and fairies for friends, Gilly's rehabilitation promises to be exciting. Unfortunately, in spite of a magical cast of characters and some genuinely sweet moments among Gilly and her friends and family, this fractured fairy tale falls flat. Hobbled by a stale premise, one-dimensional characters and forced dialogue, this first installment in a new series is less than promising. For a more enjoyable spin across similar territory (though without the petty crime), try Shannon Hale's The Storybook of Legends (2013) instead. (Fantasy. 9-12)

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March 1, 2015

Gr 4-7-Twelve-year-old Gilly is mostly happy living in a shoe with her parents and five siblings. Times are hard, though, especially since Cinderella's fairy godmother stole Gilly's father's design for the glass slipper. To help feed her family, Gilly steals food and trinkets from the wealthier residents of Enchantasia. Upon her third arrest for theft, Gilly is sentenced to three months in Fairy Tale Reform School, a juvenile detention facility run by Cinderella's Wicked Stepmother and other famous fairy tale antagonists. Fans of Liesl Shurtliff's Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin (Knopf, 2013) and Christopher Healy's The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom (HarperCollins, 2012) will find much to love in this fast-paced romp. While Gilly picks pockets without remorse, previously evil fairy tale villains have turned over a new leaf. The Evil Stepmother has made amends with Princess Ella and now helps Enchantasia's youngest criminals embrace their own inner virtue. The Big Bad Wolf is now Professor Wolfington, a popular teacher despite his bulging muscles and wolfish grin. While gargoyle attacks, suspicious behavior, and magical mayhem provide plenty of action, Gilly's constant self-sacrifice and insatiable need to spy on her teachers get old quickly. Drawings of news scrolls throughout the story help break up the text and may entice reluctant readers, though seasoned readers will predict the true antagonist long before the big reveal. VERDICT Gilly's plucky spirit and determination to oust the culprit will make Flunked a popular choice for tweens.-Leigh Collazo, Dulwich College, Suzhou, China

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2015
Grades 4-7 For 12-year-old Gilly Cobbler, thieving is easyand it supplements her family's meager existence after their shoemaking business in Enchantasia falls on hard times. But then Gilly is busted and sent to Fairy Tale Reform School ( Our mission: To turn wicked delinquents and former villains into future heroes ), founded by Cinderella's repentant stepmother, Flora, and staffed by other reformed baddies, like Professor Harlow (evil queen of Snow White/poison-apple fame) and Professor Wolfington, purportedly Red's grandmother-eater. There Gilly contends with a strict regimen, rules, and mean girl Jocelyn, but befriending Kayla and Jax helps. However, FTRS is not all it seems. Someone has a secret, sinister agenda, and Gilly and pals must quickly discern perpetrator and plot, whom to trust, and what to do to avert a not-so-happy ending for everyone. This enjoyable series launch creatively incorporates familiar fairy-tale characters and hallmarksprincesses, talking mirrors, spells, and magical beings, from fairies to ogresalong with an engaging and spirited protagonist, abundant plot turns, and witty touches. Overall, there's much to amuse and entertain fans of classic tales with a twist, who will likely anticipate the sequel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)