Flunked (Fairy Tale Reform School)

**Thank you to Sourcebooks Jabberwocky for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review!**

I've always been a huge fan of fairy tales and the idea of a happily ever after, so when I heard about this book, I just knew that I had to read it!

Flunked is about a 12-year-older named Gilly who steals from the rich to help her family in a sort of Robin Hood-esque sort of way, since her family is poor. She figures that the rich folk won't really miss their items if they're taken. They could always replace it with all their money. Her family was doing okay at one point since her father is actually the one who originally created the glass slipper, but then the fairy godmother ended up getting all the shoe orders for it instead, which really made her father's shoe-making business go down.

One day, she steals a hair clip for her sister Anna since it's her birthday. The thing is, she gets caught. Since she's caught, she's taken to Fairy Tale Reform School, where she has to try to reform herself and stop stealing from people. This school is run by Flora, who was Ella's (Cinderella's) evil stepmother. Other fairy tale characters teach at their school, like the big bad wolf and even a siren. At Fairy Tale Reform School, Gilly befriends Kayla almost immediately, who she ends up being roommates with. She also befriends Jax, who has constantly tried to escape the school but always failed. After finding out that the school may be hiding something, they do their best to find out what it is.

This book was so amazing! One of my favorite things about this book was the idea of the evil stepmother actually running a reform school. It's a pretty cool idea that definitely grabbed my attention. I really felt for Gilly as well; I was sad that she had gotten caught stealing even though it's wrong because she was just trying to help her family who was struggling to get by. Sometimes such a nice gesture can be done by the wrong means.

The friendship between Jax and Gilly was such a reliable one. Jax was always there for Gilly and vice versa, unlike Kayla who I really despised at first... she grew on me though! Jax was such a sweet guy and it was very brave of him to constantly try to escape school grounds even though he knew that it would get him in trouble anyways. Another thing that I really liked about this book was the magic mirror, Miri. I love how she was added into the story, as a kind of connection between the royals. I'm so glad that I got the chance to read this one; it's definitely one that you should pick up if you have the chance too! It was so fast-paced and I couldn't put it down once I had picked it up.

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

3.5 stars.
I remember when I broke my oath to stay away from NetGalley for a while to pick up Flunked. I saw it on Michelle's Sunday Post and I had to have it - I mean, look at that cover! Although I did enjoy it, I'm afraid I didn't love Flunked like I thought I would.

I think the principal reason I didn't love it was that I was the wrong audience. I think I went into expecting a YA and I got a Middle Grade. I think it's probably entirely my fault - looking at the details now, I realize it wasn't marketed as a YA. I should have paid more attention.

But, it's not like being an MG is a deal breaker. Harry Potter started off MG (I feel it grew into YA), and I ate that up (still do). Flunked actually had several similarities to Harry Potter, particularly in the Howards-esque Fairy tale Reform School and the brave students/troublemakers. I enjoyed these elements, because - while they felt familiar - they still bore their own unique stamps.

I liked the characters and the concept - take the villains of fairy tales and show them on the course to redemption, while they teach youngsters who are in danger of becoming villains on their own to pick a better course. And Flunked had several messages about how to make good decisions, despite disappointments, disadvantages, and setbacks.

Flunked was entertaining and I'm thinking it might be a great book to make available to my 5th graders. I just would have preferred the YA version for myself, I think.

Please note that I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is a sweet, fast-paced novel that would appeal to someone who loves any of the classic European fairy tales. Our protagonist, Gilly, steals to help her very poor family put food on the table, but when she gets caught one too many times her parents are forced to sign off on her lengthy stay at Fairy Tale Reform School. By being a school full of reformed villians and juvenile delinquents of course mysteries and mayhem are bound to be occurring. Gilly encounters new, friends and hateful teachers, and is forced to choose where her real loyalties lie.

The author’s take on what happens to everyone’s favorite villains after Happily Ever After is fresh and unique. Calonita weaves all the fairy tales together into an area called Enchantasia where we see all all your typical fairy tale characters and creatures along with their social structure, class system and everyday lives. Gilly is only twelve years old, and the subject matter and writing are more suitable to a middle grade audience than a young adult audience. Gilly’s character arc and her change by the end of the book are plausible and consistent with the storyline. Calonita has set up an interesting world and cast of characters that have the potential to become very in-depth, and the ending is clearly set up for at least one more book or a longer series to come.

A young, impoverished petty thief lands herself in Fairy Tale Reform School, a place where former villains try to correct the ways of delinquent youth.

I never felt very invested in the characters. They are kind of flat. The story is fairly predictable.

A little more world-building would have been fun.

I love the concept. Although interesting, the story is lacking in the execution.

An additional annoyance is that the book is written in first person present tense. It isn't as maddening as in The Hunger Games trilogy; however, it is still not my preferred style.

All that aside, I still consider the book worthwhile. I plan to read the sequel.

Gillian Cobbler was a petty thief and was sent to Fairy Tale Reformed School to change her behavior. What was different about this school is that all the Professors were once the Villain's of Enchantasia. The headmistress Flora is the Wicked Step Mother to Cinderella. She runs the school to help change the behaviors and attitudes of at-risk youth. By putting others first is the first step in recovery.
Things are not what they seem at FTRS. Some mysterious things are happening to students and staff alike. Gilly and her friends try to find out the cause of this chaos.

I enjoyed reading this Young Adult Retell version of using the Villain's as reformed professors. Although I was disappointed in the ending of the book which left the reader hanging. Wondering what is in store for Gilly and her friends to be continued hopefully in book two.

Initially, I wasn’t sure what to think of “Flunked.” Would it be a knock off of “The School for Good and Evil”? Some sort of rejiggered “Harry Potter”? Happily, neither is the case. “Flunked” is unique and it stands on its own merits.

Probably the best thing “Flunked” has going for it is author Jen Calonita’s voice. Her quick, snappy nature follows through, especially in Gilly. It’s in stark contrast to the smooth tone of the Wicked Stepmother, who even as a supporting character, is more nuanced than one would expect.

“Flunked: Fairy Tale Reform School” is fun and engrossing. I didn’t want to put it down, and it was a fast, easy read. Here’s hoping a sequel or series is in the works.

“Flunked,” is a good fairy tale reform school adventure for teens with all the trappings of an adventure. The novel centers on a clever little girl named Gilly, who narrators the chain of events as they unfold. She is smart and has an inquisitive mind, along with a knack for getting into trouble with the facility of the reform school. Calonita masterfully combines universal themes of mystery, friendship, and sacrifice. The gargoyles are a nice touch, but I don’t get the significance of the moving hallways and stairs. While the novel has a sequel (which I have not read—yet), there are several issues resolved at the end which create a nice stopping point and a satisfying ending for me.

“Flunked,” is a good fairy tale reform school adventure for teens with all the trappings of an adventure. The novel centers on a clever little girl named Gilly, who narrators the chain of events as they unfold. She is smart and has an inquisitive mind, along with a knack for getting into trouble with the facility of the reform school. Calonita masterfully combines universal themes of mystery, friendship, and sacrifice. The gargoyles are a nice touch, but I don’t get the significance of the moving hallways and stairs. While the novel has a sequel (which I have not read—yet), there are several issues resolved at the end which create a nice stopping point and a satisfying ending for me.

A funny, skewed look at fairytale life. What happened after Happily-Ever-After? How did the shoemaker fair when Cinderella's fairy-godmother zapped up those glass slippers? What happened to his family? Well one daughter becomes a thief to help support the family, until the day she gets caught. This is the story of what happens next.

Meh, I'm so disappointed. At first, it looked like Flunked could criticize social classes, stereotypes, and prejudices. But of course, we can't have critical middle-grade books about social classes. At the end, it's the protagonist the one who realizes that not all rich people are bad (oh yes, they did the notallpeople). I'm so angry because that wasn't the point: rich people didn't care about the working class of the kingdom at the beginning of the story, and they don't care about them at the end. We really don't need more stories about the working class accepting their place at the bottom, their concerns brushed aside.

Thinking about the book is making me angry.

Flunked by Jen Calonita is a middle grade book full of creativity and surprises. Anyone who is a fan of fairy tales and wants to see some of the main villains reimagined is in for some fun. The Big Bad Wolf, Cinderella’s wicked stepmother, the evil sea witch, and the evil queen are now newly reformed professors at Fairy Tale Reform School (FTRS). Flora, Cinderella’s reformed wicked stepmother founded and now runs FTRS, where the motto and mission is to turn wicked delinquents and former villains into future heroes. They all live in the kingdom of Enchantasia where Cinderella, Snow White, Rose (Sleeping Beauty) and Rapunzel reign.

It is here where we meet our main character, 12-year-old Gillian Cobbler, who after three repeated offenses involving petty theft must be taken to FTRS. She is the shoemaker’s oldest daughter, and only steals to help feed her family after the fairy godmother started stealing business from her father. How can she possibly be an upstanding citizen when she feels her only way to get by is by being criminally mischievous?

After meeting Kayla and Jax on her first day at school she discovers that her 3 month stint can’t be so bad when you have friends and are receiving lessons on etiquette, fencing, snake charming, and other various activities. Until she can figure out her next move it seems that she will try to endure her time there. Of course nothing is as trivial as it seems, as something strange is happening at Fairy Tale Reform School and Gillian and her friends are determined to figure it out.

I thought everything about this book was cute including the cover. There were some pleasant surprises and creative retellings throughout the story and it was fun to run into familiar characters and see them put in situations where they had to teach a bunch of middle school delinquents. I think that most middle school children will like this book and it was a joy to read.

You know, I don’t think enough people really gave “Flunked” a chance, or they forget that MG books are meant for, you know, middle graders so things being “obvious” to an adult are, well, a no brainer. This book was meant for younger children, and as such, it’s actually a really cute, fun, and charming read! “Flunked” follows Gillian Cobbler, you know, the family that lives in a shoe that has so many children they don’t know what to do? Yeah, that family. Gillian’s family is struggling, so more often than not her younger siblings are going hungry. As the oldest, Gilly takes up thieving to help feed her family. I really liked that distinction, because yes, stealing is wrong, but her intentions are never evil. Still, it’s no surprise that when she gets caught for the 3rd time, she’s sent to the Fairy Tale Reform School where ex-villains—such as Cinderella’s evil stepmother, Snow White’s wicked queen, and Red Riding Hood’s big bad wolf—have all changed their ways and now strive to keep troubled youth from bringing more evil into Enchantasia. Or have they? As soon as Gilly arrives, she’s suspicious of all her teachers, something feels off, and Gilly is determined to find out what, and get out of Reform School and back to feeding her family as soon as possible.

I loved that this book not only had a strong female lead with a cast of well-rounded characters, but also the sheer fun the author clearly had in writing this book. It’s silly, but in a good way where I genuinely believe younger readers will be laughing out loud at the narrator’s sass, as well as some of the situations the kids find themselves in—I know it made me smile! The book has plenty of action that makes Gilly a believable “hero” while also making her feelings on the Royals feel genuine, rather than the overly used “I hate them because they have money” trope that I feel is an oversimplification that does nothing to challenge young readers. Gilly’s arc throughout the book is handled very well, and it’s clear to see her growth and changing view points on assuming the worst of people and thinking selfishly. She grows in a way that provides a good example for kids, all while providing a fun and easy to understand ride for the reader, especially as the author uses “enchanted scrolls”—think blog posts—to introduce characters without interrupting the flow of the story.

Now, are things rather predictable? Sure. But there were some twists that I didn’t expect and some depth added to some of the bullies towards the end that I really appreciated. Is there a lot of dialogue vs. exposition? Sure. Again, this is meant for a younger reader, so I feel this is rather appropriate for the reading level kids should have when picking this up. That being said, the world is wonderful! With all the fairy tales living in a world that is both familiar, but still unique and vibrant enough for me to never be bored by the story's location or the characters.

I honestly had a lot of fun reading this book, something I didn’t expect to be all that blown away by really surprised me. This is easily one of my favorite MG novels so far, and will definitely be something I give to my niece AND nephew to read. There’s nothing overly scary about the tale, and the action of it all is more fun than tense, which is something I think kids need more of in today’s world. If you want to inspire a love of reading in a young reader, I think “Flunked” is a great book to introduce them to, which is why I’m giving it 5 stars!