FLUNKED, by Jen Calonita, Sourcebooks Young Readers, Feb. 4, 2025, Paperback, $8.99 (ages 9-12)
Flunked, the first book in Jen Calonita’s best-selling Fairy Tale Reform School series, gets a enticing look with a new paperback edition from Sourcebooks Young Readers.
Gilly wouldn’t call herself wicked, exactly. But when you have five little brothers and sisters and live in a run-down boot, you have to get creative to make ends meet. Gilly’s a pretty good thief (if she does say so herself).
Until she gets caught.
Gilly’s sentenced to three months at Fairy Tale Reform School where all of the teachers are former (super-scary) villains like the Big Bad Wolf, the Evil Queen, and Cinderella’s Wicked Stepmother. Harsh. But when she meets fellow students Jax and Kayla, she learns there’s more to this school than its heroic mission.
There’s a battle brewing and Gilly has to wonder…just how good these bad guys really are? —Synopsis provided by Sourcebooks Young Readers
I first read Flunked in 2015 and loved it. Here’s what I had to say about it then, and the sentiment remains the same now:
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.
