Flunked

By: Jen Calonita

Narrated by: Kristin Condon

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: Can a villain really change?

©2015 Jen Calonita (P)2015 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Best story ever

I loved this series it was very adventurous and refreshing to be able to see some real life struggle and hatred and her progressing mentally and spiritually to be an over all better person.

Story is okay, I guess. It could do better though.

I got this with an audible sale as it seemed cute. Overall, the story was fine. It was a cute idea and if I had read it in 2015, the year it was published, I probably would have rated it higher. Spoilers below.

I guess the thing that bothered me the most about the book was earlier on when Gilly goes to her first "class" which is supposed to be therapy? And then the "group therapy session" turns into a group bully session and the only adult in the room encourages it. I get that the adult character is wicked or whatever, but I feel like young children reading (who are often impressionable) could end up with the wrong idea of what therapy actually is.

Not only that, but I didn't love that the character with a disability (Maxine, who is partially blind, who was my favorite and the only one I really was rooting for) is the one that's actively described in negative ways! I know she's an ogre but... ugh... it just doesn't sit right.

The ending felt rushed and set up for a sequel. If I read anymore, I kind of hope that some of these things get better. Overall, I'm not super convinced.

OK

Some good ideas and the overall plot was acceptable. The style was directed towards younger audiences.

Clever. Has potential.

One of the things I dislike about so many shows and/or stories, is that the characters don't lewarn from their mistakes. They don't grow, or mature, and make the same bad choices over and over. But that's not at issue here. The heroine starts out thinking she's smarter/better/quicker than everyone else before realizing she has a lot to learn. The choices she makes at the end of the story are far better than at the beginning. She grows into someone I could actually like.

The narrator's voice is quite young sounding; very age appropriate for the main character and her friends. Yet I somehow grow weary of that young childlike narration rather quickly. SHe's not bad, as narrators go, but I find it hard to take her seriously. It would be interesting to see if the narrator choozes to deepen her characters voice over time, to go with the character's development throughout the series. Were that to happen, my rating would go up for the performance.

Fun fairytale retelling

Any additional comments?

When Gilly is caught stealing bread for her family, she is sentenced to three month at the Fairy Tale Reform School. The school would be a dream place to live it weren’t for the former villain teachers who may or may not have given up their evil ways. Something sinister, however, is going on at the school. When the royal princesses come to inspect the school and someone tries multiple times to kill the, Gilly wonders if someone is trying to start a war or worse. She enlists the help of her friend, Jax. He, however, is hiding something. Can Gilly save the school and her new friends? Can she trust Jax? Who is trying to sabotage the school?

Narrator, Kristin Condon brings to life Gilly’s world with her unique intonations and easy to follow voice. Her unique voices bring out the characters’ personalities and make them easy to relate to. The plot is well developed, engaging, and has lots of plot twists. Kristin navigates the different scene paces and plot twists with ease without losing the reader. Fans of fairy tale retellings, snarky main characters, fantasy, and mystery will enjoy listening to this audiobook.

Flunked or Adventure

This book series interested me and my family. I was surprised that it was about what happened after the classic fairy tales we know and love occurred. FTRS was a wonderful idea, in my opinion. It gives people who could be doing things they shouldn’t into people who can help those around them to avoid that path. I thought that Gilly was doing what she believed would help her family. Then she got sentenced to FTRS. I was kinda sad that this wasn’t a real place. It seemed like fun. Gilly learned her lesson and had fun along the way. She made friends and did some amazing things. No spoilers but, the fairytale world is not totally “Wonderful”. I hope they make a movie and that it will be just as entertaining as the book!

If you like fairytales and adventure then I encourage you to listen the the fairy tale reform school series! Where your classics come to life and you can reform from villainy.

Thoroughly enjoyed this read

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was a really engaging story with loads of creativity. The way the fairy-tales interlock and the themes displayed were fantastic. This book keeps you jumping form start to finish.

It is all from the POV of Jilly, who is a thief but only to help her family. Not exactly a villain in my book, but definitely in need of a little reform. You can feel class distinctions being drawn from the start of the book. Clearly Royals and Commoners are a little at odds.

Jilly is a very clever girl who actually lucks out by being sent to reform school. It takes her out of her life as a potential cobbler and gives her other options. There are lesson to be learned for sure. Add in a side intrigue and the story flows nicely! This isn't a full on adventure read, but it has plenty of action to keep things on target. I can imagine many a tween loving this story!

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Kristin Condon, who does a terrific job with all those voices! The story flows with her voice and energy adding to the authors words. Her pace was just swift enough for a young audience to stay engaged.

I really hope this is the start of a series. It sort of felt that way, so fingers crossed! Great middle grade book I will be recommending to the tweens i work with at the theatre.

Fair Story

Despite a few inconsistencies the story was enjoyable. I did expect a few more hardships than what occurred, but the characters were fun to hear about.

GREAT ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

I LOVED IT❤❤❤❤❤❤ I RECOMMENDED THIS BOOK TO EVERYONE THAT LIKES FANTASY (I LOVE THIS BOOK):D

Flunked- The best book ever

Wow!! This is such a good book! I cant believe that this book was not a movie.