Jen Calonita

Tossed into Cinderella's stepmother's reform school for fairy-tale villains after stealing a hair clip, 12-year-old petty thief Gilly meets fellow students Jax and Kayla, who reveal the school's true evil purpose.

Flunked

Would you send a villain to do a hero's job? Flunked is an exciting new twisted fairy tale from the award-winning author of the Secrets of My Hollywood Life series. "Charming fairy-tale fun." -Sarah Mlynowski, author of the New York Times bestselling Whatever After series. 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? "Fairy Tale Reform School is spellbinding and wickedly clever. Gilly is smart, spunky, and a hilarious narrator, and I cannot wait to read about her next adventure!" -Leslie Margolis, author of the Annabelle Unleashed novels and the Maggie Brooklyn mysteries "Fairy Tale Reform School is a fresh and funny take on the enchanted world. (And who hasn't always wanted to know what happened to Cinderella's stepmother?)" -Julia DeVillers, author of the Trading Faces identical twin series and Emma Emmets, Playground Matchmaker

Rebecca

Something I think I would’ve loved as a kid, but falls a bit flat now. Reading this is quick and... fine. I don’t think I need to read the rest of the series though.

Ingrid 

I'm trash for any fairytale retelling, so obviously I enjoyed this book. I just love anything with typical Disney characters in new settings. Not sure if this book is for everyone, but you should give it a try if it sounds interesting to you. It doesn't feel like something super original and there's probably better retellings out there, but I just love these types of books so much, so I'll be continuing the series soon.

Jessica Nottingham

As I expected, this book was a ton of fun to read! While the age group this book is aimed at will probably love it the most, there's a lot here to love for us older readers as well. Imagine a reform school for the villainous. A magical place filled with Pegasus riding classes and mermaid teachers. If you're a fan of fairy tale retellings, this story will definitely make you smile.
 
Flunked is packed to the brim will all sorts of lovable, and maybe even slightly evil, misfits. Gilly is our main character, and she fits in perfectly. Not quite a villain, but not exactly the picture of a model citizen either. I liked Gilly a lot. Kind, resourceful, and loyal to her family no matter what. Unfortunately, her love of her family is exactly what lands her in Fairy Tale Reform School. It raises the question, is evil really evil if there is reason for the crime? Once she stepped foot into FTRS, and I met the rest of the characters, I was hooked.
 
The one downside to this story is that there isn't much time for character development. It's likely that won't matter to the middle grade readers that this story is aimed at, but I craved more insight into the amazing characters populating this story. There were so many nods to the stories that I grew up loving. I giggled more than once at the antics Gilly and her friends were up to.
 
Still, this story is fast paced and well written, so it's hard not to fall in love. I read it through from beginning to end in about an hour, and I can't wait for more. I know this is the first in a series, and I'm honestly excited about it. I look forward to much more from Jen Calonita and her magical reform school.

Charlot van Dijk

Ik hou echt van de sprookjeswereld, dus ik wilde dit boek ook super graag lezen! Villains gone good is toch wel een apart verhaal dacht ik zo... Dat klopt wel hoor! Maar wat ik wel erg lastig vond is dat je soms niet weet welke villain wie precies is in de klassieke sprookjes, al denk ik dat ik mezelf teveel vast heb gehouden aan de klassieke sprookjes. Het verhaal is leuk, grappig en heerlijk om tussendoor even te lezen.

Flunked

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