Flunked

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.