This review contains affiliate links, which earn me a small commission when you click and purchase, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my small business and allowing me to continue providing you a reliable resource for clean book ratings.
Times have been tough for Gilly and her family ever since Cinderella’s fairy godmother made that famous glass slipper, ruining her father’s shoemaking business and stealing his design of a glass shoe. Now they’re forced to live in a rundown boot and find creative ways to make ends meet.
Gilly herself has taken to thieving to bring in enough food for her five little brothers and sisters, and Gilly’s a pretty good thief if she says so herself — until the day she’s caught and is sentenced to a minimum of three months at Fairy Tale Reform School.
Gilly doesn’t belong at FTRS. She’s not really wicked, and she’s always had a good reason for stealing. In fact, she would never have been forced to steal in the first place if it hadn’t been for the royals and that glass shoe. Yet she’s stuck at FTRS all the same and is forced to attend classes where all the teachers are former villains (such as the Big Bad Wolf, Snow White’s Evil Queen, and Cinderella’s Wicked Stepmother). Even if it’s true that their teachers have reformed themselves, being stuck under their tutelage isn’t a fairy tale, and when Gilly meets fellow students Jax and Kayla, she learns there might just be more to the school than its heroic mission.
A long-approaching battle is brewing, and the reform school seems to be stuck in the middle of the action. When faced with darkness, can the teachers and faculty really be trusted? Just how good are these bad guys?
Flunked is a cute, light read for younger audiences with a jumbled mashed-up fairy tale world reminiscent of Shrek or Disney’s Descendants. Even though its target audience is younger readers, I was pleasantly surprised by two of the plot twists and found myself chuckling more than once at the touches of humor. I also loved how the story revealed strong themes of forgiveness, mercy, and second chances — even for villains.
Rated: Mild, for a younger audience. There is some peril and some blood from non-serious injuries, but overall, nothing too graphic.
Click here to purchase your copy of Flunked on Amazon.Â
