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?
This was a wonderful twist on the traditional fairy tales. In this case, the villains are the good guys/gals or are they? All of the teachers here want to see the best for their students, they were once students too and have seen the wickedness of their own ways. Most of all, they want to impress the Princesses who are the ruling force.
The character Gilly comes across as a tough nut to break but in truth she cares about her family. This turns out to be a running theme for everyone involved with the school. Also, "family" is not always blood related and Gilly finds that out too.
Another running theme through the book is that people are not always who they seem and sometimes, who you think is your friend is actually stabbing you in the back. Sound familiar?
I enjoyed all the twist and turns of this book and the little mystery that went along with it. Oh, and don't let that title fool you!
I had only two disappointments with this book. The first is, I was confused with the blank scrolls that were placed in between chapters. I knew what they were representing but I thought maybe there were supposed to be pictures on them. Since this was a ARC copy, it may not have been added yet.
The other disappointment is that the book seemed to end abruptly or at least I thought there should be more. Maybe this was intentional in the sense that there may be another book in the works? I cannot be sure but I did feel I was left hanging a bit.
This book is targeted at ages 10-13, grades 5-8. I think even a bit younger would enjoy it.
Overall though, I really did enjoy the book and it gets 4 stars.
Disclosure: I received a Kindle copy of this book for my open and honest opinion. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours.
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1 comment:
Boy, I would love to have this book for my granddaughter that's for sure. Sounds pretty good and maybe teach her a few things ya think? Very nice review and thanks for sharing.
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