Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 02/15/2015 For 12-year-old Gilly Cobbler, thieving is easy—and it supplements her family’s meager existence after their shoemaking business in Enchantasia falls on hard times. But then Gilly is busted and sent to Fairy Tale Reform School (“Our mission: To turn wicked delinquents and former villains into future heroes”), founded by Cinderella’s repentant stepmother, Flora, and staffed by other reformed baddies, like Professor Harlow (evil queen of Snow White/poison-apple fame) and Professor Wolfington, purportedly Red’s grandmother-eater. There Gilly contends with a strict regimen, rules, and mean girl Jocelyn, but befriending Kayla and Jax helps. However, FTRS is not all it seems. Someone has a secret, sinister agenda, and Gilly and pals must quickly discern perpetrator and plot, whom to trust, and what to do to avert a not-so-happy ending for everyone. This enjoyable series launch creatively incorporates familiar fairy-tale characters and hallmarks—princesses, talking mirrors, spells, and magical beings, from fairies to ogres—along with an engaging and spirited protagonist, abundant plot turns, and witty touches. Overall, there’s much to amuse and entertain fans of classic tales with a twist, who will likely anticipate the sequel. - Copyright 2015 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 03/01/2015 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. VERDICT Gilly's plucky spirit and determination to oust the culprit will make Flunked a popular choice for tweens.—Leigh Collazo, Dulwich College, Suzhou, China - Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Bulletin for the Center... - 06/01/2015 Twelve-year old Gill has an axe to grind with the royals: after her cobbler father designed glass slippers, Princess Ella’s fairy godmother began mass-producing them, driving Gill’s father’s business down and leaving the family in poverty. Gill considers it fitting that she steal from the royals when they visit downtown Enchantasia, but then she gets caught snatching a dragon’s tooth comb for her sister’s birthday. Her beleaguered parents cooperate with the authorities in sending smart-mouthed, fast-talking Gill to Fairy Tale Reform School, a correctional facility founded by Princess Ella’s (formerly) wicked stepmother and staffed by other villains made good. As in any fairy tale worth its salt, evil lurks on the fringes of a tranquil scene, making FTRS neither as safe nor as reformed as it seems and putting Gilly and her new crew of new friends there-and the whole population of Enchantasia-in grave danger. Readers will recognize and enjoy the various fairy tales referenced here, as Calonita nods to movie adaptations as well as the original stories, and they’ll enjoy her sly incorporation of social media to provide important background information and character sketches. With abundant, winking references, absorbing (if a bit unevenly paced) action, and wise absence of a happily-ever-after ending, this clever novel and its smart, endearing cast of characters will have readers enchanted and eager for the implied sequel(s). AA - Copyright 2015 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.