Look Out All You Fairy Tale Drop Outs!

This week Mrs. Librarian Lady is featuring the new release of Flunked: Fairy Tale Reform School by Jen Calonita!


WOULD YOU SEND A VILLAIN TO DO A HERO'S JOB?

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 is 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 just how good these bad guys are.

Ok, so I bet you are pumped up now to find out about how this awesome twisted mash up of fairy tales plays out. I can tell you that Flunked is clever, cute and adventurous all in one! When Gilly gets busted for stealing a fancy hair clip her whole life goes haywire. She is sent to the Fairy Tale Reform School(FTRS, which seems to have a good mission, but as we get further into the story we find that maybe this reform school might have some major flaws. "Our mission: To turn wicked delinquents and former villains into future heroes." And then we meet Flora, the infamous and so called "formerly wicked stepmother" of Cinderella. Calonita's description of Flora is hilarious. She calls her "stepmonster" which sounds pretty scary to me! Although she does admit that she doesn't have "devil's horns poking out of her head," but rather that she is thin, pointy nosed, with two-tone colored hair.

You'll also love the Happily Ever After Scrolls that frequent the pages of this book. One of my favorites is "Why We Fear Apples: Meet FRTRS's Psychologist, Professor Harlow" which features Harlow the (formerly) evil queen from Snow White and how she has changed and oh yes how she loves fashion and "doesn't terrorize people" anymore. You might also like to know that she like being pretty and extremely dislikes rudeness. And LOL she doesn't have a love life because she is too busy looking at herself in the mirror. Seriously, this is some funny stuff!

I love Gilly because she is such a spirited character and it's so much fun to follow her on her journey in a school of fairy tale misfits. FTRS shows how strong bonds can become when friendships are made, and how sometimes a band of misfits can result in a team working together for the greater good. Enough said, I don't want to give away the ending, which you will never guess who ends up being the most notorious delinquent of all.

Happy reading! I hope you enjoy Flunked by Jen Calonita!

Perks of Reading "Wallflower"

I just finished reading "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky! This was my second time reading this book and I have to say it was just as good if not better than the first time. This storyteller Charlie is such a sweetie th at you can't help but love him. He tells the story of his first year in high school and how he meets friends and tries new things. He also writes to a person that he calls "Dear Friend" and we never really know who this person is, but in the end I felt like I was the friend that Charlie was writing to. Charlie has so many sad things to tell and also many interesting stories that the book is extremely readable for teens. I'm sure many teens could relate with Charlie's story. Even though it is over 20 years old the "Perks of a Wallflower" is an age old story. I wanted to re-read the book before the movie comes out on September 21st 2012!

Some Clarity Did Me Good on a Sunday Afternoon

Perception a Clarity Novel was a great book to read on a Sunday when I was trying to relax! It began interesting and continued to keep me interested through the whole story. I actually read this book in a few hours because I wanted to know what happened to Clare. The story of Clare and her family did remind me a little bit of the Lilydale series, but all in all it was a great book. I like the way that Harrington writes - well developed characters and descriptions that helped to understand their personalities and looks. I highly recommend this book to those that love mysteries with supernatural qualities! Here's a review of the book - Happy Reading to you all!! PERCEPTION (Clarity #2)Scholastic/Point, March 1, 2012, Age 14+ When you can see things others can't, what do you do when someone's watching you? Everybody knows about Clarity "Clare" Fern. She's the psychic girl in school, the one who can place her hands on something and see hidden visions from the past. Only Clare would rather not be a celebrity. She prefers hanging back, observing. Her gift is not a game to her. But then someone starts playing with her head . . . and heart. Messages and gifts from a secret admirer crop up everywhere Clare turns. Could they be from Gabriel, the gorgeous boy who gets Clare's pulse racing? Or from Justin, Clare's hopeful ex-boyfriend who'd do anything to win her back? One thing is certain. Clare needs to solve this mystery, and soon. Because the messages are becoming sinister, and a girl in town has suddenly disappeared.

Don't Let Hard Times Get You Down

Angry Management by Chris Crutcher Harper Teen, 2009

I've been thinking about this book even though I've been finished for over a week now. I wanted to read it because there has been some controversy over the book and it had been challenged recently by a parent. I found that if you read the book the stories jump out off the pages and fill your mind with problems that real people and real teens have in their everyday lives. The characters are call backs from some of Crutcher's other novels and somehow because he knows these characters so well he is able to bring depth, light, and catharsis to all of their dilemmas and decisions. I think that the anger management classes needed a little more detail and there should have been more storyline leading up to the individual characters and their personal stories, but all in all this book was great. I would recommend this book to any teen that is looking for a realistic fiction or just something interesting to read. I myself enjoy stories that revolve around the struggles of life and how therapy can sometimes help. In teen realistic fiction, it seems that writer's like to set the tone of working it out in your own way that will ultimately help the person in the story. One of my favorite books that I read last year was "Tales of the Madman Underground" by John Barnes which tells the story of Karl Shoemaker a high school senior who has been in a therapy group since he was fourth grade. This is a great book with a story about a young man trying to break loose from the stigma of being in the group for so long and he is so desparately trying to find his own identity, his own true self.

Freaks Can Be Fun

Hey What's up Mrs. Librarian Lady? I was thinking of reading some new books but was not sure cause there's so many out there. I'm in 8th grade right now and going to high school next fall so I was wondering if you know any good books that have anything to do with high school and meeting new people. I like the books that you read and recommend all the time!

Thanx a bunch

SweeteeBee

Hi there SweeteeBee!

I'm so glad you asked about new books because I know what you mean about there being so many out there! I try to read as much new stuff as possible just to stay in the loop. Right now I am reading the 3rd book in the "Forest of Hands and Teeth" series called "The Dark and Hollow Places" by Carrie Ryan and the 2nd book in the "Hush, Hush" series called "Crescendo" by Becca Fitzpatrick. I haven't finished them yet, but they are really really good! I also just finished "The Red Pyramid" by Rick Riordan and have to say that I love love this one! I'm waiting to get my hands on the next one. The book that I have in mind for you is Monster High by Lisi Harrison author of "The Clique" series. This is a really clever book that deals with high school issues in a freakish and fanciful way. I think you will really like this one and there is also a television show on Nickelodeon based on the novel too!

"Monster High" by Lisi Harrison

Melody Carver is no stranger to being an outcast because she used to be considered homely and ugly at her old school in California. Hopefully her new nose job will help her at her new school in Salem Oregon. On the flip side, being green and a descendant of Frankenstein make Frankie Stein have to seriously hide her differentness in order to not create a total mob against her. Both of these girls are striving to fit in with their new surroundings without giving away their deep-seated fears. Both Melody and Frankie try to make friends, but they still feel left out. Frankie has to deal with her family not wanting her to come out of the closet about her monster origins. After a wild night at the homecoming dance everyone will have to re-evaluate who’s hot and who’s not in this adorable tale. Harrison hits the mark by mixing monsters, ghouls, and freaks with the age- old problem of teenagers trying to fit in. The message is clear that whoever or whatever you are, it’s best to just be yourself no matter what.