I liked the first book in the series, but it really has started getting stale. Unfortunately, I just don't think it will grab my students attention.

Switched is an excellent addition to the Fairy Tale Reform School series. This book is perfect for fans of Descendants who love fairy tale mash-ups and reformed villains. I love all the characters and all the teachers who are former villains.

I absolutely love this series and Jen Calonita! I have recommended it to countless patrons looking for a different take on fairy tales. Great middle grade read!

This is a great series for young readers! The building-on of story tales that they already know is clever and makes this universe richer than it otherwise would be. Plus, these stories are fun.

Super fun and cute. My daughter has loved this series from the very first book. She talks and talks about them. This one did not disappoint.

I was a bit confused .... I thought I was reading the previous book Tricked....
I enjoyed the book very much. It is family oriented and delivers a message of the value of friendship, unity and trust.

I didn't like this book as well as I did the others in the series. The main reason for my not liking the book was the fact that Gilly lost a lot of her objectivity, strength, spunk, and cleverness that got her through the last three books and she was only consumed with rescuing her sister which made her a lot duller than she used to be. The author likes to use a lot of acronyms instead of the whole term and there are over half a dozen of them and it is sometimes to hard to keep them all straight. I know this book is geared towards middle school readers but I found some of the writing geared more towards elementary aged readers.

I got an ARC of this book from Netgalley for my honest opinion.

Switched is the fourth book in the Fairy Tale Reform School series and I have been loving them. They are a middle grade series about a girl who is sent to reform school to become 'good', she uses her smarts and sometimes some dumb behavior to help save the school and her classmates. Throughout the series so far she has made lasting friendships, really began to think of the school as home, and continues to grow as a character in each book.

This book is also a continuation of the last one more so than the others have been. We left off with Rumpelstiltskin trying to take over and that is where we pick up again, a few of the circumstances have changed but Gilly is out to save the day again.

I loved the fairy tale characters brought into this one more then I have in the others - Beauty and the Beast have joined the staff at FTRS and Beauty runs the library (squeeee - so excite). It was a great addition and I really loved it. I am trying to keep this review spoiler free so I won't say too much more. If you haven't picked up the series yet and like retellings and middle grade books, I highly recommend this series!

This was another wonderful adventure with Gilly and the other students at Fairy Tale Reform School. In this story, the new library is opened. The books are magical and many are off limits without special permission. Prince Sebastian (aka The Beast) and his wife Beauty are in charge of the library with the help of many fairies. Their daughter also comes with them and she and Gilly become friends. Anna, Gilly's sister is still missing and Gilly is obsessed with finding and rescuing her. Jack, another new student also becomes friends with Gilly. They have a very similar background and both have family members with Rumpelstiltskin. When Gilly gets the chance to head up to Cloud City where she is hoping to rescue her sister, she takes up. All her friends join her in this adventure. Will things turn out the way they hoped? Will they rescue Anna and Jack's family? Will they capture Rumpelstiltskin?

There is an undertone about bullying in this story as well as judging people by their appearance, title etc. There is also some discussion about trust, which is an issue in everyone's lives, not just children. There is a lot more magic in this book and not as much figuring out puzzles, but that does not matter in this story. This book is another great addition to this series for middle grade readers. I would recommend reading these books in order as there is often cliffhangers as there is in this one. I am looking forward to reading Misfits, the next in this series. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.

Aimed at a middle-grade audience, Switched is the 4th book in the Fairy Tale Reform School series by Jen Calonita. The series provides a wry twist to classic fairy tale characters with some modern attitude and updated freshness.

I occasionally like to grab a middle grade fantasy to sort of reset my palate after a bunch of serious literary reviews, and this one satisfies. It's light and fun and undemanding. The recurring characters from the earlier books are back along with some new faces.

Although the book is somewhat 'genre'/flavor of the month, and the plot is fairly predictable, it's rollicking and fun and will undoubtedly be a favorite for middle graders. I did enjoy it and found myself smiling and chuckling fairly often. I do have to admit that calling Rumplestiltskin 'Rump' every other sentence began to wear on me after the first few pages. The main character Gilly, is stubborn and somewhat hotheaded but is (mostly) true to her friends and will be relatable for most middle graders.

The book is well written and plotted and I didn't find it lagging for me or failing to keep my interest. It's fairly long for a middle reader book at 304 pages and is available in hardback, paperback, ebook and audio formats. Published 6th March, 2018 from Sourcebooks Jabberwocky imprint.

At the end of the book is a 2 chapter teaser for the author's newest book, Misfits book 1 in the Royal Acadamy Rebels series (due out in October 2018).

Three and a half stars, enjoyable.

In the past, I have read series where books 3 & 4 disappointed me, but I cannot say that about Jen Calonita’s “Tricked” and “Switched”. If it was a movie, I would be at the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next. Rarely do I want a series to continue on like I want this one to. (Okay, Harry Potter and all of Rick Riordan’s series).
Although, we tell ourselves to be good when outside forces are working to tear apart our family all reason goes out the door. Anyone who has a sibling knows that it is okay to mess with your own brother or sister, but no one else better mess with them.
Trickster Rumplestiltskin has taken over the running of Fairy Tale Reform school and Gilly has heard things are not the same. She should be enjoying her pardon, but instead things take a turn for the worst when her sister Anna is arrested and sent to the school. Now Gilly, with the help of her friend Jax, must find a way to be sent back to protect her.
Upon arrival, they find that the school is not following it’s mission to reform children before they become villains. Instead, “Stiltskin” has begun preying on the students and encouraging them to be villains.
Read “Tricked” and “Switched” to find out if the heroes save the school and Gilly’s sisters and let me know what you think on Twitter @librarian47331.

I love the Fairy Tale Reform School series! Gilly and her friends have had some great adventures. KIds in my library that have read the other books in the series have been anxiously awaiting Switched.

I wish I could say I enjoyed Switched as much as the previous books in this series, but I can’t. It reads a little bit as if author Jen Calonita fell into the “series slump” this time around. While the overall story does move forward, Switched feels an awful lot like someone said, “We need to get from Point A to Point B, and this will get us there.”

The other thing that makes Switched a bit of a downer is Gilly. This time around, Gilly seems to have lost her spirit. Now I know that she’s upset her sister is missing, and she’s upset, but wow does that come across as self-absorbed and annoying. It kind of reminds me of Harry’s unfortunate personality turn in Half-Blood Prince. I’m hoping that Gilly will get a reboot much like Harry’s in the next book.

Switched isn’t a bad book. Calonita’s writing is still easy and inviting. It’s definitely the weakest book in the series, but it’s still way better than a lot of stuff out there.

*NOTE: This a review of the entire series.*

Even though I'm 27, every now and then I like to read a middle-grade novel. There's something magical about a good middle-grade book. I love getting swept up in a story of good versus evil, where the good guy always wins in the end. It just leaves you with a warm and cozy feeling. I was looking through the books on my Kindle and saw that I owned all of the Fairy Tale Reform School series, and decided to binge read it. I loved it. I flew through the entire series in less than a week.

I think the FTRS series is one of the best middle-grade series I've read recently. It reminded me a lot of Harry Potter, if Harry Potter had fairy tale creatures in it. There are many similarities, such as a constant change of professors, moving hallways, and a school setting. However, FTRS series isn't a Harry Potter copycat. It takes those tropes, and turns them into something completely unique and fun to read about. I loved trying to figure out how the kids were going to solve their problems. Just when I thought the books were getting predictable, it would take a completely different. route and surprise me all over again.

At first, I thought the series should have ended after the second book. I thought that there was no way the author could keep the series interesting without jumping the shark after the way book two ended, but I was completely wrong. She shocked me with how well she continued the story with the addition of Rumplestiltskin and the Stiltskin Squad. It kept things fresh, and got me re-interested in the storyline all over again. The very subtle political references had me cracking up laughing. My only complaint is that books three and four were a bit slow at times, but I think that's because the reader is introduced to so many new characters and plot mechanics. Everything changes, and with that comes a lot of world building.

I loved the FTRS series so much. It's one of my favorite middle-grade series I've ever read. Possibly one of my favorite series in general. I thought Switched was the last book in the series because it's the last book shown on Goodreads, but I hope it isn't. Switched left a lot of unanswered questions. I hope the author writes at least one more book in the series so we can get answers. I am looking forward to the spin-off series, Royal Academy, which comes out in late 2018. I can't wait to immerse myself back into this world, and hopefully see some more of my favorite characters. I recommend this series for anyone who wants to read a great middle-grade series with some fun fairy tale and fantasy elements.

I started off lost it’s book 4 in a series and the references to past adventures were lost on me....it took me a couple chapters to get into it tbh.
I also thought everything being abbreviated was a bit much.
After getting past all that I enjoyed the story and yes If there’s another I would read it.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
https://booksnbaubles.com/switched-fairy-tale-reform-school-4-by-jen-calonita/

Typically I won't pick up a book in the middle of a series. For some reason, I didn't realize this was #4 so here I am. Anyway, I wasn't really lost on the characters or the jest of the story. However, I did have issues with the number of acronyms this author used for everything. Here's a small sampling:

FTRS: Fairy Tale Reform School
RA: Royal Academy
MMC: From Mischief-Maker to Model Citizen
HEAS: Happily Ever After Scrolls
RLW: Royal Ladies-in-Waiting

Honestly, I'm probably forgetting a few. It confused me, I'll just be honest. Maybe I'm old but I can't remember all of these acronyms.

This book also had a few instances of onomatopoeia (sound effects) but it wasn't so excessive that I wanted to throw the book down in frustration.

Overall, the premise of this story is a really cute one. It's like a mix up of Once Upon a Time and Equestria Girls. In other words, fairy tale characters in a school setting. I could see kids really liking this story.

Truth be told, I'd be interested in going back and reading books 1-3 so while this isn't the best YA book that I've ever read, it does have promise.

This book was provided to me by Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and have not been compensated for this. All opinions are my own.

Loved the addition of some new characters in this part of the series. Beauty and the Beast - and especially their daughter AG - were my favorite parts of this book. I was a little disappointed by Gilly in this one. She's consumed with rescuing her sister and she loses some of her objectivity - and some of the strength and cleverness and spunk that have made her such a great character in the past. I hope she will get to display more of those qualities in the next book.

Things at Fairy Tale Reform School are great. Rumpelstiltskin has been chased off, and everyone is excited that Beauty and the Beast have joined the teaching staff. Everyone, that is, except Gilly, who can’t seem to focus on anything but Anna. How is it that her  sister somehow went bad and joined up with Rump? And why doesn’t anyone seem to care? Sure, the Royal Court says they’re working on it, but they’ve got exactly nothing to show for it. But when new kid Jack shows up with tales of his own family being snatched by Rump, Gilly knows she’s in good company. Jack wants answers, just like Gilly. And if the Royal Court can’t get the job done, then maybe it’s time to break some rules...



| Amazon |
Switched
Jen Calonita

This is the fourth book in the Fairy Tale Reform School series. And unfortunately I have not read the previous books, as usual I didn't read too much into the book before requesting on Netgalley. It really threw you straight into the story and although it reintroduced characters it was definitely more of a jog your memory kinda intro. For the first couple of chapters I was getting the hang of who people were and what the overarching series plot was, but I do think a 11-12 year old who this book is targeting might

This is a middle-grade book, which means the writing style is much faster to read because its targeted for younger readers. This meant that I was able to read it all in one evening, it only took me approximately 2 hours in total.  I do want to read more middle-grade because of this, but I do feel like it's much harder to critique a book that is focused on a younger audience, as you do have to write them differently. For example, I was never worried about a character dying so I had less of a investment into the characters. I sometimes felt quite irritated when things were repeated a few chapters later. The majority of the book was predictable, you knew where it was heading and the 'plot twists' weren't that much of a surprise.

But as it is a middle-grade it has the really good point of having morals and trying to teach kids. There's some wonderful lessons in friendship for both new and old friends. I also liked how bullying was handled as it was actually dealt with within the book. It also emphasises teamwork and I think all these lessons are really good for young kids to learn.

I personally didn't like the main character all that much. All she kept doing was talking about her sister being missing and needing to be saved. To the point where other people's problems seemed lesser to her problem. And what annoyed about the plot line itself is that Anna left on her own decision, and she felt that Gilly overshadowed her. Gilly's entire 'I need to save her' act just felt too much like she was trying to be the hero, which in turn would overshadow Anna again. So I just didn't think Gilly really put much thought into what was going on, and she just wanted to break more rules, be reckless and make herself the good hero of her story. And I just do not resonate with characters that are like this.

I think the group of friends that Gilly has was nice, but I also though there were too many characters sometimes. Plus two more characters join them in this book. Obviously there's a bias as I don't know them from previous books, but I felt some of them did lack the personality and depth needed to differentiate them from one another. Again, this is probably because it's a series and they've been fleshed out previously. But I do think that each book in a series should spend at least some time making characters have their own personalities and some kind of topic to be focused on just so we can connect with them more.

I will probably end up buying the whole series at some point because it is such a lovely premise and its a quick read for me. I also would love to learn more about the backstory that's nudged at a little bit during this book. I only had problems with this book because it's a middle-grade and I was reading as a reviewer who doesn't often read younger books and so was looking at from an adults perspective. If I was in the middle-grade age bracket, I know I would really enjoy this book, and I wouldn't have noticed problems at all.



POSITIVES
+ Good topics to teach kids. E.g. Bullying and friendships.

+ Enjoyed the premise

+ Fast pace throughout

NEGATIVES
– Predictability

– Didn't get on with MC

I received Switched by Jen Calonita from the publisher via Netgalley. This is an unbiased and honest review

*thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Jabberwocky for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars.

What a cute fun read! If you like middle grade fantasy and fairytales then this is definitely a series to grab. I'm hoping that this is not the last in the series as I really enjoyed it. It was great fun reading about my favourite fairytale characters and meeting some new ones too.

This is such a fun middle-grade series and a different take on fairy tales. Gilly is a thief-turned-hero, and while she isn't great at following directions, she is a great friend with a big heart. Beauty and Beast are new characters, and their daughter, AG, plays an important role. Readers will love the introduction and magical library. The characters are fun to get to know, and it's a book you'll want to read with your kids, although I highly recommend you start at the beginning of the series. The core themes of this book are the importance of friends and learning how to accept and appreciate what makes you different. I look forward to the next book in the series!

I received an e-copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.