So, when I first requested this book, I didn't realise it was actually a series! But it didn't hinder my reading experience much at all, bar having to quickly get to know the characters. The author was able to throw us right into the action, so to speak, and I was immediately hooked on their adventures. Gilly is a feisty kid, and Fairy Tale Reform School was an absolute treat to become immersed in - it is exactly how I always dreamed school would be like, if only!

Kids who love The Land of Stories, School of Good and Evil, EJ Baker's books I would recommend this to, it's fun, adventure filled, and delightfully enjoyable! And gah, ends on a cliffhanger.

This whole series is really cute! I hadn't read the first two when I received Tricked, but they were a breeze to get through once I started. Gilly makes for a fun and clever heroine and her friends are simply the best. I am looking forward to more of Gilly's adventures and I really want to find out what happened to Anna!

It’s no hoax, Jen Calonita’s Tricked is a fun MG read

TRICKED, by Jen Calonita, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, March 7, 2017, Hardcover, $15.99 (ages 10 and up)

Tricked, by Jen Calonita, is the third book in the Fairy Tale Reform School series, and this time around, the third book is better than the second (Charmed). The first novel in the series, Flunked, is still the strongest, but the series as a whole is a lot of fun.

The series begins with Gilly Cobbler being sentenced to Fairy Tale Reform School. After Gilly helps thwart plans to bring evil back into power she’s granted her freedom. Instead, she volunteers to stay at school so she can help catch the spy who’s helping Alva (the fairy who cursed Sleeping Beauty).

As we begin Tricked, Alva has been turned to stone and Sleeping Beauty is “recovering” from being brainwashed. Gilly is officially reformed and has been sent home to learn to attend Jack of All Trades School. After her experience at FTRS, the life of a cobbler seems awfully boring. Especially since rumor has it things at FTRS are just starting to get interesting. Word is, Rumpelstiltskin has taken over management from Headmistress Flora, and he’s got the school on lockdown — no more family visits, no mail, no extracurriculars.

When Gilly’s little sister Anna falls in with bad company (Hansel and Gretel), and gets shipped off to FTRS, Gilly quickly learns things at the school are a lot worse than she imagined. With all lines of communication shut down, there’s really only one thing Gilly can do — get thrown back into FTRS.

In Tricked, Gilly has overcome a lot of the annoying characteristics she took on in Charmed. She is once again joined by her merry bunch of misfit friends who range from a prince and a fairy to an ogre and a witch.

Gilly’s quick, snappy voice also returns in Tricked, impressively picking up the pace. A plot development that takes some of the main characters out of the school is also a nice addition. The addition of Rumpelstiltskin as an the main “bad guy” was a good choice on Jen Calonita’s part. As a trickster, his motivation and actions are interesting and go beyond basic fairy tales.

By the time you reach the end of Tricked, it’s clear at least one more book is in the works. And if Calonita continues along this path, it should be great fun to read.

Tricked is everything you want in a middle grade title--EVERYTHING!

"Things are changing at Fairy Tale Reform School.

At least, that's what Gilly's heard through the Enchantasia rumor mill. Word is, notorious trickster Rumpelstiltskin has taken over management from Headmistress Flora, and he's locked down the school tighter than the Pied Piper's pants. Not that this news concerns Gilly. She's been released from FTRS and is now suffering through attending Jack of All Trades School, where she gets to learn about different kinds of shoe leather and ways to measure feet. Truly riveting stuff.

But when Gilly's little sister Anna gets whisked off to FTRS thanks to her troublemaking new friends, Hansel and Gretel, Gilly knows she's got to get Anna out of there. There's only one thing to do; make some serious trouble and get thrown back into FTRS.

It's time to out-trick a trickster."

If you've ever heard me talk about Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go, you know I'm passionate about middle grade books that imitate and re-tell other stories (Go pick up Heck if you haven't already.) So it should be no surprise when I tell you that this series needs a place on your shelves.

Because I requested, and was approved for Book #3, I needed to run through books #1 and #2. Lucky for me, they were easy to listen to. Because the FTRS is fantasy, there is a lot of world building, but we are never just told about it all. We learn so much about the world just by being it. I felt like I'd already been in Enchantasia, and that everything in this world was plausible.

From gargoyles to evil fairies, everything in this world is plausible. And everything is a pun that children and adults are sure to enjoy.

Jen's quirk keeps up in all three installments. And we watch Gilly toggle back and forth between a likable quirky little thief-and an obnoxious little brat.

Tricked brings us back to FTRS to once again watch Gilly, Jax, Maxine, Ollie, and Kayla save the day. Flora, Cinderella's formerly wicked ex-stepmother, is no longer the headmistress at Fairy Tale Reform School. She has been replaced by Mr. Stiltskin, and he is cracking down on the rules so hard that more children are being sent to FTRS than ever!

I guarantee this is a series you, your kids, your younger siblings, your classmates, and basically anybody with a pulse will enjoy. I definitely recommend you run out to your nearest bookstore to pick up a copy. Right now.

Jen Calonita's Website
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I hadnt read books 1 or 2 so I was leary at first, but I really enjoye this book so much so that Im going to get book 1 and 2

This middle grade series always bring out my inner child who doesn't love reading about fairy tale characters and the fairy tale reform school series is enthralling and a nice fast read. I always loved reading various retelling that involve Rumpelstiltskin in fact he one of my favorite characters on Once Upon a Time. He a unique character that reminds be a bit of Puck from Shakespeare's A midsummer nights dream. This series always has good lessons to discover along the way and this one stays very true to the lesson that no one can tell who you are or what to do with your life. It your life make it your own and you will achieve what you are meant to. Excited that it not the last one and their more to come.

Tricked by Jen Calonita is the third book in the Fairy Tale Reform School series. Every once in awhile I come across a middle grade series that I enjoy and this is definitely one of them!

Tricked is a mix-mash of fairy tale characters. plot twists and turns that will keep you on your toes. Ms. Calonita writes with a good dose of humor yet addresses more subtly the challenges surrounding growing up and coming of age. All in all, this is a delightful book!

4.5 Stars!

I received this book for free. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own. Thank you to Sourcebooks Jabberwocky and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

While this book isn't mind blowing, its a solidly entertaining book. We see the introduction of a few new characters, though the existing characters don't gain much depth or experience significant growth. The plot is reasonably independent of the others while still contributing to a larger story.

Interesting concept. Unfortunately, I had not read the previous two books in this series, but I did not feel lost without having read them. I will now go back and read them. I would and will purchase titles for the library and recommend others to purchase.

I thought the third book was the best of the series so far and slightly redeemed it in my eyes. Would I highly recommend this to middle grade readers? Probably not. It wasn't a series that hooked me. However, we all know that sometimes a book isn't the right book -- for a specific person. I was not the right reader for these books. I tried really hard to get engaged and feel invested but, alas, it felt like work to get through these.

I tend to shy away from giving harsher reviews on here (authors, I feel for you), so first I want to share what drew me into the book. Of course, that cover. It's whimsical and cute and definitely eye-catching. It's also a fairy tale series, and we all know that's one of my favorite genres. I thought the premise was creative too: a reform school for criminal fairy tale characters (think the Evil Queen, the Big Bad Wolf, etc.), and a redeeming main character. Gilly Cobbler is a petty thief, true, but she only does it to help her family survive. Her large family lives in an old boot, and demand for cobblers is low in the kingdom of Enchantsia. After stealing one too many times, Gilly is sentenced to Fairy Tale Reform School (FTRS). There she meets a gang of friends, including an ogre and a fairy.

In the first two books, Gilly and her friends manage to save Enchantsia from doom, and Gilly battles with a newfound hero complex and some friendship troubles. In Tricked, the third installment, Enchantsia is once again threatened -- this time by Rumplestilkskin. It's up to Gilly and her friends to complete a quest in order to stop him.

What I wasn't such a fan of: the characters. They felt so shallow and despite incredibly obvious clues being dropped with reckless abandon, realizations seemed to jump out of nowhere, making it seem like characters had really limit thought processes. I really felt like (as a teacher of the middle-grade audience) that not enough credit was given to readers. They catch on a lot faster than you might think, and this all felt a little fake. There were some great themes in the books, but none were very well developed so the lessons weren't very impactful -- both for the characters and the reader. I liked the plot of Tricked -- the adventure aspect was the most compelling part of the reading experience, but in the end the series fell a little flat for me overall.

In terms of recommending the Fairy Tale Reform School series, I'd say it's worth a try for middle grade readers who enjoy this type of book in general.

Story was fun and different. Easy to find connections to the characters. Excited to try more of the series and cheer them on.

My mom won this book from Netgalley. Thank you to the Author, the Publisher and Netgalley.

I am almost 12 years old. I wanted to read this book because I have already read the other two books in the series and really enjoyed them.
I found the reading level was a little bit easy for me, but the interest level was good for my age.

I liked that Peaches and Wilson were smart, because I like animals.
I also liked it when Gilly and her friends tricked the trickster, Rumpelstiltskin with the golden goose (Peaches).

I didn't like that Anna went to the Rumpelstiltskin Squad, because it was very sudden, and a bit confusing that all of a sudden, Anna liked evil better than her sister.

Recently I read Tricked (Fairy Tale Reform School) by Jen Calonita. Tricked is book three in the entertaining Fairy Tale Reform School series. With the surge of books making plays on traditional fairy tales, it is fun to read a unique spin.

Fairy Tale Reform School focuses on sending those young people who are on the road to trouble to a special school run by reformed villains (such as Cinderella’s evil stepmother). The books combine the classic fairy tale characters and introduce new characters and plots.

Tricked centers on Gilly’s desire to return to FTRS to find out what sneaky trick the new headmaster, Rumplestiltskin is planning and to help her younger sister, Anna, who has been sent to FTRS along with her closest rebellious friends, Hansel and Gretel. All Gilly knows is that her sister is not acting like herself and the town is enchanted with Rumplestilskin’s desire to “Make Enchantasia great again.” Gilly reunites with her fellow former FTRS friends to get into enough trouble to get thrown back in. The novel follows this wise, crafty, bad-turned-good band’s quest to save their beloved school, home and families from Rumplestilskin.

My only regret with this book is that I wish I had read the previous books in the series. The book does not stand alone, and I would have understood more about the characters and the setting if I was familiar with the previous books. Fans of the series, rejoice! Tricked will be released in March.

Although I received a copy of this eBook from the publisher (via netgalley) all opinions are my own.

This is book three in a series, I hadn't read any books from the series before. That didn't stop me from understanding what was going on. This book follows children and some fairy tale characters. The main character in this book is the shoemakers daughter, Gilly. When something fishy is going on at Fairy Tale Reform School, Gilly and her friends are on the case, determined to figure it out and put things right.

Overall this was a fun read. Would be great for a middle aged reader who loves princesses. This seems to go a bit deeper with the families of the characters. Quite enjoyable.

I hadn't read the first two in this series but luckily I picked up the story fairly easily. I loved meeting well known fairy tale characters throughout the book and it was amusing finding out 'what happened next' at the end of popular fairy tales. Gillian Cobbler is a great character and this book has a definite theme of doing what's right, not just for you but for the wider community. A good, fun read for children just discovering chapter books , I'm looking forward to reading how Gill copes with an impending giant attack in the next book.

I love this series! Flunked, the first book, was lots of fun. many of my kids enjoyed the story when I introduced them to it. Charmed, the second book, was entertaining, too! Now this book is coming out and I will be sure to promote the story to the kids who liked the first one and to the new fans as well! very entertaining story for kids who like fairy tales. New twists on the old tales are always fun!

My 10 yr old daughter had delighted in the first 2 novels, so needless to say, Tricked was highly anticipated. We read this installment together and from her reaction, I can conclude Tricked did not disappoint. It was a lively book, full of traditional fairy tale characters, along with some new friends. Gilly still prevails as our heroin although this time, she struggles with finding her identity and forming a path for her future. I love how Jen Calonita is able to give traditional tales a fun, adventurous twist. As a parent, I feel Tricked would be appropriate for ages 9 and up. If you are a friend of fables, you will find the Fairy Tale Reform School series fascinating!

When things go awry in this world of fairy tales, it's up a small band of misfits to save the day. Led by Gilly, a cobbler's daughter, and Jax, a prince, the group must discover and stop whatever the nefarious Rumpelstiltskin has planned for Fairy Tale Reform School. FTRS used to be a good school where fairy tale children could go when they needed a little hard love to direct them back onto the path of good and away from villainy. But with Rumpelstiltskin at the helm, everything has changed and it looks like there's more need for actual reform than ever.

Tricked is the third book in the Fairy Tale Reform School series. Having not previously read the earlier stories myself, I can say this book read perfectly fine as a stand alone. There were, I believe, references to adventures and dealings that happened in earlier books, but none of this information was integral to the story taking place in Tricked.

Since this book is written with middle grade readers in mind, it's safe to say most will already be familiar with the more traditional fairy tales the author has based her creations off of. I think both boys and girls alike will find appeal in the author's choice of characters and setting. The story itself was cute and developed at a quick pace. It was filled with lots of action and excitement that is sure to keep young readers interested. And lastly, Tricked is loaded with easy humor and laced with fabulous moral lessons to boot!

4 stars all the way!

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me this review opportunity.