series Reading Order

Fairy Tale Reform School Books in Order

6 Books
2015 – 2020 Published
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Reading order

The Recommended Reading Order

Jen Calonita’s magical kingdom of Enchantasia is home to two highly interconnected series: the original six-book Fairy Tale Reform School (FTRS) and the companion trilogy Royal Academy Rebels. While you can read each series separately, the events actually run parallel to one another. To get the most out of the story and avoid major spoilers, we highly recommend reading the books in a chronological, combined order.

This combined sequence follows the natural timeline of Enchantasia, aligning character crossovers and the escalating schemes of the overarching villains, Rumpelstiltskin and the evil fairy Alva.

The Shared Universe Chronological Order

  1. Flunked (Fairy Tale Reform School Book 1)
  2. Charmed (Fairy Tale Reform School Book 2)
  3. Tricked (Fairy Tale Reform School Book 3)
  4. Switched (Fairy Tale Reform School Book 4)
  5. Misfits (Royal Academy Rebels Book 1)
  6. Wished (Fairy Tale Reform School Book 5)
  7. Outlaws (Royal Academy Rebels Book 2)
  8. Cursed (Fairy Tale Reform School Book 6)
  9. Heroes (Royal Academy Rebels Book 3 / Crossover Finale)

Fairy Tale Reform School: Gilly’s Story

The core series is narrated by Gilly Cobbler, a spunky twelve-year-old thief who steals to help her family survive. In Enchantasia, repeat offenders are sent to the Fairy Tale Reform School, a unique rehabilitation center run by reformed fairy-tale villains who are trying to teach the next generation how to go good.

1. Flunked (2015)

Gilly is caught pocketing a royal hair clip and is sentenced to three months at Fairy Tale Reform School. Expecting torture, she instead finds a luxurious castle run by Headmistress Flora—Cinderella's formerly wicked stepmother. Alongside classmates like Jax and Kayla, Gilly discovers a conspiracy within the school's walls and realizes that deciding who is good and who is bad is not as simple as it seems.

2. Charmed (2016)

Now a reluctant hero, Gilly is recruited to go undercover as a Royal Lady-in-Waiting. The stakes rise when Alva, the villainous fairy who cursed Sleeping Beauty, breaks the Evil Queen out of school custody. Gilly must identify a mole inside the palace before Alva can execute her plan to destroy the royal family.

3. Tricked (2017)

Rumpelstiltskin has successfully usurped the role of headmaster at Fairy Tale Reform School, turning it into a prison-like facility. When Gilly’s younger sister, Anna, is sent to the school and falls under Rumpelstiltskin's manipulative influence, Gilly intentionally gets herself arrested again to break back into the school and rescue her sister.

4. Switched (2018)

Although Rumpelstiltskin has been run out of the school, he remains a dangerous fugitive—and he has taken Gilly's sister, Anna, with him. As Gilly searches for a way to track them down, she must deal with a school in transition and the complicated, shifting loyalties of both teachers and students.

5. Wished (2019)

With the threat of Rumpelstiltskin and Alva hanging over the kingdom, the school tries to return to normal. However, when a student named Maxine unearths a magic lamp and makes a wish for everyone to be happy, the school is plunged into a chaotic, musical-like trance. Gilly must break the spell before their enemies take advantage of their distracted state.

6. Cursed (2020)

In the final book of the core series, Rumpelstiltskin and Alva prepare to launch a massive curse designed to rewrite the entire history of Enchantasia. Gilly and her friends embark on an epic quest across the kingdom to stop the curse, save her sister, and reunite her family once and for all.

Royal Academy Rebels: Devin’s Story

This companion trilogy shifts the perspective to the Royal Academy, the prestigious boarding school where future fairy-tale heroes and rulers are trained. The series follows Devinaria 'Devin' Nile, a princess who prefers talking to animals over practicing royal protocols.

1. Misfits (2018)

Devin is excited to attend the Royal Academy but quickly realizes she doesn't fit in with the status-obsessed students. She suspects that the academy's headmistress, Fairy Godmother Olivina, is hiding a dark secret under her sugary-sweet exterior. Devin must use her unique ability to communicate with beasts to uncover a plot that threatens the entire student body.

2. Outlaws (2019)

After exposing Headmistress Olivina’s villainous plans, Devin and her friends are expelled and branded as outlaws. Banished to the dangerous Hollow Woods, they must team up with legendary rebels like Red Riding Hood to survive, clear their names, and plan a way to take back their kingdom.

3. Heroes (2021)

Following the catastrophic magical events caused by Rumpelstiltskin and Alva, the Royal Academy and Fairy Tale Reform School are forced to merge. Devin finds herself sharing a room with Gilly Cobbler's sister, Anna. Together, the heroes of both schools must put aside their differences to face down a newly risen threat and save Enchantasia from destruction.

What to Know Before You Start

Jen Calonita's shared universe offers a clever, fractured fairy-tale setting that subverts classic tropes. Instead of paint-by-numbers heroes and villains, readers are treated to deep questions about redemption, choices, and personal identity. Flora and her teaching staff—which includes the Wolf from Little Red Riding Hood and the Sea Witch from The Little Mermaid—are written with nuance, proving that past mistakes do not define a person's future.

The target reading level is middle-grade (ages 10–13), but the fast-paced plotting, witty humor, and detailed world-building make it an engaging read for older fantasy fans as well. While the books can technically be read as standalone series, reading them in the combined chronological order is highly recommended to appreciate the full weight of the crossover events in Heroes.

Frequently Asked

QWhat is the recommended starting point for the Fairy Tale Reform School series?

You should start with the first book of the main series, Flunked. This book introduces the protagonist Gilly Cobbler, the kingdom of Enchantasia, and the mechanics of the reform school itself.

QCan I read Royal Academy Rebels without reading Fairy Tale Reform School?

Yes, you can read it on its own, but it is not recommended. The events of Royal Academy Rebels run parallel to the main series and culminate in Heroes, a crossover book that features major characters and plot resolutions from both series.

QAre the villains in the reform school actually reformed?

Yes, key teachers like Headmistress Flora (Cinderella's stepmother) and Professor Harlow (the Big Bad Wolf) are genuinely trying to do good, although their past reputations and the arrival of active villains like Rumpelstiltskin test the characters' trust.

QWho is the main antagonist of the shared universe?

The main antagonists are Rumpelstiltskin and Alva (the wicked fairy from Sleeping Beauty). Their schemes to overthrow Enchantasia drive the overarching plot across both series.

QIs there a crossover book between the two series?

Yes, Heroes (the third book in the Royal Academy Rebels series) is a major crossover event where students from both the Royal Academy and the Fairy Tale Reform School must join forces.

QWhat age group is this series written for?

The series is targeted at middle-grade readers, specifically ages 10 to 13, though older fans of fairy-tale retellings and fantasy adventure will also enjoy it.