Books › Once Upon a Time
Once Upon a Time
241 pages
A sparkling, pun-filled romp through a magical boarding school where the children of legends decide whether to follow the script or write their own.
What it feels like
Reading this collection feels like stepping into a brightly colored, sugar-spun world that hides a surprisingly earnest heart. The pace is brisk and bouncy, carrying you through a series of charming vignettes that perfectly capture the jittery excitement of the night before a new school year. The atmosphere is steeped in whimsical magic and clever fairy-tale puns, yet it never loses sight of the very real adolescent anxiety of living up to parental expectations. It is a sparkling, lighthearted experience that balances theatrical flair with genuine emotional stakes. Readers who love magical boarding schools and stories about forging an independent identity will devour this playful exploration of what happens before the happily ever after.
- Mood
- sparkling
- enchanting
- lighthearted
- Tone
- playful
- earnest
- whimsical
- wry
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- weight of expectations · forging identity · friendship across divides · rebellion versus tradition
- The writing
- The writing is bubbly and accessible, sprinkled with clever fairy-tale puns and a winking, theatrical cadence.
- The arc
- The journey shifts from the comfortable innocence of childhood into the thrilling, anxious realization that one's future can be rewritten.
- Who it's for
- Perfect for middle-grade readers who adore magical boarding schools, fractured fairy tales, and stories about choosing your own destiny.
Content notes
- mild bullying
- parental pressure
About the book
"A new chapter is about to begin at Ever After High, and all students are preparing to return to school and start their Legacy Year, when they will commit to living out their fairytale destinies, repeating the famous stories of their parents"--
The students of Ever After High are at home, preparing to start their Legacy Year.
Description from Open Library.
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The Storybook of LegendsShannon HaleA sparkling, magical boarding school romp about rewriting the rules of your own happily ever after.
The Unfairest of Them AllShannon HaleA whimsical boarding-school romp where fairy tale legacies clash with the desire to write one's own destiny.
The School for Good and EvilSoman ChainaniA wickedly clever subversion of fairy-tale tropes wrapped in a glittering, gothic-tinged exploration of friendship.
A world without princesSoman ChainaniA darkly theatrical and subversive fairy tale where the battle lines are drawn not by morality, but by gender and the messy bonds of friendship.
Every Heart a DoorwaySeanan McGuireA dark, wistful love letter to the children who fell through the cracks of reality and the worlds that ruined them for the ordinary.
Half Upon a Time (Half Upon a Time #1)James RileyA hilarious, fast-paced romp that turns classic fairy tales upside down with sarcastic heroes and clever meta-twists.