We’re headed back to Fern’s School for Wayward Fae, and the stakes are higher than ever in book two, The Grim Adventure. Possibly even deadly!
This time, Rosemary is on the run from a statue that’s come to life while also dealing with mysterious greenhouse floods, magical sweatshirts, hoards of mushrooms invading the school – not to mention everything that’s been going on with the fae courts and the Seelie Keeper – so the stakes have never been higher!
🌿GIVEAWAY: Enter for a chance to WIN both books in the Fern’s School for Wayward Fae series HERE!
As sinister threats loom, Rosemary searches for answers, only to discover these threats might be coming from a place closer than she thinks. Sprinkled with humor, heart, and horrors, everyone’s favorite quirky fictional fairy, Fern Forgettable, narrates this story, bringing author Piper CJ’s vision to life with her charming storytelling style.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES • Return to Fern’s School for Wayward Fae—where students are part human and part magical. In book 2, one demifae girl discovers that Death itself has Fern’s students in sight. . . .
A girl who’s trapped in another realm. Her school, full of the peculiarly magical. And a hunt for Death itself. . . .
The month leading up to one’s thirteenth birthday can be exciting, but rarely does that thrill come in the form of a perilous chase. Nearly thirteen-year-old Rosemary Thorpe is on the run from a wicked statue come-to-life as she fights to discover what’s happening with the fae courts. She can see the future . . . and right now, it’s looking grim.
Out of nowhere, legions of mushrooms threaten to overwhelm Fern’s School for Wayward Fae. Someone tries to drown all the plants in the greenhouse. And as Rosemary searches for answers, it becomes clearer that something sinister is after the students and their curious gifts . . . and it’s closer than she might think.
Fern’s School for Wayward Fae: The Grim Adventure
AUTHOR: Fern Forgettable (as told by Piper CJ)
PUBLISHER: Random House Books for Young Readers
DATE: May 6, 2025
Things are stranger and more ominous for Rosemary in The Grim Adventure, but she stays as hopeful and brave as ever. Another thing she’s also great at? Giving advice! With time spent alongside humans, fae, and demifae across different realms, Rosemary has learned a thing or two about feeling like an outcast, fitting in somewhere new, and feeling like everyone just doesn’t like you.
That’s why we asked her to share some wisdom with our readers (with the help of Piper CJ, of course.) Rosemary put together a few scenarios you might encounter in your life, how things played out in her life, and how she learned to deal with them.
Rosemary’s 5 Tips For When Nobody Likes You
ROSEMARY THORPE: These are my five pieces of advice for when nobody likes you. If you want to learn how to control your banshee screams, you should learn from my roommate. If you’re hungry for blood, maybe the vampire classmate would be a good teacher. If you want to learn to move through the shadows, a close friend of mine is part Boogeyman.
And if you want to see if you could be human, or if you might be part fae, I hope you’ll join me at Fern’s School for Wayward Fae. Enrollment is about to begin!
My Parents Don’t Understand My Interests
MY LIFE:
I’m a good kid from a normal family… I think. I do my chores, I wash my hair, I listen to my mom. But no matter how well-behaved I am, people still don’t want to hear how they’ll die. My mom got mad when I told the mailman he shouldn’t eat pie so quickly because he was doomed to choke on it. My mother doesn’t understand me.
MY ADVICE:
Do you have a hobby your parents don’t get? Here’s my idea: ask one of your parents to try it with you! If you like fish, maybe they’d want to go to the aquarium or fishing on a pond. If you like painting, challenge them to a horse-drawing contest! The first step to understanding each other’s interests might be doing it together.
My Teachers Don’t Like My Art
MY LIFE:
To be honest, it took me a while to figure out what was okay to draw at school.
I went through an awful lot of red crayons, and then colored pencils, when I drew a picture (helpfully) showing the librarian that the bookshelves were unstable and she was going to meet a red, squishy end. Now I understand why that wasn’t the best thing to draw at school. So, here’s my tip!
MY ADVICE:
If I know something dangerous, I can tell a teacher or trusted adult instead of drawing it. If I still want to make art, it’s better to draw the happy version and say something like: “Look how healthy the librarian will be once we fix the shelves!”
I want all the books and people to be safe—and I want to save some of my red crayons for later.
My Friends Don’t Enjoy My Games
MY LIFE:
In sixth grade, I was permanently kicked out of school after every single classmate received their grim fate during a game of “Fortune Teller” at recess. Eight parents complained. They were not happy.
MY ADVICE:
I have a new rule for kindness with friends: Don’t say anything someone can’t fix in ten seconds.
If someone has food in their teeth, that’s okay to tell them—it only takes ten seconds to fix, and everyone feels better. But if I say, “Your teeth are crooked,” they can’t fix that without years of braces. So that’s never kind.
And if I say, “You’ll die at midnight on your 37th birthday,” well… that’s definitely not a 10-second fix. Unless someone specifically asks, I stick to the ten-second rule.
Fairies Think I’m Too Human
MY LIFE:
When I first arrived at Fern’s School for Wayward Fae, I thought I’d finally fit in.
But every school, every family, every tradition was so different from mine that I felt even more left out. Still, I knew I was with the right people. If I kept listening, stayed open to correction, and tried to understand their world, I could grow.
MY ADVICE:
Sometimes, new places are harder before they get easier.
Whether it’s a volleyball camp, a hiking trip with faraway cousins, or a magical boarding school—you might feel out of place at first. The best thing you can do is listen. Let people tell you who they are and how to love them. They’re not attacking you by telling you how to do things in the new place—just showing you how to meet them halfway.
And if it turns out something isn’t right for you, that’s okay, too! You can always go home knowing more about yourself—and what kind of spaces you do belong in.
Rulers Want to Take Over the World and Don’t Like That I’m Standing Up to Them
MY LIFE:
At Fern’s, most people like the Seelie Keeper—the ruler of the “good” court. But I know things aren’t that simple. He’s dangerous. He has dangerous plans for both humans and fairies. I’m not going to help him, even if everyone else thinks he’s in the right.
MY ADVICE:
This one’s tricky! It’s important to be kind and respectful to others’ beliefs—even when we don’t agree. I never make fun of my friends, even the ones who support the Keeper (though I strongly hope they change their minds).
The best advice I have is this: do what you know is right, even when it’s hard. Leave the door open for others to join you—because one day, they might finally understand that the Keeper (or whoever your bad leader is) isn’t who they thought.
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