JSFiddle - React, Tailwind, and code Playground

HTML

<script src="https://code.jquery.com/ui/1.11.0/jquery-ui.min.js"></script>
<ul class="chapters">
  <li>
    <div class="chapter unselectable">
      <table>
        <thead>
          <tr>
            <th>Category 1</th>
          </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          <tr>
            <th>Subcategory</th>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>Item</td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>Item</td>
          </tr>
        </tbody>
        <tbody>
          <tr>
            <th>Subcategory</th>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>Item</td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>Item</td>
          </tr>
        </tbody>
      </table>
      <table>
        <thead>
          <tr>
            <th>Category 2</th>
          </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          <tr>
            <th>Subcategory</th>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>Item</td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>Item</td>
          </tr>
        </tbody>
        <tbody>
          <tr>
            <th>Subcategory</th>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>Item</td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>Item</td>
          </tr>
        </tbody>
      </table>
    </div>
  </li>
  <li>
    <div class="chapter unselectable">
      <table>
        <thead>
          <tr>
            <th>Category 3</th>
          </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          <tr>
            <th>Subcategory</th>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>Item</td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>Item</td>
          </tr>
        </tbody>
        <tbody>
          <tr>
            <th>Subcategory</th>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>Item</td>
          </tr>
          <tr>
            <td>Item</td>
          </tr>
        </tbody>
      </table>
    </div>
  </li>
  <li>
    <div class="chapter unselectable">
      <table>
        <thead>
          <tr>
            <th>Category 4</th>
      ...

CSS

* {
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
  border: medium none;
  border-spacing: 0;
  outline: none;
  outline: 0;
  color: inherit;
  font-family: inherit;
  font-size: inherit;
  font-weight: inherit;
  line-height: 1.5em;
  text-align: inherit;
  text-decoration: none;
  text-indent: 0;
  list-style: none outside none;
  background: none repeat scroll 0 0 transparent;
}

*::-moz-focus-inner {
  border: 0;
  padding: 0;
}

.unselectable,
.unselectable * {
  cursor: default;
  -webkit-touch-callout: none;
  -webkit-user-select: none;
  -khtml-user-select: none;
  -moz-user-select: none;
  -ms-user-select: none;
  -o-user-select: none;
  user-select: none;
}

html {
  color: #222;
  font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
  font-size: 10px;
  font-weight: normal;
  text-align: left;
  min-height: 100%;
}

body {
  font-size: 1.25rem;
}

ul.chapters > li {
  box-sizing: border-box;
  display: inline-block;
  float: left;
  margin: 1%;
  width: 31%;
  height: 17.4375vw;
  vertical-align: top;
  border: 1px solid #ccc;
  border-radius: 1%;
}

div.chapter {
  box-sizing: border-box;
  position: relative;
  width: 300%;
  height: 300%;
  padding: 1em;
  overflow: hidden;
  transform-origin: 0 0;
  transform: scale( 0.3334);
}

table {
  position: relative;
  float: left;
  margin: 0 20px 20px 0;
  width: 100%;
  border-collapse: collapse;
  border: 1px solid black;
}

th {
  font-weight: bold;
  text-align: left;
}

th,
td {
  box-sizing: border-box;
  padding: .5rem;
  font-size: 3rem;
  border: 1px solid black;
}

thead th {
  color: #fff;
  background-color: #d00;
}

tbody + tbody::before {
  content: '';
  display: block;
  height: 5px;
}

JavaScript

function getScale( $el ) {
  var scale = {
    x: 1,
    y: 1
  }

  var matches;
  var transform = $el.css( 'transform' );
  if( null != ( matches = transform.match( /matrix\(([^)]+)\)/ ) ) ) {
    var matrix = matches[ 1 ].split( /,\s*/ );
    scale.x = parseFloat( matrix[ 0 ] );
    scale.y = parseFloat( matrix[ 3 ] );
  }

  return scale;
}

function fixStart( e, ui ) {
  var chapter = ui.item.closest( 'div.chapter' );

  var scale = getScale( chapter );
  // since I'm using jQuery 1.11.0: 'uiSortable' instead of 'ui-sortable'
  var items = $( this ).data()[ 'uiSortable' ].items;
  items.forEach( function( item ) {
    item.left   = item.item.offset().left;
    item.top    = item.item.offset().top;
    item.width  = item.item.width()  * scale.x;
    item.height = item.item.height() * scale.y;
  } );

  ui.helper.css( {
    transformOrigin: chapter.css( 'transform-origin' ),
    transform: chapter.css( 'transform' )
  } );
}

function fixSort( e, ui ) {
  console.log( ui.helper.offset() );
}

$( 'div.chapter' ).sortable( {
  items: '> table',
  connectWith: 'div.chapter',
  delay: 150,
  opacity: 0.5,
  appendTo: document.body,
  helper: 'clone',
  tolerance: 'pointer',
  cursor: 'move',
  start: fixStart,
  sort: fixSort,
  update: function( e, ui ) {
    console.log( 'category sorted!' );
  }
} );