book review of school for good and evil

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The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani || Book Review

When I started my Goodreads account years back, The School for Good and Evil was the first book that I added to my TBR. I was actually in 9th grade then so I was very close to the target audience.

It’s a shame that it took me this long to actually read this book. If I had read it back then, I would have loved it so much more.

This review was initially posted on my old blog and I'm reposting it because the series is being adapted by Netflix and I'm very excited!

the concept

The characters, friendship > love, good vs evil.

The first kidnappings happened two hundred years before. Some years it was two boys taken, some years two girls, sometimes one of each. But if at first the choices seemed random, soon the pattern became clear. One was always beautiful and good, the child every parent wanted as their own. The other was homely and odd, an outcast from birth. An opposing pair, plucked from youth and spirited away. This year, best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to discover where all the lost children go: the fabled School for Good & Evil, where ordinary boys and girls are trained to be fairy tale heroes and villains. As the most beautiful girl in Gavaldon, Sophie has dreamed of being kidnapped into an enchanted world her whole life. With her pink dresses, glass slippers, and devotion to good deeds, she knows she’ll earn top marks at the School for Good and graduate a storybook princess. Meanwhile Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks, wicked pet cat, and dislike of nearly everyone, seems a natural fit for the School for Evil. But when the two girls are swept into the Endless Woods, they find their fortunes reversed—Sophie’s dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School For Good, thrust amongst handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication.. But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are…?

Trigger warnings: fatphobia, parental issues, bullying.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK.

It’s a shame that I didn’t get my hands on a copy of this back in school! I got the chance to finally read this book as an audiobook and I’m so glad. The audiobook was really fun to listen to.

So let’s get to why exactly I liked this book.

In the book, there are two schools—one for Good and one for Evil. Students who graduate from these schools become heroes and villains in their own stories respectively.

The author brought in students who are children of well-known heroes and villains from fairytales as well as other acquaintances. The students have to do well in their classes in order to get high marks and get their own stories.

The book was super fun to read because of the concept. I imagined it all while listening to the narration and it was great.

Until Sophie and Agatha, all the characters were easily split into Good and Evil. There are easily distinguishable traits in students so there was never an issue.

It should have been the same for Sophie and Agatha but they’re put into the wrong schools which set the book’s main plot.

Sophie and Agatha showed how Good and Evil are not so clearly distinguished. A person can be both and just because you like pink, you’re not Good. You are divided based on morals and thoughts, not what you  think  you are.

This moral was subtly shown throughout the book. It definitely has something to teach to younger readers.

Sophie and Agatha were so fun to follow! We read from both of their points of view so we have a complete view of their adventures.

They are also complex characters without a straight moral compass. This clear but also subtle way of showing what truly matters as a person was brilliant.

The other characters in the book were interesting enough but they were not as interesting as our main characters.

This book is more focused on friendship than love. The friendship in limelight is Sophia and Agatha’s but we also see other friendships in the book.

I loved the friendship focus. Sophia and Agatha have a complicated friendship which is tested during this book. It was interesting to see how they manage it all.

There is some focus on the love aspect but it’s mainly only to show how love is expected for Good students while Evil students are always alone as villains. And some questions are raised about love as well.

Through this book, the author questions some fundamental things about Good and Evil. Why does Good always win? Why does Good get love while Evil doesn’t? Why does Evil have to be ugly in appearance? Why can’t heroes be ugly and villains be beautiful?

The questions I really loved were: why do villains have all the character while heroes are bland with some morals? Why does Good have no sass and cleverness? Why do they depend on love and companionship while Evil can do everything alone?

These are all questions that kids usually think about and question as they read fairytales. I questioned these things myself.

It was wonderful to see how  the author takes these questions and spins a whole storyline around it . Some things are questioned and taken apart while others are answered through the story.

If this book was a fairytale like the others that we know, it would end with the Good student finding love and winning over Evil. But this book turns things around.

I really like how the ending was different and showed the true meaning of a happy ending. It was such a twist and wholly unexpected but was the BEST. I won’t say anymore because of spoilers.

Also, while it has a good enough ending, the series continues after this. It doesn't fully end. But I didn't find much suspense and didn't continue the series.

If you are looking for a middle-grade book to read or recommend, pick this! Especially if you’re recommending to middle grade or younger students.

P. S. I haven't read the second book so I'm not sure about this but I've heard that book 2 has a transphobic element. Please pick it up with caution.

let's chat!

Have you read The School for Good and Evil ? What are your thoughts on it, especially the themes that it portrays?

If you haven't read it, are you planning to? Did you hear that Kit Young (Jesper from Shadow & Bone adaptation) is playing one of the key characters in the Netflix adaptation?! I'm very excited to see him on screen in this story.

Sumedha spends her days reading books, bingeing Kdramas, drawing illustrations, and blogging while listening to Lo-Fi music. Read more ➔

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31 comments

I have this on my TBR too ?? but it's quite a looooong book so I'm putting this off .. I loved your pointers on this book

Haha yes it is long. But its worth it!

I'll keep it handy then ?

awesome, thanks for sharing x

No problem!

I used to LOOVE this book growing up and am so excited that they’re turning it into a show!

Same! Can't wait to see the characters on screen!

With all the books being adapted to screens. I really feel like reading them all and then watching the adaptations. But then where do I have the time. ???

Also, I realised that I lose my patience with screen adaptations because I already know how things are going to turn out. And at times when they do not show your favourite parts. It is such a downer.

I get that! Also, sometimes it's alright to just watch the adaptations. I watched S&B without reading the books and it's alright. As a book community we always feel like we should read first and need to unlearn that ?

This sounds like an awesome book, Sumedha! I'm so glad that you loved and enjoyed it so much! I've never heard of this but the cover looks great! xx

lynn | https://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com

It is! Thanks for your comment ?

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Book Review

The school for good and evil — “the school for good and evil” series.

• Soman Chainani
• Adventure , Fairy Tale , Fantasy

Readability Age Range

• Harper and HarperCollins Children’s Books, imprints of HarperCollins Publishers
• New York Times Bestseller list, 2013

Year Published

This book has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine . It is the first book in “The School for Good and Evil” series.

Plot Summary

Every four years, two children from the village of Gavaldon are kidnapped. They’re taken to the famed School for Good and Evil, where they are trained to be either storybook heroes or villains. The lovely but arrogant Sophie can’t wait to be kidnapped. She knows she’s princess material and has proved it through her recent string of good deeds in her village. She even stooped to befriend Agatha, the creepy girl who lives in the cemetery.

Agatha will be the perfect evil child, so Sophie does her part to see they are kidnapped together. But when Sophie’s plan succeeds and the girls are spirited away to the two-schools-in-one, they’re certain there’s been a mistake. Agatha is deposited at the School for Good, while Sophie is sent to the School for Evil. Sophie will have to learn ways to kill, uglify herself, curse others and the like. She begins a campaign to convince everyone she’s been miscategorized, but she only succeeds in annoying her three evil roommates.

Agatha, feeling out of place at the School for Good, only wants to get Sophie and break out so they can go home. But Sophie has no desire to leave. She is still convinced she can right this terrible wrong and get transferred to the School for Good. She also falls for a prince named Tedros and can think of nothing but winning him for herself. She repeatedly thwarts Agatha’s efforts to rescue her and takes Agatha’s loyalty for granted.

Although upset, Agatha continues with her studies in hopes that Sophie will change her mind. Agatha discovers she has the power to release enchanted humans from spells that have held them captive as animals or objects. Then Sophie’s flirting with Tedros begins to convince him she may be good after all, and he vows to help her prove her goodness.

The girls are brought before the School Master. He shows them that the Storian, a glowing pen that writes by itself, is creating their fairly tale at that moment. He tells them the only way they can prove who they really are is to solve a riddle. They must determine the one thing Evil can never have and Good can never do without.

Sophie’s roommates tell her the history of the school. There were once two School Masters who were twin brothers. One was good; the other was evil. The brothers ran the school and protected the Storian, ensuring the balance of good and evil. The evil brother tried to seize the Storian so he could be in control. A great war began, and one brother was killed. No one knows which brother won, but everyone suspects it was the Good brother since Evil hasn’t won a battle in years.

The girls determine that the answer to their riddle is Love. Agatha is convinced that if Sophie’s true love, Tedros, kisses Sophie, it will prove she isn’t a villain. Then they can go home. Only Sophie learns that the students at the School for Good (who are called Evers) are having a ball. She’s determined not to miss it, even if it means keeping Tedros from bestowing True Love’s Kiss upon her.

Sophie’s grades are horrible, so Agatha helps her cheat so as not to be kicked out. Agatha frequently puts a spell on herself to become a cockroach. She sneaks in to the Evil school (whose students are called Nevers) to help Sophie study. Sometimes she hides in Sophie’s hair to whisper answers to her and help her pass difficult challenges in the classroom.

Meanwhile, Sophie starts to dress in heavy makeup and short, tight dresses to get the attention of other males. She begins teaching lunchtime lectures to the girls at her school so they can grow in popularity with the Evers.

Tedros finally agrees to take Sophie to the ball, even though it goes against all the rules about Evers and Nevers remaining with their own kind. Several of the Nevers, who are convinced Sophie has been cheating on her exams and homework, plan to kill her in an upcoming challenge. A disguised Agatha saves Sophie from certain death, but Sophie’s behavior afterward puts her at odds with both Agatha and Tedros. Agatha wishes to be beautiful, and her wish comes true. Soon, she and Tedros plan to attend the ball together. Sophie then shows the extent of her evil nature by waging war against the Evers and trying to destoy Agatha, whom she now realizes is her Nemesis.

In a competition the night of the ball, students are required to demonstrate a talent. Sophie has been locked out of the room, so the students hope there won’t be trouble. Agatha can’t think of a talent. When her turn comes, she realizes that the fairy and wolf guards are actually former students who were given these bodies and guard jobs for failing their classes. She doesn’t have enough power to free their spirits, but her ability to show the other students the truth makes the current students more compassionate toward the guards.

Sophie breaks in, and using her evil magic, sends ravens to brutally destroy the wolves and fairies. She tries unsuccessfully to destroy the student body as well. Sophie soon leads the conflicted Nevers in waging a final battle against the Evers. Agatha visits the School for Evil in an effort to stop the war. When the Evers arrive to attack, Sophie tries to discredit Agatha and convince the Evers that Agatha is on Evil’s side. Evers magically become ugly, and Nevers become attractive, until no one knows who is on whose side. Sophie realizes the only way she will ever get the ending she wants is to destroy the School Master and the Storian.

The School Master, who appears as a handsome prince, tells Sophie they belong together. He reveals that he is Evil, but Good has continued to triumph all these years because Love is the most powerful force there is. He believes that with Sophie, he can find something even more powerful: Evil love. He kisses her and turns into a rotting, maggot-filled corpse.

Sophie is in despair, finally believing she can never be Good. Just then, Agatha rescues her. As the other students look on, the spirit of the School Master’s brother takes on the body of a willing teacher and destroys the Evil brother before vanishing. Agatha holds Sophie’s dying body as Sophie pants that she doesn’t want to be evil. When Agatha thinks Sophie is dead, she kisses her friend on the lips. The kiss revives Sophie, and the two friends happily vanish.

Christian Beliefs

Other belief systems.

Agatha prays a number of times to no one in particular, just as though she is making a wish.

Students at the school are responsible for protecting the balance between good and evil in the world. One leader tells the incoming students all children are born with souls that are either good or evil, and they cannot change their natures. He admits that some may feel the stirrings of both good and evil if they come from families where both existed, but it is the school’s job to rid any child of those stirrings.

Students at the School for Evil are made to uglify themselves. According to a teacher, only once they’ve destroyed who they think they are can they embrace who they truly are. When a Never discovers his or her Nemesis, the Never cannot be happy until that person is dead.

Authority Roles

Sophie’s mother is dead. Her father, for whom she has little love or respect, is interested in another woman in town. Agatha lives with her mother in the cemetery. The girl speculates that her father pretended she (Agatha) never happened and went back to his wife before dying in a mill accident. Tedros’s mother, Guinevere, ran off with Lancelot when her son was 9, saying she had found love. The School Master kidnaps children. He tries to make Sophie love him and become his evil princess.

Profanity & Violence

The Lord’s name is used in vain several times. The words crap and a– also appear. A number of bloody battles take place between the Evers and Nevers. Children fall from cliffs and are swept up in floodwaters. The School Master’s body becomes a rotting corpse with maggots and charred flesh, and he nearly consumes Sophie in the same gory death.

A sign at the School for Evil says the school exists to propagate sin. Some courses of study include casting spells, murdering, kidnapping and causing suffering. One of Sophie’s roommates has a demon tattoo that comes to life. On one occasion, the demon splits into pieces and wields knives to destroy another student.

The story contains a lot of discussions about killing. Nevers are told they will feel free only when they have killed their Nemesis. One class involves murder practice, where the person who kills in the cruelest way wins. Nevers strive to enter into the eternal glory of a land called Nevermore.

The School for Evil’s buildings are decorated with symbols of murder and torture. One of Sophie’s roommates calls her Beelzebub. Skeletal creatures lounge by the bloody carcass of a half-eaten goat. A crypt keeper with a backlog of bodies is seen burying some with coffins and some without while vultures circle overhead.

Students plot to kill Sophie during one of the competitions. The School Master wants Sophie to be his princess because she can give him something more powerful than the kind of love heroes experience. She can love him with Evil love. He suggests they marry so they can hurt, destroy, punish and have something worth fighting for. The School Master and Sophie turn into rotting corpses after their kiss.

Sexual Content

Kissing is discussed frequently. The School Master kisses Sophie, then begins to rot and deteriorate. Agatha kisses Sophie on the lips and tells her she loves her to seal their friendship and give their fairy tale a happy ending.

The girls flock to watch shirtless princes practicing swordplay. Sophie takes to wearing heavy makeup and short, tight, strapless dresses to impress Tedros. One of her seductive outfits even includes a matching nun’s wimple. All the boys, and even some of the guards, give her their attention. Sophie teaches lunchtime classes, including one called Building your Body for Sin.

Discussion Topics

Get free discussion questions for this book and others, at FocusOnTheFamily.com/discuss-books .

Additional Comments

Bathroom humor – Characters frequently fart

Gender inequality – Ever girls get failing grades and suffer punishment worse than death if they don’t get a boy to ask them to the ball. Punishments for boys without dates are far milder. Girls who need a ball date try to look timid and helpless so boys will take them under their wings. When Agatha points out the inequity of these rules, a male classmate tells her that boys can choose to be alone if they want, but girls who end up alone might as well be dead.

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Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.

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Review: “The School For Good and Evil” by Soman Chainani

The first kidnappings happened two hundred years before. Some years it was two boys taken, some years two girls, sometimes one of each. But if at first the choices seemed random, soon the pattern became clear. One was always beautiful and good, the child every parent wanted as their own. The other was homely and odd, an outcast from birth. An opposing pair, plucked from youth and spirited away.

This year, best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to discover where all the lost children go: the fabled School for Good & Evil, where ordinary boys and girls are trained to be fairy tale heroes and villains. As the most beautiful girl in Gavaldon, Sophie has dreamed of being kidnapped into an enchanted world her whole life. With her pink dresses, glass slippers, and devotion to good deeds, she knows she’ll earn top marks at the School for Good and graduate a storybook princess. Meanwhile Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks, wicked pet cat, and dislike of nearly everyone, seems a natural fit for the School for Evil.

But when the two girls are swept into the Endless Woods, they find their fortunes reversed—Sophie’s dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School For Good, thrust amongst handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication.. But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are…?

The School for Good & Evil is an epic journey into a dazzling new world, where the only way out of a fairy tale is to live through one.

In the world of The School for Good and Evil , two kids – one Good and one Evil – are kidnapped every year from a village to go study in the School for Good and the School for Evil respectively. The brightest students who graduate from the School for Good go on to become the princes and princesses of fairy tales. The brightest from the School for Evil go on to become the villains, the nemesis of said princes and princesses.

Sophie, tired of her mundane life, tries to be Good so she can be kidnapped and live out the rest of her life in a fairy tale. She does charity work, feeds the poor, gives advice, tries to always look like a beautiful princess. She even made friends with the village outcast Agatha, a Gothic, grumpy girl who lives in a graveyard and doesn’t like talking to other people. Sophie is sure that this year, it would be her and Agatha who would be kidnapped. Sophie for the Good school and Agatha for the Evil one.

When Sophie is dropped into the School for Evil and Agatha in the School for Good, she is sure it’s a mistake and spends the next few months trying to correct the mistake so they can attend their respective schools. Meanwhile, Agatha hates the School for Evil and her ultimate goal is to go back home with her best friend, Sophie.

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. Both Sophie and Agatha go through two incredible journeys of self discovery . They both find out more about themselves than they knew before – and not all of what they learned were things they liked.

This book tells a compelling tale of good vs. evil and what makes someone truly good. Is it their actions or their intention behind that action? Sophie, who is always trying actively do good, doesn’t understand that the intention behind an action counts just as much as the action itself. I did’t like Sophie but that was the point of her character. She is selfish, vain and manipulative and wants her happy ending without caring for others. Agatha on the other hand only cares about her and Sophie’s safety, she just wants to go back home with her best friend.

The dynamic between the two girls was also very well done , they both have different priorities so they hold on to their relationship in different ways. For Agatha, Sophie and safety are the priorities. To Sophie, a happy ending is her priority. And because of their individual concerns, they both have different things they want to get out of their friendship, love and companionship vs loyalty and support.

The School for Good and Evil  was a solid introduction to the series. I’m excited to see what’s next in store for Sophie and Agatha.

Have you read this one? Is it on your TBR list?

Share this:, 8 thoughts on “ review: “the school for good and evil” by soman chainani ”.

I have actually seen this book around an awful lot and I really like the cover so it always intrigued me. I’m all about the characters when I read so I am so happy to know that both of the girls are really well developed and that this one was a solid enjoyable beginning to the series. I hope you enjoy reading all the rest of them!

My recent post: http://oliviascatastrophe.com/2018/04/sunflowers-in-february-book-review/

Like Liked by 1 person

Thanks Olivia! Yes, the cover is really nice, I love the color contrast. Book 2 isn’t as good as I was hoping it would be but I would still recommend reading the first one!

I’ve not seen a review for this book yet, but I’ve seen it around quite a bit! I’m so glad you took the time to write a review. I will admit, the summary puts me off from the book. However, your review shows the real colors of this text! Apparently, you really did enjoy it as the “Currently Reading” below shows you’re reading book 2!

What made you decide to pick up this book to begin with?

Jackie!! It’s so nice to hear from you! I’m so glad you were able to reconnect with your WordPress account!

I really liked this book, surprisingly! One of my goals for this year was to read more books outside YA and my friend recommended the book to me so I gave it a try. I have to admit, book 2 isn’t as good as the first one but I would definitely recommend giving the first book a read.

I love middle grade books. Well-written ones make me super happy! There are so many complex topics they can explore and spell out so simply; I am constantly impressed. Well, I’ll add Book 1 to my TBR at least! Thanks. 😀

You should really read the rest if the series! It’s so good and it has such good messages and themes within it!

But I got bored of the second one ☹☹

It’s good I promise. I admit it’s a whee bit slow in the beginning but it gets so much better and then the ending!

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The School for Good and Evil Review – A New Kind of Fairy Tale

The school for good and evil book review.

Personally, I’ve got a soft spot for fairy tales. They’re one of my favorite things to read. So when fellow Silver Petticoat writer Amirah recommended a fairy tale to me, I got excited. The book was Soman Chainani’s  The School for Good and Evil , and it did not disappoint.

The novel takes the typical fairy tale formula and turns it on its head. The  story can get dark, especially in the School for Evil, and is not afraid to be violent at times. Despite that darkness, this book quickly became one of my favorites.

The story goes like this. Every year, two children are taken from the village of Gavaldon and brought to the School for Good and Evil. One becomes a fairy tale villain while the other becomes a hero or heroine. Young Sophie has been waiting her whole life to be kidnapped and is sure that she is destined to go to the School for Good. To make sure everyone knows she’s good, the blond-haired, bubbly, pink-wearing Sophie befriends the dark-haired, black-wearing, graveyard-wandering Agatha. Agatha is fiercely protective of her only friend, and when she realizes that Sophie is sure to be kidnapped, she goes to save her.

Of course, Sophie wants to be kidnapped by the School Master and, in a strange twist of fate, both girls are taken. However, Sophie is dropped into the School for Evil and Agatha is taken to the School for Good. This confuses the girls, the teachers, and the other students, who assumed that the pink-wearing Sophie is good and that the snarky and black-clad Agatha is evil.

RELATED |  The Princess and the Hound Book Review – A Fairy Tale Twist

The story is further complicated by Tedros, son of King Arthur. The Prince is searching for his Princess, and while Sophie seems like the perfect choice, he reluctantly finds himself drawn to Agatha. As it becomes increasingly clear that Sophie and Agatha are in the right schools, the addition of True Love further complicates the situation.

While Agatha struggles to fit into Good and to get herself and Sophie home, Sophie struggles against her own darker nature. As the novel moves forward, Sophie and Agatha face their own destinies and the expectations of those around them. Can a witch and a princess be best friends, or are they destined to be enemies forever?

If you love fairy tales that aren’t afraid to be a little darker and grittier, stories with strong female heroines and stories that are about both romantic love and the love between friends,  The School for Good and Evil  might be the book for you. Chainani is able to accurately portray the thoughts and conflicts facing a thirteen-year-old girl, and the story itself is excellent. He knows when to give more description and when to hold back. The story has magic and characters that readers can’t help but love. Even the characters in Evil. I’d recommend giving it, and the sequels, a read.

OVERALL RATING

“The stuff that dreams are made of.”

ROMANCE RATING

“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My

feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me

to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”

ARE YOU A ROMANCE FAN? FOLLOW THE SILVER PETTICOAT REVIEW:

Bailey grew up in North Idaho where she was encouraged from a young age to love reading, writing and learning; as a result, storytelling is a major part of her life. She believes that no story is ever the same to anyone and that everyone has a story to tell. With that in mind, she someday hopes to write a humorous and inspiring book (or ten, either way). Her books, "A Journey Through Disney," "The Mermaid," and "Dear NSA: One Man's Adventures in Phone-Tapping and Blogging," can be found on Amazon.

More posts by this author.

2 thoughts on “The School for Good and Evil Review – A New Kind of Fairy Tale”

Read all three books and absolutely loved it!♡♡♡♡♡Every book has a trailer, and those were pretty awesome! The first gave you a disney fantasical feel, the second trailer ‘A World Without Princes’ gave you goosebumps while potraying some sort of paradise and hell theme, and the third one ‘The Last Ever After’ basically shows an epic climax about to unfold(and it really was!!) Both Sophie and Agatha are amazing in their own ways, and even the side characters are not dull, they’re lovable and can become favorites of many. Chainani has a youtube account called evernevertv where he and 2 other people talk about SGE. And according to him, a 4th book will come out next year. And this time, it will be a sequel to the third book, where unlike the 3 books before, this one will be more fluffy and romantic, a good closure to the story overall. Can’t wait to read it!!!

Right?! I agree; well said-they’re such great books and characters, and they’re all different (which makes them better, in some ways). I’m very excited to read the 4th book, and I’ll have to check out his youtube channel; that sounds like my new favorite thing! I also don’t know if I’ve seen the trailers; personally, I inhaled this series the first time I read it (so I had to go back and read it a few more times. Oh darn).

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The School for Good and Evil

Author: Soman Chainani

Publisher: HarperCollins

Every four years, two children are captured from Sophie's village - one beautiful and good, the other quite the opposite. Legend has it that these lost children are taken to the School for Good and Evil - a fabled institution where they will be trained to become fairytale heroes or villains, before eventually their place in the pages of the books that mysteriously appear in the village on a regular basis. Bored of life in the village, Sophie is determined to be one of the chosen ones, and is quite sure she is beautiful and noble enough to become a fairy tale princess at the School for Good. Meanwhile, her crotchety friend Agatha seems a sure bet to join the School for Evil. But when the two girls are picked, they are astonished to end up in the wrong schools: Sophie is horrified to find herself clad in unattractive black robes, amongst a rabble of aspiring villains taking Uglification lessons, whilst Agatha can't think of anything worse than being forced to don a frilly pink dress as a princess in training. How will the friends cope - and can they help each other to find their rightful places? Soman Chainani has great fun turning the Disney fairy tale conventions on their head in this entertaining fantasy story. Agatha and Sophie are well-drawn and engaging (if not always likable) characters, and Chainani skilfully incorporates his moral messages that friendship conquers all, and that what's inside is far more important than how you look. With a complex plot,  The School for Good and Evil feels a little drawn out in places, but there's no doubt that young readers will gobble up this fun story set in an appealing fantasy world.

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This was truly fabulous! Nearly finished the whole series ( including the Ever Never Handbook) and are hoping Soman Chainani will write a sequel to one true king!!!!!

Bob, 30 March 2023

I was 10 when I read the first two books, and I finished them both in four weeks because they were so good!!! I love them and can’t stop talking about them!

Enola011, 11 December 2022

Its very good book

Dono, 23 June 2020

Perfect! What can I say? It really impressed me ! I guess I'm the only Iranian person leaving a comment here😂❤

Ainaz, 28 May 2019

Must read...absolute page turner. On the fourth book in this series and waiting for the fifth to be announced. Would recommend only to ages 11+

Ellie, 28 September 2018

I am an 11 year old and on the second book in this trilogy. I love it! A must read page-turner!!

Louise, 23 May 2017

Imagine Hogwarts without wands, two castles and only two houses, Good and Evil. Students go on to be in fairytales we all know and love. Your very fate relies on your personality, get sorted into Good and you will live happily ever after, but get sorted into Evil and die in your story. Agatha and Sophie, best friends, completely different, get sorted into Good and Evil respectively, when they expected Evil and Good. The son of King Arthur, Tedros is at the Good school, and Sophie is determ...

MCBooks100, 05 May 2017

amazing book

June, 13 September 2016

This book was a must-read page turner

Hannah, 05 June 2016

Really good

Rebecca, 15 January 2016

When I read this book I was instantly transported into a whole new world. The writer uses fantastic words and phrases witch leave you begging for more. I recommend it to any child of 9+

Lotus, 28 October 2014

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The School for Good and Evil: The Complete 6-Book Box Set: The School for Good and Evil, The School for Good and Evil: A World Without Princes, The ... A Crystal of Time, The School for Good and Paperback – May 31, 2022

THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL is the #1 movie now streaming on Netflix—starring Academy Award winner Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Laurence Fishburne, Michelle Yeoh, Sofia Wylie, Sophie Anne Caruso, Jamie Flatters, Earl Cave, Kit Young, and many others! 

Don’t miss all six books in Soman Chainani’s  New York Times  bestselling fantasy series, The School for Good and Evil, now available in a deluxe paperback box set!

Journey into a dazzling new world when two best friends enter the School for Good and Evil, where ordinary boys and girls are trained to be fairy-tale heroes and villains. One will train for Good, one will become Evil’s new hope. Each thinks they know where they belong.

But when the two friends are swept into the Endless Woods, they find their fortunes are reversed. . . The aftermath leads to unexpected paths, new alliances, and forces that divide them in an exhilarating quest to find their true Ever After.

Featuring all six books in the New York Times bestselling series, this paperback box set will delight both readers that are new to the series and die-hard fans alike.

• Print length 3760 pages
• Language English
• Grade level 3 - 7
• Dimensions 7.8 x 5.3 x 8.5 inches
• Publisher HarperCollins
• Publication date May 31, 2022
• ISBN-10 0063222809
• ISBN-13 978-0063222809
• See all details

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From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

About the author.

Soman Chainani' s six novels in the School for Good and Evil series each debuted on the New York Times bestseller list. The series has sold over 4.2 million copies, has been translated into 35 languages, and has been adapted into a film by Netflix that debuted at #1 in over 80 countries. His collection of retold fairy tales, Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales , was also an instant New York Times bestseller and is in development to be a television series from Sony 3000.

Soman is a graduate of Harvard University and received his MFA in film from Columbia University. Every year, he visits schools around the world to speak to kids and share his secret: that reading is the path to a better life.

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins (May 31, 2022)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 3760 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0063222809
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0063222809
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 10+ years, from customers
• Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 7
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.8 x 5.3 x 8.5 inches
• #6 in Children's Arthurian Folk Tales & Myths
• #644 in Children's Friendship Books
• #772 in Children's Fantasy & Magic Books

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Honest Review of The School for Good and Evil Book 1-6

Malia Heath

About the author

Soman chainani.

Soman Chainani’s debut series, THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD & EVIL, has sold more than 3.5 million copies, been translated into 32 languages across six continents, and has been adapted into a major motion picture from Netflix that debuted at #1 in over 80 countries at release.

His book of retold fairytales, BEASTS & BEAUTY, also debuted on the New York Times Bestseller List, his seventh book in a row to do so, and is slated to be a limited television series from Sony 3000, with Soman writing and executive producing. Together, his books have been on the New York Times Bestseller List for 44 weeks.

A graduate of Harvard University and Columbia University’s MFA Film Program, Soman has been nominated for the Waterstone Prize for Children’s Literature, been named to the Out100, and also received the Sun Valley Writer’s Fellowship.

His latest novel, RISE OF THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD & EVIL, kickstarts a new series under his EverNever World brand, to be continued in its sequel, FALL OF The SCHOOL FOR GOOD & EVIL, coming May 2023.

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Customers say

Customers find the books amazing and interesting. They also describe the plot as a fine line between good and evil.

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Customers find the books amazing.

"On book 4 so far they have been wonderful . Read one of them in one night. I would recommend them." Read more

"...It was well worth reading the entire saga as a unified whole...." Read more

"I have watched the movie countless times and it is GOOD , but the books are 100x better!!! Best book purchase I have made this year...." Read more

"This is honestly a wonderful series ! I got so attached to these books, I love them!..." Read more

Customers find the story and plot interesting. They mention that the book is very interesting if you like fantasy.

"...the weaselly underdog to the final triumph at the end, his story is the most heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time...." Read more

"...There were many twists and turns that I didn't anticipate, but had me grabbing the book. It only took me 8 days to get through...." Read more

"...type books, but they have so much more in them, there's romance, and  drama🎭 ,  you get attached to the characters because you get to know them so..." Read more

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• Entertainment /

Netflix’s whimsical The School for Good and Evil is worth the price of admission

Netflix’s glittering adaptation of soman chainani’s ya deconstruction of fairy tales is yet another reminder that hollywood loves a magical school.

By Charles Pulliam-Moore , a reporter focusing on film, TV, and pop culture. Before The Verge, he wrote about comic books, labor, race, and more at io9 and Gizmodo for almost five years.

Share this story

So long as there are literate young people trudging their way to school every morning, there’s always going to be an appetite for stories asking “what if the educational system, but magical?” That’s exactly the question author Soman Chainani’s The School for Good and Evil and Netflix’s new adaptation of the novel pose . Like all of the books in Chainani’s fairy tale-inspired YA series, Netflix’s The School for Good and Evil both pulls deep from and pokes fun at the magical storybook canon with a tale about the many different forms love can take.

Netflix’s The School for Good and Evil from director Paul Feig tells the story of Agatha (Sofia Wylie) and Sophie (Sophia Anne Caruso), two best friends who, despite being slightly different flavors of misfit, cling to each other fiercely as they live out their days in the small, sleepy town of Gavaldon. Most of Gavaldon’s townsfolk are content to endlessly toil away at their jobs, never thinking too much about how no one ever seems to wander beyond the thick woods surrounding the picturesque village they call home. But for Sophie and Agatha, avid readers who frequent the local book store run by Mrs. Deauville (Patti LuPone), there’s an undeniable appeal to the idea of one day journeying into and beyond the woods if only to see for themselves what’s out there.

Though Agatha and Sophie’s shared love of books is yet another thing that their peers look down on them for, it’s also what puts them on the path toward adventure when one of them makes a heartfelt wish not knowing that the School for Good and Evil is always listening.

Netflix’s The School for Good and Evil doesn’t deviate all that largely from the source material, but co-writers Feig and David Magee’s script does feature a handful updates that make the story pop a little bit differently. Most everyone in the Gavaldon of Chainani’s book is generally aware of the existence of magic and how two children from the town seem to disappear under mysterious circumstances every four years. But Agatha and Sophie have no idea what they’re getting into in Netflix’s film when they end up in the Endless Woods one evening and are accosted by an otherworldly monster that carries them off into the night sky.

Many of The School for Good and Evil ’s core ideas and plot points will ring more than familiar to anyone who’s picked up a novel about kids enrolling in a magic school, which is likely why Netflix’s movie takes care to gloss over a number of the book’s narrative beats that might make it feel too similar to other YA fantasy franchises . Rather than hammering home what all the School for Good and Evil is from the jump, the film instead tries to impress it upon you with one of its many surprisingly majestic, VFX-heavy sequences that gives you a bird’s-eye view of the institution on the first day of student orientation.

It’s as Agatha, Sophie, and all their new classmates are falling out of the sky into either the School for Good or the School for Evil that The School for Good and Evil starts to feel like it’s genuinely having fun before its story takes an inevitable dark turn. But it’s when the film’s curiously stacked cast of pitch hitters all start to show up in a series of resplendent gowns and suits that you can really see how intent Netflix is on The School for Good and Evil appealing to a broad audience.

Wylie and Caruso are both compelling and magnetic presences on screen as they become fast friends (and enemies) with the children of legendary fairytale heroes and villains. But it’s the slightly unhinged camp of Kerry Washington’s Professor Dovey, Charlize Theron’s Lady Lesso, and Michelle Yeoh’s Professor Anemone that end up stealing the show and selling The School for Good and Evil as a kind of meta-fairy tale about how stifling fairytales tend to be.

While the movie does still largely focus on Sophie’s dismay at being assigned to the School for Evil and Agatha’s trouble fitting in with her uber-feminine roommates in the School for Good, it also takes the time to dig into how much of their education’s being influenced by their teachers’ rivalries. Again, the concept of a magical school’s magical teachers having magical beef with one another isn’t exactly new, and the big mystery involving the School for Good and Evil’s headmaster (Laurence Fishburne) is far too easy to piece together. But there is something very special about the way The School for Good and Evil uses Dovey and Agatha — two of its most prominent Black characters — to expand upon some of the more interesting ideas from Chainani’s book about how we define “goodness” and what kind of people we associate it with.

The School for Good and Evil ’s twists probably won’t throw you for all that much of a loop, and its selection of dramatic covers tend to take away more than they add to its legitimately solid action sequences. But even though the movie was clearly made with fans of the books in mind, and it runs just a little too long to be a casual watch, it’s exactly the kind of well-produced, feature-length original project you want to see from Netflix that definitely leaves open the possibility for more installments down the line.

The School for Good and Evil also stars Kit Young, Peter Serafinowicz, Cate Blanchett, Rob Delaney, and Rachel Bloom. The film hits Netflix on October 19th.

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Book Review: The School for Good and Evil

At first look, The School for Good & Evil may look like your classic and basic fantasy book with a little romance. Even though there is so much more, this book has so much depth to its plot, and just how the world is set up could be a whole book in itself. It starts in this little classic village that looks like any classic medieval village, maybe a bit more sophisticated. This village for the past 150 years has had two of their children aged around 16, boy or girl, taken from their village in the middle of the night and they are never seen again. The villagers try their hardest to stop this force that takes them, yet every year they fail. They go looking for them in the forest surrounding the village but every time someone has gone looking they go in on one side of the forest and appear out of the forest on the other side of the village. Then every year a book shows up full of stories, some including people who look like the children taken, the bookmaker then copies this book over and over to sell to everyone in the village. These stories are the classic fairy tales that everyone has heard of, as well as fairy tales we have never heard of. The village people have no clue where the children go or what happens to them except for the maybes in the books. Yet they know one thing, one child is good and one is evil. The story starts with two girls, Sophie and Agatha, two best friends, yet opposites. Sophie is your classic-looking princess who has flawless skin, long golden blonde hair, beautiful clothes, almost the best house in the village, and is kind to everyone. While Agatha is your classic-looking witch who dresses in all black, doesn’t care about her appearance much, lives in a graveyard, has a cat that seemed to come from hell, and her mother is the witch doctor of the village. Both the same age, everyone knew they would be taken, knowing which is good and which is evil. Sophie wanted to leave desperately and did everything she possibly could to make sure she would be taken, Agatha wanted to stay in her quaint little life and not leave the village, her mom, and her cat. When the day came that the children would be taken everyone in the village worked to blockade every window door and make sure everyone stayed inside, while everyone older lined along the forest. Sophie prepared to be taken, and Agatha prepared to save her best friend from being taken. Night fell and as it turned out both Agatha and Sophie were taken, it was not a fun ride; they were pulled through the forest, the branches ripping their skin, then flying above in the claws of some bird. The two girls then saw the castles, the school for good and evil, one castle bright and shining and the other dark and gloomy. A fog came in and the girls couldn’t see anymore, they then were both dropped first Agatha and then Sophie. Yet Sophie woke up in the swamp of the evil castle and Agatha woke up in the shining clear blue lake of the good castle, something no one anticipated. This book was something I never expected, I thought it would just be a bunch of fluff and would be a really short, easy, and bland read. NOT AT ALL. This book changed my expectations of how books should be written. This book was like something I have never read before. The twist on how we see fairytales is insane and shows what we never would have thought happened. There are so many twists and turns that even though you know the general idea of the book, you have no clue what is going to happen on every single page. This book would be great for anyone that loves reading fairy tales, fantasy, drama, and a little bit of a dark side twist in books. Reviewer Grade: 12

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, chaz's journal, great movies, contributors, the school for good and evil.

Now streaming on:

“Harry Potter” meets “Descendants” with a dash of “Romeo and Juliet” in “The School for Good and Evil.” And yes, it is as overstuffed as that sounds.

This massive, magical adventure is also way too long at 2 ½ hours, but rarely in that running time do we see any glimmers of the kind of singular filmmaking wizardry that usually makes Paul Feig ’s movies so engaging. He’s once again telling a story of female friendship, with all its highs and lows and particular complications, as he has with “ Bridesmaids ,” “ The Heat ,” and “ A Simple Favor .” And, of course, the clothes are dazzling; the famously sartorial director would never skimp in that department.

But all of these potentially effective elements—as well as a stellar cast that includes Charlize Theron , Kerry Washington , and Michelle Yeoh —get swallowed up by the overwhelming reliance on CGI-infused action sequences. They’re both empty and endless, and too often leave you wondering what’s going on and why we should bother.

Based on the best-selling children’s book series by Soman Chainani , “The School for Good and Evil” focuses on two extremely different teenage best friends looking out for each other in a harsh, fairy-tale land. The petite Sophie ( Sophia Anne Caruso ) is a blonde Cinderella figure with dreams of becoming a princess; she escapes the doldrums of daily life with a mean stepmother by talking to woodland creatures and designing flouncy gowns. The much taller, wild-haired Agatha ( Sofia Wylie ) lives with her mom in a cottage in the forest, where they concoct potions together; she has a hairless cat named Reaper and dresses in all black, so she must be a witch. These simple, early moments when the girls enjoy their warm, humorous bond—with the help of richly honeyed narration from Cate Blanchett —are the film’s strongest. The dialogue in the script from co-writers David Magee and Feig is snarky in a way that’s both anachronistic and au courant, but Caruso and Wylie make their friendship feel true.

But one day, a giant bird picks them up and swoops them away to The School for Good and Evil: side-by-side castles connected by a bridge where the next generation of magical young people learns to hone their skills. As we see in the film’s prelude, a pair of brothers established this balance long ago; neither side can win completely, and this enchanted institution ensures that. Naturally, Sophie assumes she’ll end up on the sunny side of the divide, while Agatha will go to the structure shrouded in fog. But when the bird drops Sophie on the evil side and Agatha on the good side, they figure it must have been a mistake and struggle to switch places. In no time, though, their true natures reveal themselves—the ones they’d buried beneath the hair and clothes they’d chosen and the labels society had pinned on them.

This is a potentially interesting idea, and a great opportunity for kids to learn about the insidious power of prejudice. And the production design on both sides is enjoyably over-the-top in its contrasting extremes: the School for Good essentially looks like a wedding cake you could live inside, while the School for Evil is like a goth version of Hogwarts. Costume designer Renee Ehrlich Kalfus —who also designed the clothes in Feig’s sharp and sexy “A Simple Favor”—makes the dresses these young women wear not just distinct in vivid and inspired ways, but they evolve accordingly as Agatha and Sophie tap into their authentic selves.

Again, lots of intriguing pieces here, and we haven’t even mentioned Washington as the perpetually perky head of the good school, with Theron vamping as the evil school’s leader. There’s just so much going on in this movie in terms of plot and visual effects that supporting players like Yeoh and Laurence Fishburne get frustratingly little to do. The film also squanders the talents of Rob Delaney and Patti LuPone early on in blink-and-you’ll-miss-them roles. The script consistently gets bogged down in world-building exposition and flashbacks—the mythology of how this place works is dense and not terribly compelling—and there are so many students on both sides of the bridge that there’s little opportunity for characterization. Chainani wrote a series of these books, where he had much more time and space to expand. Here, fellow students are whittled down to a single trait, and—as in the Disney “Descendants” movies—most are the offspring of famous cultural figures, like Prince Charming, King Arthur, and the Sheriff of Nottingham. A forbidden romance between Sophie and the hunky Tedros ( Jamie Flatters ) is just one more subplot in a film full of them. And a dizzying array of twists awaits as the movie hurtles toward its conclusion.

Somewhere beneath all the noise and mayhem—the hurled fireballs, swirls of blood and duels with glowing swords choreographed to Billie Eilish and Britney Spears tunes—“The School for Good and Evil” aims to upend familiar tropes and unearth some useful truths. The popular clique at the good school is packed with mean girls; the weirdoes and misfits at the bad school are actually loyal and kind. Being ambitious isn’t necessarily a negative thing, while going along to get along might not be the right path, either. But with a series of endings that drags out the film’s already significant length, it takes a while for anyone to achieve any sort of happily ever after.

On Netflix today.

Christy Lemire

Christy Lemire is a longtime film critic who has written for RogerEbert.com since 2013. Before that, she was the film critic for The Associated Press for nearly 15 years and co-hosted the public television series "Ebert Presents At the Movies" opposite Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, with Roger Ebert serving as managing editor. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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Film credits.

The School for Good and Evil (2022)

Rated PG-13 for violence and action, and some frightening images.

146 minutes

Sophia Anne Caruso as Sophie

Sofia Wylie as Agatha

Laurence Fishburne as The Schoolmaster

Michelle Yeoh as Professor Anemone

Jamie Flatters as Tedros

Kit Young as Rafal

Rachel Bloom as Honora

Peter Serafinowicz as Yuba

Kerry Washington as Professor Dovey

Charlize Theron as Lady Lesso

Earl Cave as Hort

Patti Lupone as Mrs. Deauville

Cate Blanchett as Narrator (voice)

Ali Khan as Chaddick

Writer (based on the book by)

• Soman Chainani
• David Magee

Cinematographer

• John Schwartzman
• Mischa Chaleyer-Kynaston
• Theodore Shapiro

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My review of “The School for Good and Evil”

Okay, to start off this is my own review. You’re free to hate or love this movie as much as you want. Spoilers ahead:

Things it did well:

-Most of the CGI or animation or whatever you call it was really fluid and pretty to look at.

-Sofia Wylie was AMAZING as Agatha despite the obvious racial problem with her playing a character Agatha being called a witch

-The story was really good overall and the intensity of some of the scenes. Just Wow!

-Didn’t try to be the book. It’s its own little thing and it’s enjoyable

-isn’t boring

-Soman’s cameo in the movie

-The possibility of a sequel!!!

Things in the movie that just Did Not Work

-Not hating on Caruso’s acting but I feel like some of her scenes and dialogue Just DID NOT WORK like her flirts with Tedros were weird and her death scene did not make me feel as sad as I wanted it to.

-tedros and Sophie’s relationship wasn’t as developed enough to make it something audience’s would care about. Why does she like him? Just because he’s handsome.

-The wolf guards’ animation, that’s it. I mean come on 😩

-The story could’ve been developed a lot more and so do some of the characters like Stephan and Beatrix and other characters . Also blood magic and some main plot points were not explained at all! Hopefully the maybe sequel will clear some of the storylines up.

-Mainly just making sure the audience understands what’s going on and isn’t left confused.

3 out of 5 stars for me. The School for Good and Evil was a fun time and exceeded my expectations. Just could have been better at establishing an understandable storyline and the dialogue and acting overall was meh.

Please let the sequel come out in the late 2020’s like 2029 or something. I can’t wait for more of the story to unfold.

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Fall of the school for good and evil: rise, book 2.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 0 Reviews
• Kids Say 0 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Lots of adventure and excitement in magical series prequel.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Fall of the School of Good and Evil is the conclusion to the prequel duology that's part of the popular fantasy book franchise that also includes a movie released on streaming in 2022. Here, tension mounts between the the twin school masters Rhian and Rafal as they train would-be…

Why Age 10+?

Fights mention blood spewing and gushing, no other gore, but describe action lik

"Hell," "ass," "damn," "horsecrap," and "arse."

Peter Pan smokes a cigar but doesn't like it. Mention of a parent numbing hersel

Fairies want kisses from boys, especially Peter Pan. Lots of mentions of a coupl

Any Positive Content?

Good and evil are two sides of the same coin; one can't exist without the other,

Most characters are not what they seem, and the two main characters explore whet

May inspire readers to think about the nature of good and evil, and whether one

Skin and hair colors range from pale to bronze in humans and other colors in fan

Violence & Scariness

Fights mention blood spewing and gushing, no other gore, but describe action like punches in the throat and pain. Important characters die and children murdering children is directly narrated but not gory or explicit. Fantasy creatures torture and interrogate by dunking their victim until he almost drowns. Vampires attack and drink victim's blue blood. Characters often in mortal danger.

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Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Peter Pan smokes a cigar but doesn't like it. Mention of a parent numbing herself with wine. A fantasy creature is "drunk with rage."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Fairies want kisses from boys, especially Peter Pan. Lots of mentions of a couple who are boyfriend and girlfriend, but no real romantic behavior or actions are described.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

Good and evil are two sides of the same coin; one can't exist without the other, and it's often hard to tell them apart. Taking the easy path to get what you want always comes with hard consequences.

Positive Role Models

Most characters are not what they seem, and the two main characters explore whether they're good, evil, or a combination of both.

Educational Value

May inspire readers to think about the nature of good and evil, and whether one can exist without the other. May also inspire interest in fairy tales and folklore such Aladdin, King Midas, Peter Pan, etc.

Diverse Representations

Skin and hair colors range from pale to bronze in humans and other colors in fantasy creatures. Consistent, negative depiction of a fat boy always mentions his fatness in a comedic but derogatory way. Some stereotypes of female fairies who wear bright lipstick, tight clothes, and who want kisses.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Parents need to know that Fall of the School of Good and Evil is the conclusion to the prequel duology that's part of the popular fantasy book franchise that also includes a movie released on streaming in 2022. Here, tension mounts between the the twin school masters Rhian and Rafal as they train would-be heroes and villains. Fights mention blood spewing and gushing, no other gore, but describe action like punches in the throat and pain. Important characters die and children murdering children is directly narrated but not gory or explicit. Fantasy creatures torture and interrogate a victim by almost drowning him; his pain and terror are described. A vampire attack mentions biting, sucking blood, and blue blood dripping from their teeth.

Where to Read

Parent and kid reviews.

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What's the Story?

FALL OF THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL sees tension rising between twin school masters Rhian and Rafal. Their bonds of loyalty are tested again and again, and always seem to come up short, at least for Rafal, who starts to wonder if he and his brother are in the right place. They decide to bring a non-magical Reader to the school for a chance to foster a loyal follower from the ground up, little imagining the chaos this Reader is capable of bringing. Meanwhile, the treacherous dictator Peter Pan senses the time may have come for him to seize control of the School for Good and Evil. Can Hook, Aladdin, and Kyma stop him before it's too late?

Is It Any Good?

Fantasy and fractured fairy tale fans will enjoy this action-packed and exciting installment in the popular good-and-evil series. Fall of the School for Good and Evil is especially strong when it comes to describing action in ways that are easy to imagine, often funny, and always exciting. Familiar characters are back, along with some intriguing newcomers. Chapters with cliffhanger endings that then switch to follow another set of characters keep up the suspense and keep the pages turning, right up to the intriguing setup to the first book in the original series.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how Fall of the School for Good and Evil portrays good and evil. Are people either one or the other, or are they a little of both? How can you tell which is which?

The story also asks whether it's possible to do something bad for a good reason, or for the greater good. Does that make the bad thing actually a good thing? Or should you find another way to do whatever good you're trying to achieve?

What about the violence? Is it too much? Too scary? Is reading violent stories different from seeing them in TV, movies, games, etc.?

Book Details

• Author : Soman Chainani
• Genre : Fantasy
• Topics : Magic and Fantasy , Princesses, Fairies, Mermaids, and More , Adventures , Book Characters , Brothers and Sisters
• Book type : Fiction
• Publisher : Harper
• Publication date : May 2, 2023
• Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 17
• Number of pages : 384
• Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
• Last updated : May 1, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

What to read next.

Rise of the School for Good and Evil: Rise, Book 1

The Castle Behind Thorns

Fantasy Books for Kids

Best fantasy movies, related topics.

• Magic and Fantasy
• Princesses, Fairies, Mermaids, and More
• Book Characters
• Brothers and Sisters

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

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FALL OF THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL

From the rise of the school for good and evil series , vol. 2.

by Soman Chainani ; illustrated by RaidesArt ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 2, 2023

Fans will be pleased to see answers, background, and a clear path to Volume 1.

In this sequel to a prequel, a third candidate for School Master brings simmering tensions between twins Rhian and Rafal to a boil.

In events following close on those in Rise of the School for Good and Evil (2022), the arrival of James Hook in Neverland, along with fellow ex-students Aladdin and Princess Kyma, spurs ruthless tyrant Peter Pan to mount his own bid to take over the twin-towered school where fairy-tale characters are trained. Meanwhile Rafal and Rhian, amid their growing rivalry, are both searching for an ally they can trust, and they kidnap a Reader—young Midas—from the outside world. What follows is a seminar on telling Good from Evil as the line between the two becomes even more muddled, numerous members of the sprawling cast exhibit qualities of both, and Rafal, in particular, suffers an extended identity crisis. Chainani explores feminist themes as a group of punk Neverland fairies and a man-hunting troll join Kyma, asserting their independence and questioning what might happen “if boys don’t have the last word in our stories.” He also presents a credible rationale for Good’s invariable victory over Evil in fairy tales. Characters’ skin tones vary from pale to bronze, and the two trolls are colorful showstoppers. Final art not seen.

Pub Date: May 2, 2023

ISBN: 9780063269538

Page Count: 384

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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More by Soman Chainani

BOOK REVIEW

by Soman Chainani ; illustrated by RaidesArt

by Soman Chainani ; illustrated by Julia Iredale

by Soman Chainani ; illustrated by Iacopo Bruno

THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL

From the school for good and evil series , vol. 1.

by Soman Chainani ; illustrated by Iacopo Bruno ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 14, 2013

Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic.

Chainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied.

Every four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales. When it happens to sweet, Disney princess–like Sophie and  her friend Agatha, plain of features, sour of disposition and low of self-esteem, they are both horrified to discover that they’ve been dropped not where they expect but at Evil and at Good respectively. Gradually—too gradually, as the author strings out hundreds of pages of Hogwarts-style pranks, classroom mishaps and competitions both academic and romantic—it becomes clear that the placement wasn’t a mistake at all. Growing into their true natures amid revelations and marked physical changes, the two spark escalating rivalry between the wings of the school. This leads up to a vicious climactic fight that sees Good and Evil repeatedly switching sides. At this point, readers are likely to feel suddenly left behind, as, thanks to summary deus ex machina resolutions, everything turns out swell(ish).

Pub Date: May 14, 2013

ISBN: 978-0-06-210489-2

Page Count: 496

Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013

More In The Series

More About This Book

BOOK TO SCREEN

THE LAST EVER AFTER

From the school for good and evil series , vol. 3.

by Soman Chainani ; illustrated by Iacopo Bruno ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 21, 2015

Ultimately more than a little full of itself, but well-stocked with big themes, inventively spun fairy-tale tropes, and...

Good has won every fairy-tale contest with Evil for centuries, but a dark sorcerer’s scheme to turn the tables comes to fruition in this ponderous closer.

Broadening conflict swirls around frenemies Agatha and Sophie as the latter joins rejuvenated School Master Rafal, who has dispatched an army of villains from Capt. Hook to various evil stepmothers to take stabs (literally) at changing the ends of their stories. Meanwhile, amid a general slaughter of dwarves and billy goats, Agatha and her rigid but educable true love, Tedros, flee for protection to the League of Thirteen. This turns out to be a company of geriatric versions of characters, from Hansel and Gretel (in wheelchairs) to fat and shrewish Cinderella, led by an enigmatic Merlin. As the tale moves slowly toward climactic battles and choices, Chainani further lightens the load by stuffing it with memes ranging from a magic ring that must be destroyed and a “maleficent” gown for Sophie to this oddly familiar line: “Of all the tales in all the kingdoms in all the Woods, you had to walk into mine.” Rafal’s plan turns out to be an attempt to prove that love can be twisted into an instrument of Evil. Though the proposition eventually founders on the twin rocks of true friendship and family ties, talk of “balance” in the aftermath at least promises to give Evil a fighting chance in future fairy tales. Bruno’s polished vignettes at each chapter’s head and elsewhere add sophisticated visual notes.

Pub Date: July 21, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-06-210495-3

Page Count: 672

Review Posted Online: June 25, 2015

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