Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks (2013), 496 pages
Description
Fantasy. Juvenile Fiction. Juvenile Literature. Mythology. HTML: THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL will soon be a major motion picture from 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 more! The New York Times bestselling School for Good and Evil series is an epic journey into a dazzling new world, where the only way out of a fairy tale is to live through one. Start here to follow Sophie, Agatha, and everyone at school from the beginning! With her glass slippers and devotion to good deeds, Sophie knows she'll earn top marks at the School for Good and join the ranks of past students like Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Snow White. Meanwhile, Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks and wicked black cat, seems a natural fit for the villains in the School for Evil. The two girls soon 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 among 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? Don't miss the thrilling conclusion to the beloved series, The School for Good and Evil #6: One True King!… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Dranea
I had been looking forward to reading this book since it came out. And unfortunately, my wait wasn't worth it.
I'm just going to get down to it since you can read the synopsis at the top of the page.
We have princes and princesses, witches and all sorts of other disturbing creatures. That's my kind
I thought I was going to get either a redemption book or a book that teaches real beauty lies within, and physical beauty is only skin deep. What I got was - ugly is evil, beauty is good. That was really the theme except for one really throw away line where Aggie smiles a real smile and people see her differently because she is happy. But, later on, that is even taken away because she grew more beautiful as the story goes on. She changes and looks more like the princess she was supposed to be.
Princesses in the story are all awful, shallow, mean twits. There is really only one or two redeeming people in the entire castle. They totally ignore Aggie because she isn't pretty, and they are terribly mean to her when they are confronted with the fact they have to talk to her. THIS NEVER CHANGES UNTIL SHE BECOMES PRETTY. I'm just in awe. Let's teach that beauty is everything. Because the little throwaway scenes where they tried to show "beauty doesn't matter" is eaten up by the scenes where the princesses love Sophie (the actual evil witch) when Sophie shows them how to be PRETTIER.
This isn't a book about good and evil, it's a book about a freaking beauty pageant. Aggie was the only character you can give a crap about. No kind, empathetic teachers, no real evil to contend with - unless you count Hester's neck demon. It's like they were afraid to deal with real issues and instead used killing off people and animals in order to create the vile feel. Newsflash - death and destruction aren't the only source of evil. The characters are all so flat and shallow that I could slip the entire bunch of them under my door.
We have a PRINCE - yes, seriously - A PRINCE who KICKS A BUNNY! And he's supposed to be swoon-worthy for these princesses? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. He has all this fake internal monologue "when will someone see past my looks and see the real me?" Never, because you're a jerk who gets mad and kicks bunnies and could never believe that someone who doesn't look the way you want her to could be worth your time. BUT - after she starts shining herself up a bit... that's when you make your move. You are starting to feel like there could be more, but you are too ashamed of yourself to admit it. Only when the outside is a nicer package will you do anything about it.
Sophie, we had your number from the first page. You never once fooled anyone with your "goodness." I thought maybe a real redemption would happen for her - but nope. And I love at the end of the story, you only want your friend, yet again, because you have nothing else. That's not friendship. That's using whatever "tools" you have at your disposal.
And the part at the end that got me?? When the "Nevers" - the evil ones - and the "Evers" - the good ones - get in a fight, their looks changed. The Evers had done something against their rules and imagine this in this story THEY TURNED UGLY. The Nevers followed the Evers rules (defending themselves) and turned beautiful. I have such a major issue with this book. Let's forget the shallow characters, let's forget that friendships in this book (except for Aggie's love of Sophie) are all based on what you can get from the people around you, let's forget that relationships in this book can make or break a princess because a prince can live fine on his own, but the princess HAS TO HAVE a prince - because without one, she is WORTHLESS...Let's forget that beauty is apparently all that matters in life. If we forget about all of that, we have nothing left to the story. At all.
Even the way the book ended - total cliffhanger. Way to really kill it. You don't wrap up a darn thing AT ALL. You drag us through a book by the beauty pageant sash through every shallow comment and character only to realize there is NO ENDING. NO ENDING AT ALL. I'm tired of the authors who feel like they don't have to give the readers what they came for. A COMPLETE STORY. You gave us a beginning and a really long middle. No ending, no wrapping anything up. We wanted to finish the book so we can at least say we did, but you never delivered. We held up our part of the bargain. We read it cover to cover, but you decided that you wanted to take us all on a ride and then trick us. Don't give us an ending so we "have" to buy the next book. Well, it's not happening. You tricked me once. It's not going to happen again.
and PS... the em dash is a tool. Not the only punctuation available. If I never see another em dash again it will be too soon. Don't overuse punctuation to a point it becomes a distraction. Just sayin'.
I'm just going to get down to it since you can read the synopsis at the top of the page.
We have princes and princesses, witches and all sorts of other disturbing creatures. That's my kind
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of book. But as I started really getting into it, I was appalled at what I was seeing.I thought I was going to get either a redemption book or a book that teaches real beauty lies within, and physical beauty is only skin deep. What I got was - ugly is evil, beauty is good. That was really the theme except for one really throw away line where Aggie smiles a real smile and people see her differently because she is happy. But, later on, that is even taken away because she grew more beautiful as the story goes on. She changes and looks more like the princess she was supposed to be.
Princesses in the story are all awful, shallow, mean twits. There is really only one or two redeeming people in the entire castle. They totally ignore Aggie because she isn't pretty, and they are terribly mean to her when they are confronted with the fact they have to talk to her. THIS NEVER CHANGES UNTIL SHE BECOMES PRETTY. I'm just in awe. Let's teach that beauty is everything. Because the little throwaway scenes where they tried to show "beauty doesn't matter" is eaten up by the scenes where the princesses love Sophie (the actual evil witch) when Sophie shows them how to be PRETTIER.
This isn't a book about good and evil, it's a book about a freaking beauty pageant. Aggie was the only character you can give a crap about. No kind, empathetic teachers, no real evil to contend with - unless you count Hester's neck demon. It's like they were afraid to deal with real issues and instead used killing off people and animals in order to create the vile feel. Newsflash - death and destruction aren't the only source of evil. The characters are all so flat and shallow that I could slip the entire bunch of them under my door.
We have a PRINCE - yes, seriously - A PRINCE who KICKS A BUNNY! And he's supposed to be swoon-worthy for these princesses? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. He has all this fake internal monologue "when will someone see past my looks and see the real me?" Never, because you're a jerk who gets mad and kicks bunnies and could never believe that someone who doesn't look the way you want her to could be worth your time. BUT - after she starts shining herself up a bit... that's when you make your move. You are starting to feel like there could be more, but you are too ashamed of yourself to admit it. Only when the outside is a nicer package will you do anything about it.
Sophie, we had your number from the first page. You never once fooled anyone with your "goodness." I thought maybe a real redemption would happen for her - but nope. And I love at the end of the story, you only want your friend, yet again, because you have nothing else. That's not friendship. That's using whatever "tools" you have at your disposal.
And the part at the end that got me?? When the "Nevers" - the evil ones - and the "Evers" - the good ones - get in a fight, their looks changed. The Evers had done something against their rules and imagine this in this story THEY TURNED UGLY. The Nevers followed the Evers rules (defending themselves) and turned beautiful. I have such a major issue with this book. Let's forget the shallow characters, let's forget that friendships in this book (except for Aggie's love of Sophie) are all based on what you can get from the people around you, let's forget that relationships in this book can make or break a princess because a prince can live fine on his own, but the princess HAS TO HAVE a prince - because without one, she is WORTHLESS...Let's forget that beauty is apparently all that matters in life. If we forget about all of that, we have nothing left to the story. At all.
Even the way the book ended - total cliffhanger. Way to really kill it. You don't wrap up a darn thing AT ALL. You drag us through a book by the beauty pageant sash through every shallow comment and character only to realize there is NO ENDING. NO ENDING AT ALL. I'm tired of the authors who feel like they don't have to give the readers what they came for. A COMPLETE STORY. You gave us a beginning and a really long middle. No ending, no wrapping anything up. We wanted to finish the book so we can at least say we did, but you never delivered. We held up our part of the bargain. We read it cover to cover, but you decided that you wanted to take us all on a ride and then trick us. Don't give us an ending so we "have" to buy the next book. Well, it's not happening. You tricked me once. It's not going to happen again.
and PS... the em dash is a tool. Not the only punctuation available. If I never see another em dash again it will be too soon. Don't overuse punctuation to a point it becomes a distraction. Just sayin'.
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LibraryThing member foggidawn
Go ahead -- judge The School for Good and Evil by its cover, because this is a book that really wanted to be a manga series. Not that there's anything wrong with wanting to be a manga series -- but I'll get into the issues I had with this book after a quick summary:
Every four years, two children
So, that sounds promising, right? Well, the first bit of the book is good enough . . . but once the girls get to the school, it goes downhill. One of the main problems is the length, or to be precise, the amount of wasted space in the main portion of the book, where Agatha tries to convince Sophie to go home, and Sophie hatches another scheme to get into the School for Good. Over and over again. There's an entire school year to fill, and while some of the girls' adventures are exciting, they also felt repetitive to me. To top it off, the ending of the book is massively confusing. Then, the writing is not as great as one might expect from the impressive author bio and the number of big-name book blurbers this title attracted. The story has definite visual/cinematic elements, but there were times when I could almost feel the author's frustration at not being able to just express visually what was going through his mind. And this led to action sequences (particularly at the end of the book) that were extremely jumpy and confusing. As manga, it would almost definitely have been more successful; as a film (I hear it has already been optioned) I think it will be spectacular. As a book, it just didn't do it for me. Much as it pains me to say such a thing, my recommendation on this one is to skip the book and just wait for the movie.
Every four years, two children
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are stolen from the isolated little town of Gavaldon by a mysterious Schoolmaster. One is taken to the School for Good, the other to the School for Evil . . . and there they become the stuff that fairy tales are made of. Parents lock their children away -- the unusually bad children do surprising, uncharacteristic good works, the preternaturally good ones go around making messes and pinching their siblings. None of them want to be taken away . . . except for Sophie. Sophie can hardly wait. She's always known that, deep inside, she was a princess. Surely the Schoolmaster will see that as well, and take Sophie to the School for Good where she can meet her perfect Prince Charming. But has she been good enough? In an attempt to up her standing on the Nice List, Sophie befriends outsider Agatha, who wears a lot of black and lives next to a graveyard. Agatha doesn't necessarily believe in the schools, and she certainly doesn't want to go there -- but even her mother believes that Agatha, if she were chosen, would land squarely in the School for Evil. So, imagine the two girls' surprise when Agatha finds herself chosen for the School for Good, and Sophie ends up in the School for Evil. Agatha's main goal is to get herself and Sophie out of their schools and back to Gavaldon before something dreadful befalls them -- you see, she quickly learns what happens to students who are not successful. Sophie, on the other hand, is determined to make her way to the School for Good (she even has her Prince Charming picked out) and nothing, not friendship or magic or a host of fakey-nice Mean Girls at the School for Good, will stand in her way. To top it off, what Sophie and Agatha don't know is that there are forces at work at the Schools that neither of them understand . . . and they are about to get swept into something much larger than just two girls spirited off to school. . . .So, that sounds promising, right? Well, the first bit of the book is good enough . . . but once the girls get to the school, it goes downhill. One of the main problems is the length, or to be precise, the amount of wasted space in the main portion of the book, where Agatha tries to convince Sophie to go home, and Sophie hatches another scheme to get into the School for Good. Over and over again. There's an entire school year to fill, and while some of the girls' adventures are exciting, they also felt repetitive to me. To top it off, the ending of the book is massively confusing. Then, the writing is not as great as one might expect from the impressive author bio and the number of big-name book blurbers this title attracted. The story has definite visual/cinematic elements, but there were times when I could almost feel the author's frustration at not being able to just express visually what was going through his mind. And this led to action sequences (particularly at the end of the book) that were extremely jumpy and confusing. As manga, it would almost definitely have been more successful; as a film (I hear it has already been optioned) I think it will be spectacular. As a book, it just didn't do it for me. Much as it pains me to say such a thing, my recommendation on this one is to skip the book and just wait for the movie.
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LibraryThing member Kewpie83
I wanted to enjoy this more than I did. The back and forth between characters was hard for me to follow and I found myself skimming a few parts due to Chainani's writing style. I'm sure it didn't help that I never really liked the character of Sophie, who is one of the two main characters!
I love
I love
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the overall idea and Agatha was a great character, but I think I'll leave this future trilogy here and just wait for the movies. Show Less
LibraryThing member Bduke
Hmmmm, I'm kind of torn about this one. Some people really love it, but I had kind of a love/hate relationship with it - with the hate part winning out. If I had liked the characters more it would have made a huge difference. It's hard to care about what happens to people when you don't like them
However, the actual story was original and fun (with many shades of Harry Potter noticeable). There was a lot of action, it was very humorous at times, and it eventually got very exciting. I think it will make a pretty great movie, and thought of it as a movie in my head while I was reading it. I have many middle schoolers who love it.
Areas of concern:
A lot of violence. Children are kidnapped, tortured, turned into animals.... The list goes on and on. However, it is all presented in such a fairy tale fashion, that it doesn't seem very real.
Several reviewers have mentioned that the book ends with a LGBT relationship, but I didn't pick up on that at all. I'm not sure what will happen in subsequent books.
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anyway. I couldn't stand Sophie from page 1, and I had a hard time with Agatha because for a smart girl she acted very stupidly. The book was all about their amazing "friendship", but there really was no friendship. There was a mean girl and a groupie. The mean girl did all sorts of horrible things to the groupie, and yet the groupie still stayed loyal to the mean girl. I didn't buy it. And the concept of the book tried to say that what is on the outside doesn't matter, and yet several instances in the book proved that beauty made you "good", and ugly made you "bad". How wrong is it for me to say you could tell it was a story about girls that was written by a man? It is also way too long and took a long time to get going. However, the actual story was original and fun (with many shades of Harry Potter noticeable). There was a lot of action, it was very humorous at times, and it eventually got very exciting. I think it will make a pretty great movie, and thought of it as a movie in my head while I was reading it. I have many middle schoolers who love it.
Areas of concern:
A lot of violence. Children are kidnapped, tortured, turned into animals.... The list goes on and on. However, it is all presented in such a fairy tale fashion, that it doesn't seem very real.
Several reviewers have mentioned that the book ends with a LGBT relationship, but I didn't pick up on that at all. I'm not sure what will happen in subsequent books.
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LibraryThing member beserene
Even now, several days after finishing it, I'm not quite sure how I feel about this book. As a fantasy novel for children and teens, it hits all the usual sweet spots with interesting twists. It's both a school story and a contest story -- imagine if Harry Potter had suffered the Triwizard
And that core is fascinating, emotional, and likely relatable for a great many young readers. As an adult reading this, though, I felt the constraints perhaps a little more than the target audience would. The pacing and the whiplash reversals of characters and loyalties happen at too breakneck a speed for me, much of the time. This was, I think, the first kids book I've ever read where I had to flip back and reread portions just to remember who was on who's side now. Or even who was talking. As I recall -- however distantly -- adolescence is like that sometimes, so I suppose those hurtling plot points and flip-flopping friendships make a kind of sense. There are moments where the tumbling plot slops out of its bounds. There are also moments where, it seems, even the author loses track of the details.
That said, however, I found myself turning pages and eager to see what would become of all this switching and swerving. Flaws and all, this book compelled me all the way through to the end, which winds up being pretty perfect for its story. Though there is much familiarity crammed in here, there is also a great deal that feels fresh and clever. And, really, what more can one ask? While it isn't perfect, I think it is worth the time, especially for those young readers who are already fans of its genre.
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Tournament in his first year, and you might get a sense of the combination here. It centers on a school that teaches both potential heroes and future villains -- hence, the title -- and so we get to revel in the fun of classes on poisonings alongside how to be a proper princess. It also, refreshingly, features not one but two female protagonists and a number of strong, or at least intriguing, characters of each gender. The relationship between these two girls, one in each school -- and neither exactly where she expected to be -- is the core of the book. And that core is fascinating, emotional, and likely relatable for a great many young readers. As an adult reading this, though, I felt the constraints perhaps a little more than the target audience would. The pacing and the whiplash reversals of characters and loyalties happen at too breakneck a speed for me, much of the time. This was, I think, the first kids book I've ever read where I had to flip back and reread portions just to remember who was on who's side now. Or even who was talking. As I recall -- however distantly -- adolescence is like that sometimes, so I suppose those hurtling plot points and flip-flopping friendships make a kind of sense. There are moments where the tumbling plot slops out of its bounds. There are also moments where, it seems, even the author loses track of the details.
That said, however, I found myself turning pages and eager to see what would become of all this switching and swerving. Flaws and all, this book compelled me all the way through to the end, which winds up being pretty perfect for its story. Though there is much familiarity crammed in here, there is also a great deal that feels fresh and clever. And, really, what more can one ask? While it isn't perfect, I think it is worth the time, especially for those young readers who are already fans of its genre.
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LibraryThing member authorjanebnight
Synopsis:
Sophie and Agatha are taken to a fairy tale school where children learn to be Princesses or Villains. However, it seems there is a mix-up. Agatha clearly is meant for villain school with her dour demeanor and poor manners while Sophie has been training to be a princess all her life.
As the
My rating:
3/5
I loved the idea of this book and I loved the characters. I absolutely adored Agatha and found her relatable. Agatha doesn't want to be in this strange world and just wants to go home. At the same time, she is absolutely devoted to Sophie who is one of the only friends she had back in their world. I was so touched by her loyalty and the depths of her friendship even when Sophie is selfish and bratty. On the other hand I loved how princess like Sophie was. She is beautiful, mannered, romantic, etc. She doesn't just want to be a princess, she has many of the qualities associated with fairy tale princesses. I loved the contrast between these two characters but how deep, on Agatha's end anyways, their friendship flowed despite those differences. Sophie is a very selfish character which I felt was what made her suited for villain school while Agatha is loyal and loving which I felt made her an appropriate princess. I could see why they were in the right schools even if they couldn't.
My first issue was that at the school Sophie is no different than the other princesses. All of them act entitled, bratty, and selfish. I really hated the school for villains. I thought it was poorly done and I didn't like it at all. The other students at the school weren't kidnapped like Sophie and Agatha but rather are descendants of other fairy tale heroes and villains which made their individual personalities have little to do with their sorting into good or evil school. Instead, if your parent was a hero then so are you. If your parent was a villain then you are too. It isn't a very fair sorting process and many of the villains are actually less "evil" than the heroes. The problem is that, while this is shown, it isn't explored in the depth I would have liked.
I found many aspects of the world building and setting in this story to be confusing including what was going on and why. There were explanations given for some of it but overall I just didn't really "get it". There are other books in the series and it is possible some of these issues and elements are further explored in later books but I don't plan to move forward with the series.
I hated the set up of the school for villains. It has classes such as making yourself ugly where the characters are taught to give themselves warts. I think what I disliked so much about that is that ugliness doesn't make a villain, even in fairy tales. Similarly, there is a point where we are led to believe Agatha should be a villain because she farts. I hated the good versus evil in this story because the evils presented were things like ugliness and poor manners. Sophie is really the only villain who is a villain because in her heart she is selfish and an ugly person inside (but no more so than ALL the princesses except for Agatha).
I also found some of the plot elements confusing. The explanations given didn't make much sense to me. I am not sure if this book wasn't fleshed out enough or if I just missed something but either way this book wasn't a good match for me and I was super disappointed because I loved the premise of this book as well as the characters.
There were some amazing moments in this story and I absolutely loved the dynamics between Sophie and the villains at her school as well as her interactions with Agatha. There were so many fun or cool things that happened in this book. I just felt like it missed the mark in many areas and I can't really recommend it though it seems like mine is a minority opinion and many other readers enjoyed this much more than I did.
Sophie and Agatha are taken to a fairy tale school where children learn to be Princesses or Villains. However, it seems there is a mix-up. Agatha clearly is meant for villain school with her dour demeanor and poor manners while Sophie has been training to be a princess all her life.
As the
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girls are both put into schools they don't feel they belong in and fight to be switched, they prove that maybe there is more to each of them than they realized. Agatha might just have the heart of a princess and there might be something villainess inside of Sophie.My rating:
3/5
I loved the idea of this book and I loved the characters. I absolutely adored Agatha and found her relatable. Agatha doesn't want to be in this strange world and just wants to go home. At the same time, she is absolutely devoted to Sophie who is one of the only friends she had back in their world. I was so touched by her loyalty and the depths of her friendship even when Sophie is selfish and bratty. On the other hand I loved how princess like Sophie was. She is beautiful, mannered, romantic, etc. She doesn't just want to be a princess, she has many of the qualities associated with fairy tale princesses. I loved the contrast between these two characters but how deep, on Agatha's end anyways, their friendship flowed despite those differences. Sophie is a very selfish character which I felt was what made her suited for villain school while Agatha is loyal and loving which I felt made her an appropriate princess. I could see why they were in the right schools even if they couldn't.
My first issue was that at the school Sophie is no different than the other princesses. All of them act entitled, bratty, and selfish. I really hated the school for villains. I thought it was poorly done and I didn't like it at all. The other students at the school weren't kidnapped like Sophie and Agatha but rather are descendants of other fairy tale heroes and villains which made their individual personalities have little to do with their sorting into good or evil school. Instead, if your parent was a hero then so are you. If your parent was a villain then you are too. It isn't a very fair sorting process and many of the villains are actually less "evil" than the heroes. The problem is that, while this is shown, it isn't explored in the depth I would have liked.
I found many aspects of the world building and setting in this story to be confusing including what was going on and why. There were explanations given for some of it but overall I just didn't really "get it". There are other books in the series and it is possible some of these issues and elements are further explored in later books but I don't plan to move forward with the series.
I hated the set up of the school for villains. It has classes such as making yourself ugly where the characters are taught to give themselves warts. I think what I disliked so much about that is that ugliness doesn't make a villain, even in fairy tales. Similarly, there is a point where we are led to believe Agatha should be a villain because she farts. I hated the good versus evil in this story because the evils presented were things like ugliness and poor manners. Sophie is really the only villain who is a villain because in her heart she is selfish and an ugly person inside (but no more so than ALL the princesses except for Agatha).
I also found some of the plot elements confusing. The explanations given didn't make much sense to me. I am not sure if this book wasn't fleshed out enough or if I just missed something but either way this book wasn't a good match for me and I was super disappointed because I loved the premise of this book as well as the characters.
There were some amazing moments in this story and I absolutely loved the dynamics between Sophie and the villains at her school as well as her interactions with Agatha. There were so many fun or cool things that happened in this book. I just felt like it missed the mark in many areas and I can't really recommend it though it seems like mine is a minority opinion and many other readers enjoyed this much more than I did.
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LibraryThing member Tarklovishki
The School for Good and Evil is about two girls called Agatha and Sophie, and they come from two different worlds (or head spaces, I'd guess you say) and their personalities are polar opposite.
Sophie wants to go to the School for Good. She wants her prince, her happy ending. The glitz, the
To make sure she gets into her preferred school, she does a bit of 'charity' work. This is dubious at its best, and really so half-hearted that it would be a lie to call them attempts at all. One of her charity cases is her 'best friend' Agatha.
Agatha is a really introverted, 'leave me alone before I curse you' type of people. She lives in a graveyard, has no other friends except for Sophie, and the whole town looks at her and thinks 'School for Evil'. Because anyone who doesn't like social interaction and the colour black must be evil.
The one thing that Soman Chainani does really well is illustrating that what you see is not what you get. A person has more depth to them than what their personalities show. You can really see how and why Sophie and Agatha ended up in the schools they did. Unfortunately, this is one of the few things he does well.
There are instances where conflicts are resolved within five pages. Sophie decides to do something stupid, Agatha tries to stop her, Sophie cries and whines about how Agatha is ruining everything, Sophie says something stupid and walks off, leaving Agatha in a pit of angst.
Something happens to make Sophie realise that Agatha was right, she goes back to Agatha, yadda yadda. It's the same conflict-resolution scenario for 98% of the story.
Also, Tedros. Fucking Tedros. I swear if I ever met a person like that, I'd kill them out of mercy so that they no longer have to try and function with less than half a brain cell. Seriously, I'm surprised the guy even knows how to stand up straight, let alone walk under his own power. Or walk and talk at the same time.
The world-building, for me, was 'meh'. There's not a whole lot I can go into about it, because there wasn't a lot of information about this world. It feels like we're supposed to know everything about it just because the author does, only the author is playing the cards to their chests.
I really wanted to love this book. I did. But there were just too many errors, too many things that could've been done better. I am a little curious as to how a book gets a movie deal before it even hits the shelves, but I'm sure that's a question Google can answer.
I'm not sure if I'm going to make an attempt on the second book. I think it comes out a year from now, so maybe we'll just see.
Sophie wants to go to the School for Good. She wants her prince, her happy ending. The glitz, the
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glamour. You name it; she wants it. She decides that she's going to teach her father a lesson by leaving him alone to go to the School for Good, because she reckons that he doesn't love her any more because he wants to marry someone else. She makes a point to refuse him her blessing out of spite, which means he cannot get married. To make sure that the kidnapper comes for her, she destroys all of her father's hard work, like pulling the wood from the window. To make sure she gets into her preferred school, she does a bit of 'charity' work. This is dubious at its best, and really so half-hearted that it would be a lie to call them attempts at all. One of her charity cases is her 'best friend' Agatha.
Agatha is a really introverted, 'leave me alone before I curse you' type of people. She lives in a graveyard, has no other friends except for Sophie, and the whole town looks at her and thinks 'School for Evil'. Because anyone who doesn't like social interaction and the colour black must be evil.
The one thing that Soman Chainani does really well is illustrating that what you see is not what you get. A person has more depth to them than what their personalities show. You can really see how and why Sophie and Agatha ended up in the schools they did. Unfortunately, this is one of the few things he does well.
There are instances where conflicts are resolved within five pages. Sophie decides to do something stupid, Agatha tries to stop her, Sophie cries and whines about how Agatha is ruining everything, Sophie says something stupid and walks off, leaving Agatha in a pit of angst.
Something happens to make Sophie realise that Agatha was right, she goes back to Agatha, yadda yadda. It's the same conflict-resolution scenario for 98% of the story.
Also, Tedros. Fucking Tedros. I swear if I ever met a person like that, I'd kill them out of mercy so that they no longer have to try and function with less than half a brain cell. Seriously, I'm surprised the guy even knows how to stand up straight, let alone walk under his own power. Or walk and talk at the same time.
The world-building, for me, was 'meh'. There's not a whole lot I can go into about it, because there wasn't a lot of information about this world. It feels like we're supposed to know everything about it just because the author does, only the author is playing the cards to their chests.
I really wanted to love this book. I did. But there were just too many errors, too many things that could've been done better. I am a little curious as to how a book gets a movie deal before it even hits the shelves, but I'm sure that's a question Google can answer.
I'm not sure if I'm going to make an attempt on the second book. I think it comes out a year from now, so maybe we'll just see.
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LibraryThing member gecizzle
This book is so awesome! It had me hooked from the very first sentence: "Sophie had waited all her life to be kidnapped." Absolutely amazing story. Couldn't get enough of it.
A beautiful girl and an ugly goth type girl are somehow best friends. They are whisked away to a fairy tale land, The School
From the very beginning, I thought, these girls are totally going to end up in bed together. I won't tell you if they do in fact end up banging, because that would probably spoil the fun. But I can tell you one thing: goth girls are almost always lesbians. There, I said it.
A beautiful girl and an ugly goth type girl are somehow best friends. They are whisked away to a fairy tale land, The School
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for Good and Evil. In a strange twist of fate, the pretty one lands in the evil school and the ugly girl finds herself in the pretty school for good. Hilarity ensues.From the very beginning, I thought, these girls are totally going to end up in bed together. I won't tell you if they do in fact end up banging, because that would probably spoil the fun. But I can tell you one thing: goth girls are almost always lesbians. There, I said it.
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LibraryThing member justiceb.B1
The School for Good and Evil: Soman Chainani.
This book is about two friends, Sophie (a beautiful, kind, sweet and shallow girl) and Agatha (an ugly , cruel, bitter and practical girl) who live in a village called Galvadon which is surrounded by forest. These girls are kidnapped by the School
I loved this book because it shows how labels do not define who you are. Both Sophie and Agatha were not just good or evil, they were both.
This book is about two friends, Sophie (a beautiful, kind, sweet and shallow girl) and Agatha (an ugly , cruel, bitter and practical girl) who live in a village called Galvadon which is surrounded by forest. These girls are kidnapped by the School
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Master, a mysterious person who every four years takes two children, one that is Good and the other Evil. They arrive at the School for Good and Evil where fairytalke heroes and villans are taught. Sophie is mistakenly put in the School for Evil and learns how to be a witch while Agatha is taken to School for Good to earn how to be a princess. Sophie is an outcast from her fellow classmates and wants nothing more then to go to a ball with her crush, Tedros the father of King Arthur. Agatha is also an outcast and wants nothing more then to go home. They both eventually find out that they are meant to be in the schools they are in and Sophie almost destroys the school because of it. The friendship of these two girls overcome the hate between them and they get transported into their fairy-tale as friends. I loved this book because it shows how labels do not define who you are. Both Sophie and Agatha were not just good or evil, they were both.
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LibraryThing member Jennifer35k
It is the common belief that all little girls want to be a princess when they are under the age of 5. Most parents read at least one fairy tale to their daughters at night and with the dominant presence of Disney, it is hard not to get away from this concept. It has always been played that good
I had a lot of fun with this book and truly enjoyed the author's take on good and evil. I don't think I have ever seen a book quite like this before. The author played very well against the common prejudices that most people have built into them from childhood. One phrase that comes to mind easily is the old saying that you, "can never judge a book by its cover". This saying is very true and often people make fools of themselves by unfairly judging others. Time and time again the author demonstrated that this saying was accurate. I have to recommend this book hands down and honestly believe that it would be a great read for any age group. Great job author!
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overcomes evil and the prince saves the princess. The princess has been taught to be a docile lady that cannot defend for herself or nearly think for herself. In the last decade or so the country has made progress in burying this misconception. More and more movies are being created to show both princesses and princes to be independent characters that work together as teams rather than for selfish gain. Often the villains are not always evil, but misunderstood souls that have not had an opportunity to show their true colors. This story is about two such girls named Sophie and Agatha. Sophie has grown up to believe that she is the embodiment of good, while poor Agatha has been told that she is pure evil. Neither girl wants to conform to societies rules nor beliefs and only Sophie truly wishes to believe in fairytales. The book has the characters live in a town that has its children occasionally disappear to reappear in a fairytale the following year. It is Sophie's greatest desire to be the next to vanish and Agatha's greatest annoyance at having to protect her friend. As fate might have it the girls do vanish only to reemerge at a school for villains and heroes. It is a place where only the most evil go and the princes' go to find their princesses. Much to Sophie's horror she finds herself in the school of evil and Agatha in the school for good. How did these girls wind up in the wrong houses? How can they escape and go back home? Is Sophie truly evil and will she perish trying to prove she is not? Is Agatha really an ugly duckling or is she a black hearted villain?I had a lot of fun with this book and truly enjoyed the author's take on good and evil. I don't think I have ever seen a book quite like this before. The author played very well against the common prejudices that most people have built into them from childhood. One phrase that comes to mind easily is the old saying that you, "can never judge a book by its cover". This saying is very true and often people make fools of themselves by unfairly judging others. Time and time again the author demonstrated that this saying was accurate. I have to recommend this book hands down and honestly believe that it would be a great read for any age group. Great job author!
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LibraryThing member bookappeal
This book is so close to being excellent but it misses the mark. First, as other readers have noted, it's overly long and the author could easily edit out several sections in which no plot or character development occurs. Second, the action is not well described at times, leaving a general (but not
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a clear) idea of what has happened. On the other hand, the characters are wonderfully depicted. Given the middle school age for which the story is written, they are suitably complex. Yes, "beauty" is often equated with "good" but that notion is also challenged by several characters and events. The audiobook reader truly enhances the work, especially with the dry humor of Agatha and the sweet, lilting voices of the princess instructors. Show Less
LibraryThing member picardyrose
Started out tedious, like a bad Disney movie starring somebody being mean to Selena Gomez, but the middle was very entertaining. Then he tried for a heartwarming ending. Ugh.
LibraryThing member pnh002
This hurts me so much to say. Like really. I wanted to enjoy this one so much because the cover is gorgeous and the trailer was good too, but I just didn't. Maybe it would be better in Hardcover, or even a physical copy of the ARC, but most of the problem I had dealt with this book being confusing.
At first I really was liking it. But then it got a little boring. Then when the POVs started changing without warning I got confused. I had to keep going back and realizing that they did switch names. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more had it been a real ARC. One thing I did like was the illustrations. As they came up on my Nook, I really thought they looked cool as digital drawings. I would love to see the finished copies.
But over time, I kept reading and it got a little boring. It wasn't that there wasn't anything happening, it just felt like the SAME THING kept happening. It felt a little redundant Agatha wanted to get Sophie out of there but Sophie wanted to stay. Every time they went somewhere it happened over and over. So I thought I just wasn't in the mood for that type of story, so I put it down for a little and started on something else. And then I ended up finishing two books before picking this up again. So I just said forget it. I ended up skimming the rest of it and looking to see the big plot twist.
All in all, maybe this version just wasn't for me. I'll give it another try when the final version comes out
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At first I really was liking it. But then it got a little boring. Then when the POVs started changing without warning I got confused. I had to keep going back and realizing that they did switch names. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more had it been a real ARC. One thing I did like was the illustrations. As they came up on my Nook, I really thought they looked cool as digital drawings. I would love to see the finished copies.
But over time, I kept reading and it got a little boring. It wasn't that there wasn't anything happening, it just felt like the SAME THING kept happening. It felt a little redundant Agatha wanted to get Sophie out of there but Sophie wanted to stay. Every time they went somewhere it happened over and over. So I thought I just wasn't in the mood for that type of story, so I put it down for a little and started on something else. And then I ended up finishing two books before picking this up again. So I just said forget it. I ended up skimming the rest of it and looking to see the big plot twist.
All in all, maybe this version just wasn't for me. I'll give it another try when the final version comes out
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LibraryThing member stefferoo
While this one is filed under Middle-Grade, I don't see why it can't be enjoyed by all ages. I'm a strong believer in that fairy tales are not just for children, that the stories and characters in folkloric fantasy can appeal to a much wider audience -- and it's especially entertaining when
That's the idea behind this book; in a village called Gavaldon, two children are kidnapped every four years, never to be seen again. One was always beautiful and good, the other an outcast and strange. It didn't take long for the village children to speculate where these missing boys and girls go. They say a mysterious schoolmaster takes them to the fabled School for Good and Evil, where storybook heroes and villains are made.
For as long as she can remember, Sophie has dreamed of being whisked away to the School of Good, imagining a magical world of pretty dresses and handsome princes. On the other hand, she figures her friend Agatha with her homely face and frumpy black clothes would be a perfect fit for the School of Evil. So it's no surprise then when the two were the ones taken way this year. However, when they arrive at the Endless Woods, Sophie is dumped into the school for Evil, while Agatha ends up in the School for Good! This has to be just a terrible mix-up, right? Or is it?
How cool is this idea? Let's face it, traditional fairy tales aren't about character development; off the top of my head, Prince Charming and others like him are good examples of characters that don't go beyond being a mere caricature. We don't tend to think beyond what is presented, and that's what makes this book so great. You know the kind of satire we see in Shrek? It's similar here, poking fun at how shallow princesses must be for obsessing only about their beauty and who will take them to the formal ball. It also makes you wonder about the villains, like, do any of them have hopes and ambitions other than cooking up nefarious schemes? Who gets to determine what is good and evil, anyway?
Obviously, there also some good messages here. "Beauty is only skin deep" and "believe in yourself" are only a couple amongst many, but it's presented very well in this original and magical tale, all wrapped up in a whimsical package. There are lovely illustrations scattered throughout the book as well, and I can't help but feel grumpy now about the lack of pretty drawings in my adult fantasy novels. Is there a rule or something that pictures can only belong in children's books?! Regardless, this book is so much fun. At once ridiculous and full of heart, I couldn't help but melt for this story and its characters. Oh so cute at times, but sinister and dark at others, this book will enchant you and make you smile.
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familiar concepts like "fairy tale romance" or "happily ever after" are being parodied or turned on their heads.That's the idea behind this book; in a village called Gavaldon, two children are kidnapped every four years, never to be seen again. One was always beautiful and good, the other an outcast and strange. It didn't take long for the village children to speculate where these missing boys and girls go. They say a mysterious schoolmaster takes them to the fabled School for Good and Evil, where storybook heroes and villains are made.
For as long as she can remember, Sophie has dreamed of being whisked away to the School of Good, imagining a magical world of pretty dresses and handsome princes. On the other hand, she figures her friend Agatha with her homely face and frumpy black clothes would be a perfect fit for the School of Evil. So it's no surprise then when the two were the ones taken way this year. However, when they arrive at the Endless Woods, Sophie is dumped into the school for Evil, while Agatha ends up in the School for Good! This has to be just a terrible mix-up, right? Or is it?
How cool is this idea? Let's face it, traditional fairy tales aren't about character development; off the top of my head, Prince Charming and others like him are good examples of characters that don't go beyond being a mere caricature. We don't tend to think beyond what is presented, and that's what makes this book so great. You know the kind of satire we see in Shrek? It's similar here, poking fun at how shallow princesses must be for obsessing only about their beauty and who will take them to the formal ball. It also makes you wonder about the villains, like, do any of them have hopes and ambitions other than cooking up nefarious schemes? Who gets to determine what is good and evil, anyway?
Obviously, there also some good messages here. "Beauty is only skin deep" and "believe in yourself" are only a couple amongst many, but it's presented very well in this original and magical tale, all wrapped up in a whimsical package. There are lovely illustrations scattered throughout the book as well, and I can't help but feel grumpy now about the lack of pretty drawings in my adult fantasy novels. Is there a rule or something that pictures can only belong in children's books?! Regardless, this book is so much fun. At once ridiculous and full of heart, I couldn't help but melt for this story and its characters. Oh so cute at times, but sinister and dark at others, this book will enchant you and make you smile.
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LibraryThing member JordanB.B4
The school of good and evil was about two girls. One girl was named sophie and she is sweet nice and eager to get into the school of good. The other girl (I forgot her name) mean , not well dressed, and doesnt care if she goes to either school. As sophie was going to the other girls house she was
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bringing something to her. As mean as the other girl is she rejected it and told her to leave. Later that nightr they have been taken to the school of good and evil. The one problem was they were at the oppisite school (well atleast sophie) they wanted to be in. Sophie was at the school of evil while the other girl was at the school of good. Sophie trying to get what she wanted tryed to get into the school of good. The other girl was trying to get out and go back home. After a week Sophie met the girl and tried to get her spot back. The other girl~s "prince" came to defeat Sophie. Before he could strike they both dissapeared with no trace. Show Less
LibraryThing member krau0098
I have been wanting to read this book forever. It really really sounded like something I would love. I ended up enjoying it a lot. I would be lying if I didn't admit that the cover and the title were the first two things to capture my attention.
This book is about Sophie (a beauty obsessed blond who
Everyone in town knows that Sophie will go to the school for Good and Agatha will go to the school for Evil...but the opposite happens. What follows is a hilarious and touching story about what makes good good and what makes evil evil...and also what happens when you try to ignore all the grey areas in between.
This was a creative and engaging story. It doesn't get five stars because, while I enjoyed the story, I wasn't ever completely sucked in to it. There were parts that were a bit slow as well. Some of the stereotypes for good and evil were a bit over the top and ventured into the territory of silly instead of funny.
I really really loved the idea behind this story. The idea that there is a school for learning how to be a Hero or a Villain is an awesome one and it was executed in a very interesting way. There is also a story that is broader than just the existence of the schools that added a lot to the plot.
My only real complaint is that while the book tried to preach the whole "Good is who you are not how you look" theme, it kind of fell short because good people would change to looking pretty and evil people would start to look evil...I thought this was a bit inconsistent with the theme.
Overall a very fun and unique read that twists the whole idea of fairy tales on its head. I really enjoyed the concept and the world. There is some humor in here and the story delivers a good message about friendship. I never found the characters to be all that engaging and, while I enjoyed the story, I was never completely sucked in. My only other complaint is I thought the “good is who you are not how you look” message was a bit inconsistent throughout. I would definitely recommend to those who love twisted fairy tales, this was a very good book. I definitely plan on continuing the series.
This book is about Sophie (a beauty obsessed blond who
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is determined to do good in her own way) and Agatha (a dark and unloved child, who is incredibly cynical). They live in a town where every year two children are kidnapped by the School Master, one goes to the School for Evil while the other goes to the School for Good.Everyone in town knows that Sophie will go to the school for Good and Agatha will go to the school for Evil...but the opposite happens. What follows is a hilarious and touching story about what makes good good and what makes evil evil...and also what happens when you try to ignore all the grey areas in between.
This was a creative and engaging story. It doesn't get five stars because, while I enjoyed the story, I wasn't ever completely sucked in to it. There were parts that were a bit slow as well. Some of the stereotypes for good and evil were a bit over the top and ventured into the territory of silly instead of funny.
I really really loved the idea behind this story. The idea that there is a school for learning how to be a Hero or a Villain is an awesome one and it was executed in a very interesting way. There is also a story that is broader than just the existence of the schools that added a lot to the plot.
My only real complaint is that while the book tried to preach the whole "Good is who you are not how you look" theme, it kind of fell short because good people would change to looking pretty and evil people would start to look evil...I thought this was a bit inconsistent with the theme.
Overall a very fun and unique read that twists the whole idea of fairy tales on its head. I really enjoyed the concept and the world. There is some humor in here and the story delivers a good message about friendship. I never found the characters to be all that engaging and, while I enjoyed the story, I was never completely sucked in. My only other complaint is I thought the “good is who you are not how you look” message was a bit inconsistent throughout. I would definitely recommend to those who love twisted fairy tales, this was a very good book. I definitely plan on continuing the series.
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LibraryThing member nmhale
Due to my love of fairy tales and fairy tale revisions, I was drawn to this young adult novel about a school for heroes and villains of fairy tales. The novel ended up being quite different from what I expected, but I still enjoyed it as much as I hoped I would.
The story begins in the small
Not so. After a harrowing night, both girls are spirited away to The School for Good and Evil. One problem: Sophie is sent plummeting into the School of Evil, while Agatha is deposited in the School of Good. The next several chapters describe the schools, which are polar opposites in everything from decorations to food, and narrate Sophie's frantic attempts to prove to anyone that she was placed in the wrong school. Both girls struggle in their classes, subjects that are so contrary to their normal habits. Their friendship is also strained, with Sophie frequently blaming Agatha for stealing her place, and Agatha insisting that they need to focus on escaping the school. Sophie is infatuated with Prince Tedros, the king of the boys on the Ever side, and just wants to grab her prince and move to her rightful place in the Good side. When Agatha and Sophie get a clue from the School Master that they only way to go home is to help Sophie get what villains can never have - true love's kiss - they both work together to convince Tedros he loves Sophie. Agatha believes Sophie will leave with her when that happens, but Sophie's intentions are far from clear.
A fascinating aspect of this novel is the way characters constantly switch sides. The School for Good and Evil is built on the premise that some people are good, some are evil, and there is no in between. If someone feels something of the opposite nature, they have to grind it out of their system. Then Agatha and Sophie arrive. Agatha dresses like a witch, and doesn't like people, but is very moral and kind inside. Sophie is as beautiful as a princess, and thinks she is therefore good, but is consumed with herself and capable of great acts of cruelty. Yet she can be truly good, and Agatha can be bad, too. Tedros plays into this idea, as well. He falls for Sophie, not realizing that Agatha is who he really was choosing, and then spurns Sophie when he learns that she tricked him. However, he is still attracted to Sophie when she embraces her evil side. Then he starts to fall for Agatha. The reactions of the other students also constantly change. At first, the Nevers hate Sophie and admire Agatha. Then they embrace Sophie as their hero. Then they fear she will unleash war and try to stop her. During the climax of the book, allegiances switch so rapidly that eventually the children are trapped in outright chaos. Is it true that people are only one thing, or do they have both good and evil inside them? This theme is developed through the very conclusion of the story.
One reason the book surprised me was it was much darker than I expected. The School for Evil is truly evil, not cartoon evil where the grimmer elements are absent, but actually bad. Villains relish the thought of murder and carnage. The decor is scary. When Sophie is taken to the Doom Room for torture, and kills the beast, I was shaken. Not that I mark this trait as bad; it actually enhances the story, because it embraces the very dark flip side of original fairy tales. Still, consider it reading for older children, maybe even teenagers.
Another surprise was the romance angle. Are Agatha and Sophie in love? What about Tedros? He is the third most developed character, and clearly not just a foil for the girls. His cry at the end of the book is haunting. Also, both girls seemed to have real feelings for him. Yet it was very satisfying when Sophie asked who needs princes in a fairy tale, and that idea linked to another strong motif in the book. Girls don't always need to be saved, they can save themselves. Stories don't have to follow preestablished rules, characters can make their own destinies. Actually, a lot of clever themes and reinterpretations play out in the novel. My synopsis above only covers the first half of the book, with many more twists and turns, not to mention plenty of action, to follow. In addition, the world is original and well developed. The school is a fascinating place. The abrupt ending suggests at least one more book in the series (actually, I check online, and the second one is already out) and I certainly plan on reading it.
The story begins in the small
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village of Gavaldon, where every four years a mysterious shadow kidnaps two children. The villagers eventually discovered that the creature was a school master for some place called The School for Good and Evil. They began to call him the School Master, and tried to guard their families against him. They knew he always took one exceptionally good and one exceptionally bad child. Every four years, they tried to make their good children act awful and their bad children to clean up, in the hopes of escaping the School Master's Curse. The novel begins in the final days leading up to the chosen time, and introduces readers to two girls, Sophie and Agatha. Sophie is the first child who wants to be kidnapped. She is a lovely girl - physically - and spends an immense amount of time keeping herself princess pretty. She is tired of drab village life, and wants her own fairy tale and dashing prince. Although she considers herself a good girl, the best girl, the reader soon sees that she is shallow, vain, and insensitive to the feelings of others. Agatha, on the other hand, is withdrawn and unlovely. She wears shapeless black dresses and clumpy shoes, and doesn't bother with cleaning or her hair. Yet, Agatha and Sophie are best friends. It began with Sophie befriending Agatha because she wanted to chalk up another good deed to guarantee her entry into the Good School, but soon Sophie genuinely began to care for Agatha. Agatha saw her true personality, and still liked her. While Sophie deludes herself with dreams and fantasies (including wishful thinking about herself), Agatha is grounded in common sense. She hopes the School Master will leave them both alone. Not so. After a harrowing night, both girls are spirited away to The School for Good and Evil. One problem: Sophie is sent plummeting into the School of Evil, while Agatha is deposited in the School of Good. The next several chapters describe the schools, which are polar opposites in everything from decorations to food, and narrate Sophie's frantic attempts to prove to anyone that she was placed in the wrong school. Both girls struggle in their classes, subjects that are so contrary to their normal habits. Their friendship is also strained, with Sophie frequently blaming Agatha for stealing her place, and Agatha insisting that they need to focus on escaping the school. Sophie is infatuated with Prince Tedros, the king of the boys on the Ever side, and just wants to grab her prince and move to her rightful place in the Good side. When Agatha and Sophie get a clue from the School Master that they only way to go home is to help Sophie get what villains can never have - true love's kiss - they both work together to convince Tedros he loves Sophie. Agatha believes Sophie will leave with her when that happens, but Sophie's intentions are far from clear.
A fascinating aspect of this novel is the way characters constantly switch sides. The School for Good and Evil is built on the premise that some people are good, some are evil, and there is no in between. If someone feels something of the opposite nature, they have to grind it out of their system. Then Agatha and Sophie arrive. Agatha dresses like a witch, and doesn't like people, but is very moral and kind inside. Sophie is as beautiful as a princess, and thinks she is therefore good, but is consumed with herself and capable of great acts of cruelty. Yet she can be truly good, and Agatha can be bad, too. Tedros plays into this idea, as well. He falls for Sophie, not realizing that Agatha is who he really was choosing, and then spurns Sophie when he learns that she tricked him. However, he is still attracted to Sophie when she embraces her evil side. Then he starts to fall for Agatha. The reactions of the other students also constantly change. At first, the Nevers hate Sophie and admire Agatha. Then they embrace Sophie as their hero. Then they fear she will unleash war and try to stop her. During the climax of the book, allegiances switch so rapidly that eventually the children are trapped in outright chaos. Is it true that people are only one thing, or do they have both good and evil inside them? This theme is developed through the very conclusion of the story.
One reason the book surprised me was it was much darker than I expected. The School for Evil is truly evil, not cartoon evil where the grimmer elements are absent, but actually bad. Villains relish the thought of murder and carnage. The decor is scary. When Sophie is taken to the Doom Room for torture, and kills the beast, I was shaken. Not that I mark this trait as bad; it actually enhances the story, because it embraces the very dark flip side of original fairy tales. Still, consider it reading for older children, maybe even teenagers.
Another surprise was the romance angle. Are Agatha and Sophie in love? What about Tedros? He is the third most developed character, and clearly not just a foil for the girls. His cry at the end of the book is haunting. Also, both girls seemed to have real feelings for him. Yet it was very satisfying when Sophie asked who needs princes in a fairy tale, and that idea linked to another strong motif in the book. Girls don't always need to be saved, they can save themselves. Stories don't have to follow preestablished rules, characters can make their own destinies. Actually, a lot of clever themes and reinterpretations play out in the novel. My synopsis above only covers the first half of the book, with many more twists and turns, not to mention plenty of action, to follow. In addition, the world is original and well developed. The school is a fascinating place. The abrupt ending suggests at least one more book in the series (actually, I check online, and the second one is already out) and I certainly plan on reading it.
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LibraryThing member mrsdanaalbasha
You rarely can read a book by it's cover no matter how beautiful, and some of the most beautiful stories in the world are fairy tales. This book brings forth the question of what makes a real good princess or an evil villain? Who is really beautiful or really ugly?
I reached half of the book and the
In my head Sophie was played by Sasha Pieterse and Agatha was played by Sarah Hyland; great book and amazing character and story development, I can't say more without revealing too much. But this story has some of Hogwarts spirit in it.
I reached half of the book and the
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one consistent thought in my mind is that I don't believe a person is all evil or all good, and I feel sorry for Sophie and happy for Agatha. Let's see how it all ends.In my head Sophie was played by Sasha Pieterse and Agatha was played by Sarah Hyland; great book and amazing character and story development, I can't say more without revealing too much. But this story has some of Hogwarts spirit in it.
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LibraryThing member JordanN.G1
The school for good and evil is about two girls named Sophie and Agatha. The two girls are choosen to go to a school were no one comes back. The only way people know if there alive is through a fairy tale. When the two girls arive at the school they think that they are in the wrong school because
I loved the School for Good and Evil because of the whole thing about switching schools. I also like how if students changed cloths with a student from another school the outfits would change back to whatever that person was suppost to be wearing. The magical barrier and the kidnapping school master was so creative in my opinion. I was amazed when Agatha found out that she could make wishes come true. I found it funny when Sophie tried to call to a squirl and got a swarm of wasps. I think you would love this book if you like humor and suspence.
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Sophie is happy and nice and is sent to the school for evil and Agatha is gloomy and mean is sent to the school for good. When the two try to see each other there is a magical barrier that keeps good with good and evil with evil. Towards the end the two know that there was no mistake. In the end Sophie and Agatha break the curse of never going home and go home.I loved the School for Good and Evil because of the whole thing about switching schools. I also like how if students changed cloths with a student from another school the outfits would change back to whatever that person was suppost to be wearing. The magical barrier and the kidnapping school master was so creative in my opinion. I was amazed when Agatha found out that she could make wishes come true. I found it funny when Sophie tried to call to a squirl and got a swarm of wasps. I think you would love this book if you like humor and suspence.
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LibraryThing member DebTheWise
A wonderful take on fairy tales and the idea of what makes one good and what makes one...not so good.
LibraryThing member loveofreading
Soman Chainani's The School for Good and Evil is a YA fantasy novel for fans of twisted fairy tales. Based on the anime style of the cover, I wasn't sure what to expect, but it turned out darker, with more twists and turns than your typical fairy tale adventure. Chainani creates an imaginative
The novel is written for readers ages 8-12, but I think it might appeal better to readers ages 10-14. Coming in at a whopping 496 pages, what this book needed most was a editor with a stronger hand. I work exclusively in the YA book market and I'm a HUGE fan of fractured fairy tales and shows like Once Upon a Time, but I struggled with this book. It's obvious early on where the story is going, but the road to get there is exhausting. There are many scenes peppered throughout of the characters musing on their situation, deciding on their feelings, and wishing for things to be different. Considering how soon the author drops obvious hints about who is good and who is evil, it took far too long (and too much whining and reluctance from the characters!) to get there.
Parents/educators should know that there is some content to be wary of, including violence, potentially frightening scenes, objectionable language, and mature themes like love, child abduction, and death.
Sadly, this book was a disappointment for me. It lost a lot of its merit with its pace and wealth of unnecessary scenes. However, it does have quite a few positive critical reviews! I can attest to the fact that the book is well-written and the concept is a really good one, but it was a frustrating and exhausting read at times. Sadly, this fairy tale story did not enchant me.
2 Stars
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story of good vs. evil, and explores what it means to be defined as a villain or a hero.The novel is written for readers ages 8-12, but I think it might appeal better to readers ages 10-14. Coming in at a whopping 496 pages, what this book needed most was a editor with a stronger hand. I work exclusively in the YA book market and I'm a HUGE fan of fractured fairy tales and shows like Once Upon a Time, but I struggled with this book. It's obvious early on where the story is going, but the road to get there is exhausting. There are many scenes peppered throughout of the characters musing on their situation, deciding on their feelings, and wishing for things to be different. Considering how soon the author drops obvious hints about who is good and who is evil, it took far too long (and too much whining and reluctance from the characters!) to get there.
Parents/educators should know that there is some content to be wary of, including violence, potentially frightening scenes, objectionable language, and mature themes like love, child abduction, and death.
Sadly, this book was a disappointment for me. It lost a lot of its merit with its pace and wealth of unnecessary scenes. However, it does have quite a few positive critical reviews! I can attest to the fact that the book is well-written and the concept is a really good one, but it was a frustrating and exhausting read at times. Sadly, this fairy tale story did not enchant me.
2 Stars
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LibraryThing member LongDogMom
An interesting take on fairy tales, good and evil, friendship, and love. It's a fun story, but also raises deeper issues for the reader about how someone looks and what kind of a person they are. Beautiful Sophie is friends with not so beautiful Agatha who lives in a graveyard and is "different"
Lots of cool ideas and imagery - for example, the Blue Forest behind the school where the students learn about how to protect themselves when they enter the real woods. The Blue Forest is a forest made up of all different shades of blues from navy to aqua to pale sky blue. And I liked how the Good School had candy classrooms (made of candy) and glass staircases of pink and blue; a Grooming room where they can go for manicures and makeup lessons while the Evil School has a moat of sludge, staircases of snakes and they are constantly being whipped and tormented.
While maintaining a fun story to read, the author does a good job of delvling into deeper issues that raise questions about someone's character versus what they look like, and that how you treat people is what really matters. Is Good really all that good? Agatha learns that in spite of the School's belief that they have pure hearts of Good, they've done some things that don't seem very nice at all and in fact, might be considered pretty horrific. And why does Evil have to be ugly? Is there no goodness in them at all?
Lots of food for thought for young readers coming of age who are likely finding themselves worrying if they are pretty enough or smart enough and what can happen to friendships when love enters the picture. The author does a great job of emphasizing that things are not always black or white but likely somewhere in between.
I am looking forward to reading the sequel.
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which usually means evil in Sophie's book. Every year two children are stolen away from their little village - one good child and one who is not very good and taken to the School of Good and Evil where each learns the ropes of becoming a princess or villian, and eventually graduates into their own fairytale. Sophie is sure its her year to become the princess she's always wanted to be and she can't wait, and tells Sophie she's sure to be chosen to the School of Evil. But when Sophie's wish comes true and they are stolen by the mysterious Story Master, Sophie finds herself in the wrong school. She is placed among the children who learn about Uglification and Evil Henchmen, while Agatha ends up in the pretty pink and blue Good School learning how to act like a princess and how to attract her prince. Obviously Sophie feels she's in the wrong place and is desperate to try to find a way to show them she's Good while Aggie just wants to find a way to get them both back home, especially after discovering some disturbing things about what happened to some of the kids from their village who had been stolen in the years before.Lots of cool ideas and imagery - for example, the Blue Forest behind the school where the students learn about how to protect themselves when they enter the real woods. The Blue Forest is a forest made up of all different shades of blues from navy to aqua to pale sky blue. And I liked how the Good School had candy classrooms (made of candy) and glass staircases of pink and blue; a Grooming room where they can go for manicures and makeup lessons while the Evil School has a moat of sludge, staircases of snakes and they are constantly being whipped and tormented.
While maintaining a fun story to read, the author does a good job of delvling into deeper issues that raise questions about someone's character versus what they look like, and that how you treat people is what really matters. Is Good really all that good? Agatha learns that in spite of the School's belief that they have pure hearts of Good, they've done some things that don't seem very nice at all and in fact, might be considered pretty horrific. And why does Evil have to be ugly? Is there no goodness in them at all?
Lots of food for thought for young readers coming of age who are likely finding themselves worrying if they are pretty enough or smart enough and what can happen to friendships when love enters the picture. The author does a great job of emphasizing that things are not always black or white but likely somewhere in between.
I am looking forward to reading the sequel.
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LibraryThing member stargazingx13
A really good bewitching tale about two girls that go to different schools, but everything is not what it seems as they apparently switch places.
This is a must read.
This is a must read.
LibraryThing member aubreya.g1
Sophie has grown up knowing she would be kidnapped by the shadow and taken to the School for Good and Evil to become a princess and find her true love. Agatha doesn't believe in fairytales, lets Sophie think that Agatha will be kidnapped to become a villain. As the rest of their town cowers from
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the kidnapper Sophie makes sure she looks prettier than ever, and makes it as easy as possible for the kidnapper to come and take her. The kidnapper comes and takes Sophie, who goes happily, but Agatha tries to save her and ends up being taken too. When they get to the school, they find they have been placed in the wrong school, Agatha in Good, and Sophie in Bad. The school teachers think there must have been a mistake as the girls continue to fail every class they take, by acting good in Evil classes and evil in Good classes. But as their story unfolds, the girls see that their destiny is right, that they are not friends but worst enemies, and that the school is in terrible danger, and all because their story has already started to be written, high up in the School Masters tower. Show Less
LibraryThing member A_Reader_of_Fictions
This is one of those times where I am super glad that I went for the audiobook rather than the print, because, though I bet this is fun in print too, I don't think I could have loved it quite so much. Just saying.
Why Did I Read This Book?
First off, there are those two magic words: fairy tale. Put
What's the Story Here?
Sophie and Agatha live in a town beyond the woods. Every four years, two children are taken, one good and one evil. Sophie believes in the rumors and wants desperately to go off and be a princess at the School for Good and Evil, where it is rumored that the two kids go. To prove her goodness, she has befriended Agatha, the witchiest, most evil-looking girl in town. Agatha, however, does not want to go. Of course, you can't stop a fairy tale, and both girls are swept off to the school, as Sophie predicted. What Sophie did NOT predict was that Agatha would be put with the princesses, and that she would go to the school for evil.
How are the Characters?
OMG, Sophie is the worst. Seriously, I wanted to punch her in the face. She's such a snob, and so convinced that prettiness is what makes someone a good person. Chainani has created one of the most selfish characters in fiction. The voice Lee uses for Sophie even sounds exactly like the blonde girl in Stardust, all snooty and self-involved and perfect for the character. For reasons I'll explain later, I do think Sophie was probably the best-drawn character, though, because she has the most realistic character ARC.
Agatha I loved from the beginning, with her cynicism and snark and hatred of cocky princes. She's my kind of heroine. Plus, she's not gorgeous, and that was super satisfying, because heroines don't need to be gorgeous all the time.
The rest of the cast is well-suited to the tale too, falling into their stereotypes of good and evil initially, but most developing depth as the tale continues. Actually, in the end, evil comes off much better in terms of personality, where the princesses remain pretty shallow and appearance-focused.
And the Romance?
So, the romance is pretty much all centered around this guy, Tedros, son of King Arthur. If that's not how you spell his name, don't criticize me, because it was an audiobook and it's not written out ANYWHERE. Anyway, Tedros is a snobby princeling to start, but I was actually shipping him with Agatha pretty hard, though mostly just because I wanted Sophie's nose rubbed in it because she's the worst. Plus, you know my feelings for hate turning to love romance arcs. However, once that ship started coming about, I was less of a fan.
Throughout, I was also nurturing a hope this might go LGBT, with Sophie and Agatha being like "forget Tedros" and falling in love with each other. Alas and alack, there was one moment where I thought that was happening, but no.
What Are My Reservations with this Book?
Much as I loved listening to The School for Good and Evil, and thought much of it was hilarious and clever, I have some serious concerns. No, they're not the similarities to Harry Potter, which do exist but that I didn't find to be overpowering. What upsets me is the overall commentary on beauty and princesses. Agatha starts out as this incredibly talented, intelligent girl, where Sophie simpers and doesn't study. The moment Agatha discovers that she is pretty if she's confident and smiles, she becomes weak, blushing over Tedros constantly and suddenly unable to fight battles, fainting left and right. NO NO NO. Love should make you stronger, not weaker. Meanwhile, Sophie goes from an airhead to monstrously powerful villain in no time. I expected the final message to be more clearly that beauty does not equal good, but by the end apparently Agatha is gorgeous and princess-like, which also means she has to be less of a badass, I guess.
Am I Going to Continue with the Series?
Most definitely, and I will be sticking with the audiobooks. Though I'm not entirely comfortable with all of the moral messages, I really did love this. The fairy tale references, the humor, the action and the awesome narration made this a must listen for me, despite those issues.
How was the Narration?
Freaking AMAZING. Polly Lee is one of my favorite narrators hands down, and I will now make it my mission to listen to anything she's narrated, even the romance novels, because her voice is so pretty. She's British, and her accent is awesome. Plus, she does a ton of great voices, and handled the whole cast incredibly deftly. *bows to Polly Lee's awesomeness*
Why Did I Read This Book?
First off, there are those two magic words: fairy tale. Put
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that on a book, and I will probably try to read it at some point. On top of that, the book trailer is astounding, and I don't say that lightly, because most of them make me much less interested in the books.What's the Story Here?
Sophie and Agatha live in a town beyond the woods. Every four years, two children are taken, one good and one evil. Sophie believes in the rumors and wants desperately to go off and be a princess at the School for Good and Evil, where it is rumored that the two kids go. To prove her goodness, she has befriended Agatha, the witchiest, most evil-looking girl in town. Agatha, however, does not want to go. Of course, you can't stop a fairy tale, and both girls are swept off to the school, as Sophie predicted. What Sophie did NOT predict was that Agatha would be put with the princesses, and that she would go to the school for evil.
How are the Characters?
OMG, Sophie is the worst. Seriously, I wanted to punch her in the face. She's such a snob, and so convinced that prettiness is what makes someone a good person. Chainani has created one of the most selfish characters in fiction. The voice Lee uses for Sophie even sounds exactly like the blonde girl in Stardust, all snooty and self-involved and perfect for the character. For reasons I'll explain later, I do think Sophie was probably the best-drawn character, though, because she has the most realistic character ARC.
Agatha I loved from the beginning, with her cynicism and snark and hatred of cocky princes. She's my kind of heroine. Plus, she's not gorgeous, and that was super satisfying, because heroines don't need to be gorgeous all the time.
The rest of the cast is well-suited to the tale too, falling into their stereotypes of good and evil initially, but most developing depth as the tale continues. Actually, in the end, evil comes off much better in terms of personality, where the princesses remain pretty shallow and appearance-focused.
And the Romance?
So, the romance is pretty much all centered around this guy, Tedros, son of King Arthur. If that's not how you spell his name, don't criticize me, because it was an audiobook and it's not written out ANYWHERE. Anyway, Tedros is a snobby princeling to start, but I was actually shipping him with Agatha pretty hard, though mostly just because I wanted Sophie's nose rubbed in it because she's the worst. Plus, you know my feelings for hate turning to love romance arcs. However, once that ship started coming about, I was less of a fan.
Throughout, I was also nurturing a hope this might go LGBT, with Sophie and Agatha being like "forget Tedros" and falling in love with each other. Alas and alack, there was one moment where I thought that was happening, but no.
What Are My Reservations with this Book?
Much as I loved listening to The School for Good and Evil, and thought much of it was hilarious and clever, I have some serious concerns. No, they're not the similarities to Harry Potter, which do exist but that I didn't find to be overpowering. What upsets me is the overall commentary on beauty and princesses. Agatha starts out as this incredibly talented, intelligent girl, where Sophie simpers and doesn't study. The moment Agatha discovers that she is pretty if she's confident and smiles, she becomes weak, blushing over Tedros constantly and suddenly unable to fight battles, fainting left and right. NO NO NO. Love should make you stronger, not weaker. Meanwhile, Sophie goes from an airhead to monstrously powerful villain in no time. I expected the final message to be more clearly that beauty does not equal good, but by the end apparently Agatha is gorgeous and princess-like, which also means she has to be less of a badass, I guess.
Am I Going to Continue with the Series?
Most definitely, and I will be sticking with the audiobooks. Though I'm not entirely comfortable with all of the moral messages, I really did love this. The fairy tale references, the humor, the action and the awesome narration made this a must listen for me, despite those issues.
How was the Narration?
Freaking AMAZING. Polly Lee is one of my favorite narrators hands down, and I will now make it my mission to listen to anything she's narrated, even the romance novels, because her voice is so pretty. She's British, and her accent is awesome. Plus, she does a ton of great voices, and handled the whole cast incredibly deftly. *bows to Polly Lee's awesomeness*
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Awards
Young Hoosier Book Award (Nominee — Middle Grade — 2016)
Massachusetts Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2016)
South Dakota Teen Choice Book Awards (Nominee — 2016)
Children's Favorites Awards (Selection — 2014)
Original language
English
Original publication date
2013-05-14
Physical description
496 p.; 7.76 inches
ISBN
0007492936 / 9780007492930