The School for Good and Evil (The School for Good and Evil, #1) in What's the Name of That Book???

Aug 17, 2013 Jessica rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fairytales, library, middle-grade

Impressive world-building, bogged down by so. much. plot.

They tried to escape umpteen times. The Good and Evil sides faced off another umpteen times (but someone would always back down). The ending went on and on, with magical and physical battles as well as riddle and prophecy solving. It needed an editor to rein it in very badly. Many of the minor characters were interchangeable, as were the teachers. I had trouble remembering which of the teachers taught at which school, since they all mingl ...more

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Nov 06, 2016 Wealhtheow added it · review of another edition

Shelves: didn-t_finish, fantasy, ya

There's only one way to leave their little isolated village: to be kidnapped by the School Master and taken to a school to learn how to be a fairy tale character. Sofia desperately longs to go, while Agatha just wants to stay at home in her sad little house in the graveyard. But they're both taken, and beautiful Sofia ends up in the School for Evil, while morbid Agatha is put in the School for Good. It's a slow moving book, which is part of the reason I didn't finish this--the other is that I do ...more

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Aug 20, 2013 Kerry (The Roaming Librarian) O'Donnell rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, action-adventure, childrens-lit, folk-and-fairy-tales

“In the forest Primeval
A school for Good and Evil.
Two towers like twin heads,
One for the Pure
One for the Wicked.
Try to escape, you’ll always fail.
The only way out is
Through a fairy tale.”

Wannabe-princess Sophie will do almost anything to escape her normal, hum-drum life. Grouchy and scathing Agatha would give almost anything to feel normal, and wanted. So when these unlikely friends are both snatched away from their small village by the School Master, Sophie is sure her dreams are about to come “In the forest Primeval
A school for Good and Evil.
Two towers like twin heads,
One for the Pure
One for the Wicked.
Try to escape, you’ll always fail.
The only way out is
Through a fairy tale.”

Wannabe-princess Sophie will do almost anything to escape her normal, hum-drum life. Grouchy and scathing Agatha would give almost anything to feel normal, and wanted. So when these unlikely friends are both snatched away from their small village by the School Master, Sophie is sure her dreams are about to come true, and Agatha is desperate to get them both back home. Upon arriving at the titular School for Good and Evil, the girls are dropped off where they least expect, leaving chaos in their wake. Readers will laugh at Agatha’s snarky commentary about her classmates and coursework and chuckle over Sophie’s lack of self-awareness and the resulting ‘good’ behavior.

As the annual competition between the “Evers” (the Good school) and the “Nevers” (the Evil school) heats up, the pair find themselves on a crash-course of self-discovery, hurtling towards their seemingly inevitable fates. And it is their presence that will tip the long-standing balance between Good and Evil, though neither Sophie, nor Agatha appears to be completely one or the other. The girls struggle to maintain their friendship and help each other survive the deadly trials and class rankings. But doing so makes everyone more confused; which of them is Good, and which is Evil? Because in a world and a school that makes fairy tales come true, someone must be the ultimate good, and the other ultimately evil, right? To find the answer, you must follow this unusual and thoroughly engaging fairy tale to its final moments…

Chainani’s The School for Good and Evil focuses immediately on the story’s central theme, what makes someone good or evil? As the story delves deeper into the subject matter, readers are challenged to question the nature of good and evil. This is not a new subject, especially from a story about fairy tales. Where Chainani triumphs is in how he treats this challenging subject; with humor and heartfelt emotion that feels light and thoroughly enjoyable. With every twist and turn of this story readers are enabled to decide for themselves which school they think each character belongs in. The School for Good and Evil is great for anyone who enjoys fairy tales, adventure, or fantasy with a dash of humor. The magical classes, pranks, and the mystery of these two friends’ Story will appeal to fans of Roald Dahl, Harry Potter, and A Tale Dark and Grimm. I highly recommend checking it out.

Need more convincing? There's an official book trailer: please check it out here. ...more

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Jun 08, 2014 Laura rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mt-bookpile-2011-2015, old-reads

Such promise here: the "good" child versus the "evil" child showing that outward appearances aren't what they seem, it's what's inside that matters. Except we know from the start that Sophie and Agatha don't fall into the categories the village thinks they do (or should), so there's no real surprise which school they're attached to. Nor is there any surprise at how Sophie and Agatha react to their circumstances once at the school. Still, younger readers will enjoy seeing both get what they deser ...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Debbie Barr rated it really liked it · review of another edition

While I had a few small issues with the book (including some plot holes and some rules that were ignored when convenient) it was still a really fun upper middle grade novel. For fans of fairy tales like myself, this will surely be a hit. Boarding school for fairy tale characters? What's more fun than that?

I had an issue with the ending, but I just realized this is a trilogy (I really shouldn't be surprised since everything is a trilogy these days) so I hope all will be resolved in further books. ...more

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Sep 30, 2018 Janet rated it liked it

Shelves: childrens-fantasy, childrensnovels, not-weird-enough

Action packed, sometimes confusing, but also a lot of fun. I enjoyed watching the two girls find their power - maybe good, maybe evil, but definitely not waiting around for anyone to save them. Agatha and Sophie make decisions that drive the plot - a nice change from the traditional princess role. Chainani is focused on the way we let our roles define us, and the need to break free from that - a good lesson for anyone, but particularly for the midddle school set.

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