The School for Good and Evil (B&N Exclusive Edition) (The School for Good and Evil Series #1)

by Soman Chainani, Iacopo Bruno (Illustrator)

Overview

Forget what you know about fairy tales and step into the School for Good and Evil. This B&N exclusive collector’s edition of the first book in the series includes a special introduction from the author, two never-before-published Evil fairy tales, and more!

Two best friends have been chosen to be students at the fabled School for Good and Evil, where ordinary boys and girls are trained to be fairy-tale heroes and villains. One will train for Good, one will become Evil’s new hope. Each thinks they know where they belong, but when they are swept into the Endless Woods, they’re switched into the opposite schools. Together they’ll discover who they really are and what they are capable of, because the only way out of a fairy tale . . . is to live through it.

This first book in Soman Chainani’s New York Times bestselling series is just the beginning, and this B&N exclusive collector’s edition includes a special introduction from the author, two brand-new Evil fairy tales available only in this edition—“Children Noodle Soup” and “Rabid Bear Rex”—and more!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062871763
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	05/08/2018
Series:	School for Good and Evil Series , #1
Edition description:	B&N Exclusive Edition
Pages:	544
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.40(h) x 1.70(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Soman Chainani believes in fairy tales wholeheartedly. When studying at Harvard, he practically created his own fairy-tale major. He is an acclaimed screenwriter and a graduate of the MFA Film Directing Program at Columbia University. His films have played at more than 150 film festivals around the world, and his writing awards include an honor from the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference. He lives in New York City. You can visit him online at www.somanchainani.net.

Iacopo Bruno is a graphic designer and illustrator. He is also the illustrator of the acclaimed books Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France and Anything But Ordinary Addie, both by Mara Rockliff. He lives and works in Milan, Italy, with his wife, Francesca. Learn more about Iacopo at www.theworldofdot.com and www.iacopobruno.blogspot.it.

What People are Saying About This

Gregory Maguire

Invention in overdrive…The School for Good and Evil is a comedic education by a writer primed to shoot to the head of the class.

Editorial Reviews

At first glance, Chainani's debut appears to resemble the trend-following herd. There's the secret school that sorts its students into apparently predestined categories, courtesy of J.K. Rowling. There's the knowing, slightly shocking narration, full of farts and greasy hair, borrowed from Roald Dahl via Lemony Snicket. But Chainani's story gradually takes on dimension. Sophie and Agatha are plucked from their hometown of Gavaldon, where children are voracious readers of fairy tales. A skeletal bird drops them at the School for Good and Evil, populated by the living embodiments of these tales—princesses, princes, and villains in training. The girls soon discover, however, that these fledgling stereotypes have never read the stories. Sophie and Agatha are the only "Readers" in their class—shunned, mocked, but also feared. While the notion that conventions of good and evil don't tell the whole truth is hardly new, exploring the middle ground moves Chainani's novel out of its own ruts and, in the process, shows readers a hyperactively imaginative way to leave black-and-white thinking behind. Ages 8–12. Agent: Jane Startz, Jane Startz Productions. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Wow. From the very first sentence, you know you’re entering a thrilling world of strange fantasy... A wild and dangerous fairy tale ride. I loved this book.

R. L. Stine

[A] whip-smart debut...If I could bewitch you all to read it, I would. Grade: A.

Entertainment Weekly

Invention in overdrive…The School for Good and Evil is a comedic education by a writer primed to shoot to the head of the class.

Gregory Maguire

Chainani takes the racing energy of Roald Dahl’s language and combines it with the existential intensity of J.K. Rowling’s plots to create his own universe. THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL uses the sorcery of words and the poetry of friendship to startle, enchant, and keep us turning pages.

Maria Tatar

A fairy tale like no other, complete with romance, magic, humor, and a riddle that will keep you turning pages until the end.

Ann M. Martin

Chainani has imagined the world where fairy tales come to life, where for every fairy princess with a ‘Happily Ever After’ in her future there is a villain with a tragic fate in store. But in The School for Good and Evil it’s not always certain which is which.

David Magee

In Chainani’s richly imagined world the action never lets up for a nano-second. Young readers won’t be able to stop turning the pages till they reach the surprising and satisfying conclusion.

Tor Seidler

Gr 5–8—Every four years in the village of Gavaldon, two children are stolen away by a mysterious person known only as the Schoolmaster. These children become students at the School for Good and Evil. One will be taught the ways of goodness, honor, and beauty; the other will be instructed in the ways of darkness and villainy. Twelve-year-old Sophie just knows she's destined to be picked for the school of Good this year, and can't wait to assume the role of a princess and meet her Prince Charming. Her best friend, Agatha, is surely villain material with her dumpy looks, black clothes, and dour demeanor. So how is it that Sophie winds up in the School for Evil and Agatha the School for Good? Now both girls must work to succeed in their new roles or face dire consequences. The girls' friendship will be put to the test in ways they never imagined. This debut fantasy will attract sophisticated readers with a love of fairy tales, particularly the dark side of them. Despite some redundant scenes and pacing issues, there's plenty of action and emotion to keep an audience well entertained. Fans of Adam Gidwitz's A Tale Dark and Grimm (Dutton, 2010) and Shannon and Dean Hale's graphic novel Rapunzel's Revenge (Bloomsbury, 2008) will be swept along in this wild story of good, evil, and two friends caught in between.—Stephanie Whelan, New York Public Library

School Library Journal

Chainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire's Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied. Every four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales. When it happens to sweet, Disney princess–like Sophie and her friend Agatha, plain of features, sour of disposition and low of self-esteem, they are both horrified to discover that they've been dropped not where they expect but at Evil and at Good respectively. Gradually--too gradually, as the author strings out hundreds of pages of Hogwarts-style pranks, classroom mishaps and competitions both academic and romantic--it becomes clear that the placement wasn't a mistake at all. Growing into their true natures amid revelations and marked physical changes, the two spark escalating rivalry between the wings of the school. This leads up to a vicious climactic fight that sees Good and Evil repeatedly switching sides. At this point, readers are likely to feel suddenly left behind, as, thanks to summary deus ex machina resolutions, everything turns out swell(ish). Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic. (Fantasy. 11-13)

Kirkus Reviews

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