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The School for Good and Evil Summary

The School for Good and EvilThe School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

Scattered Book Summary

 

The children of Gavaldon spend their whole childhoods hearing the legends of the School Master kidnapping children and taking them to either the School for Good or the School for Evil. For children like Sophie, the School for Good has always been a dream. Her pink dresses, perfect appearances, and love for good deeds makes her a shoe in to get taken. For others, such as Agatha, with her pale complexion, dark, greasy hair, and dislike of everyone, the School for Evil seems like a much better fit. When the School Master eventually comes and takes Sophie and Agatha, their roles are reversed: Sophie is placed in the School for Evil and Agatha is placed in the School for Good. At first, it seems like an awful mistake, but as events unfold it is questioned if the School Master actually made a mistake after all…

 

Introduction to the book’s characters: 

Sophie: At first, Sophie thinks she is very generous and caring. However, it is known that she is very vain and selfish, caring more about her looks and appearances above everything. When dropped into the School for Evil she was confused and angry, consistently lashing out.

 

Agatha: Agatha is initially seen as unlikable and ugly, disliking almost everyone she meets and seeing herself as isolated and lonely. Despite these initial thoughts,. she is shown to be very brave and selfless, and she shows her intelligence by picking up lessons and solutions very quickly.

 

Summer Reading Questions to Consider: 

    1. How do Agatha and Sophie show that first impressions aren’t always correct?

    2. Do you believe that a soul can be purely good or purely evil? How do the students fill the strict roles that are set for them in each respective school?

    3. Are Agatha’s and Sophie’s motivations to get Tedros back different? What does each motivation reveal about the two girls?

 

Online Book Reviews:

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, author of Wicked and Matchless)

 

“Rich and strange.” (Kirkus Reviews)

 

“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, author of the bestselling Babysitter’s Club series)

 

“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, screenwriter of Life of Pi and Finding Neverland)

 

“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, author of Mean Margaret, a National Book Award Finalist)

 

“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, Chair of Folklore and Mythology Program, Harvard University and Editor of The Classic Fairy Tales)

 

“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, author of the bestselling Goosebumps series)

 

“[A] whip-smart debut…If I could bewitch you all to read it, I would. Grade: A.” (Entertainment Weekly)

 

Scattered Summary by Abby