Spooky Reads Day 10: The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

Title: The School for Good and Evil
Author: Soman Chainani
Page Count: 544
Rating: A
Keywords: Friendship, Identity, Magic
Genre: Middle Grade
Younger Readers: Yes

Synopsis from Goodreads:

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

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

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

My Review:

This middle grade fantasy has something for kids and parents alike as the two girls struggle to figure out who they are and how they fit into their world. There is plenty of humor to amuse both audiences and a great amount of action to keep this longer tome chugging along quickly.

A great pick for the season with its epic fight scenes, fairytale nostalgia, and fun magic.