school for good and evil book report

The School For Good and Evil

100 pages • 3 hours read

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-10

Chapters 11-15

Chapters 16-20

Chapters 21-25

Chapters 26-30

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Summary and Study Guide

The School for Good and Evil is the first in the six-book School for Good and Evil Series by Soman Chainani. Published in 2013, The School for Good and Evil follows Sophie and Agatha and their journey of friendship through the School for Good and Evil. It debuted on the New York Times bestseller list, has sold over three million copies worldwide, and has been translated into 30 languages. A film version of the book was released by Netflix in October 2022. In May 2022, Chainani published The Rise of the School for Good and Evil , the first book in a prequel series to The School for Good and Evil .

Chainani graduated with his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and received his MFA in film from Columbia University. He was nominated for the Waterstone Prize for Children’s Literature and named to the Out 100 list of the most influential LGBTQ+ people. He also received the $100,000 Shasha Grant from the Abu Dhabi Film Commission and the Sun Valley Writer’s Fellowship for debut writers.

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Plot Summary

Sophie and Agatha are friends who live in the village of Gavaldon, but they could not be more different from each other. Sophie is beautiful, vain, loves pink, and is convinced that she will be kidnapped by the School Master and turned into a fairy-tale princess. Agatha loves black, frumpy dresses, lives in a cemetery with her evil cat, plays with matches, and doesn’t believe in fairy tales. Although they are an unlikely pair, each sees the other for who she is, and they have a close friendship. The School Master kidnaps both girls and takes them to the School for Good and Evil, where Sophie is dropped into the School for Evil, and Agatha is taken to the School for Good. Sophie insists she’s in the wrong school, but she is told there are no mistakes; she tries to escape. Agatha wants nothing to do with the School for Good and escapes as soon as possible to get Sophie and go home. Both girls are dragged back to their schools, where they meet in an assembly. Agatha tries to convince Sophie they need to go home, but Sophie spots King Arthur’s son Tedros and decides he is her destiny.

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Agatha sneaks out of her room to find Sophie and go home, but Sophie doesn’t want to go. She switches uniforms with Agatha and tries to go to the School for Good, but their clothes magically switch back, and Agatha is put back in Good and Sophie in Evil. Sophie endures Evil classes like uglification while insisting she’s good. In Henchman class, the students must get a golden goose to lay an egg. Sophie wishes in her mind for Tedros. Instead of helping her, the goose turns from golden to gray; her professor is amazed that Sophie is so evil the goose would rather give up her powers than help her. He gives her a number-one ranking. Up in his tower, the School Master looks at Sophie’s ranking with glee. Meanwhile, Agatha turns wish fish back into a human in animal communication class because her soul is pure Good. She is chased by other animals that want to be human and destroy a whole wing of the Good castle as they chase her on the roof. As Agatha turns a gargoyle back into a little boy, Tedros kills it. Agatha yells at him, and Tedros is convinced she’s a witch.

In surviving fairy tales, the one class that Sophie and Agatha have together, they are turned into hobgoblins. Tedros must pick between them to determine the difference between Good and Evil. When Tedros is drawn to Agatha, Sophie attacks her. They fight each other and then Tedros. Sophie and Agatha suffer through burning shoes for an afternoon as punishment for fighting. Sophie decides she wants to go home, so they sneak up to the School Master’s tower, where they find the Storian , the magical pen that records fairy tales. The Storian starts writing their fairy tale, and the School Master tells them they can’t go home until it's finished. If they, a witch and a princess, are friends in the end, then they will go home. He gives them a riddle and sends them back to their schools.

Agatha and Sophie puzzle over the riddle before realizing the answer is true love. They plan for Tedros to fall in love with Sophie and give her true love’s kiss to prove she is Good. Sophie spurns Agatha’s help at first but ends up taking her advice to be herself. She holds lectures at lunch instructing Nevers on how to be beautiful and have good hygiene. Tedros is interested in her until he sees Sophie ranked lowest in the School for Evil. Agatha agrees to mogrify—magically transform—into a cockroach and attend classes with Sophie; she pretends to have the plague so she doesn’t have to go to her own classes. After a few weeks, Agatha helps Sophie become number one in the Evil School. Tedros falls for Sophie and arranges a meeting. Sophie and a disguised Agatha meet him, but Sophie postpones their kiss. Sophie betrays Agatha because she doesn’t need her now that she has a prince.

Tedros and Sophie’s love is tested when they are both selected for the Trial by Tale, where the top 20 Evers and Nevers are released into the Blue Forest and the last one standing wins. Tedros and Sophie plan to win together, but Sophie’s peers decide to kill her during the trial. After Sophie overhears a teachers’ meeting where they decide to let her compete despite the threats against her, she begs Agatha for help. Agatha agrees to help her in the trial. Sophie is sent into the trial first, and Tedros is sent in last. Tedros makes her promise that they will win together, proving their love is strong and she is Good. Agatha, as a mogrified dove, guides Sophie to safety and transforms her into a shrub. When the trial is almost over, Tedros limps into the glen where the girls are disguised. He calls for Sophie, who refuses to come out. Hester , Sophie’s roommate, attacks him, but Sophie refuses to help him despite Agatha’s promptings. After Hester appears to be vanquished, Agatha launches a sneak attack. Sophie covers her eyes while Agatha saves his life. Tedros realizes Sophie’s betrayal.

After the trial, Sophie pines for Tedros. She gives him a chance to honor his promise to take her to the Everball, and he refuses. Sophie retaliates by launching pranks on the Evers, but Tedros refuses to capitulate to her; he is now drawn to Agatha because of what she did for him. Agatha tries to apologize to Sophie, but Sophie spurns her. Agatha has a crisis due to not knowing who she is apart from Sophie. Professor Dovey, the Dean of the School for Good, helps Agatha accepts that she belongs in the School for Good and is beautiful because of her inside character. The night before the Circus of Talents, the talent competition between the Evers and Nevers, Agatha goes to stop Sophie’s prank. They end up in the moat, and the School Master throws them outside the School for Good’s gate. Tedros rescues Agatha from thorns and is angry when he finds Sophie, but Agatha convinces him to forgive her. He spots Sophie’s inner witch self and tells Sophie to stay away from him and Agatha. Sophie realizes that Agatha is her nemesis and must be destroyed.

Sophie doesn’t go to the Circus of Talents, and Good handily wins all the challenges. For Agatha’s talent, she reveals that the guards for the School for Good and Evil are failed students and challenges the School’s ideas about Good and Evil. Tedros names her the winner of the Circus, but the doors magically open and let Sophie in. She taunts Tedros into dueling her, but he kneels and asks Agatha to the ball. In response to Agatha’s agreement, Sophie scream-sings and summons ravens, who kill all the wolf and fairy guards except one. The School Master names her the winner of the Circus of Talents, and the Theater of Talents is expelled from the School of Good. The students are deposited in the stair room of the School for Good, where Sophie scream-sings again and shatters the glass staircases and floors. Tedros tries to save Agatha, but Sophie tricks him. She is about to kill him when Agatha tackles her. Sophie pushes Agatha off a cliff, but Agatha is saved by the lone fairy who survived Sophie’s attack.

Sophie disappears, and the School for Good braces for another attack. Sophie throws a ball for the Nevers instead. The Evers think Sophie is going to attack and march on the School for Evil first. Tedros locks Agatha in a room when she protests. Agatha escapes, and she gets to the School of Evil first, where Sophie begs her forgiveness and asks her to dance to prevent war. When the Evers’ army bursts in, they find Sophie and Agatha dancing. Sophie convinces Tedros that Agatha tricked him, so Tedros tries to kill her while his army launches an arrow attack on the Nevers. Sophie stops the arrows with magic.

Tedros realizes his mistake, but the damage is done. Because Good attacked Evil, Evil students become beautiful, and Good students become ugly. Sophie attacks the Ever army with giant rats, but Agatha, who knows good always wins, turns the tide. Sophie realizes that she must get to the Storian and write her own story to win. She floods the ballroom and dumps the two schools in the moat, where they continue to fight. Sophie climbs the School Master’s tower; he reveals that he is the Evil brother who killed his Good brother in the Great War so that evil would always win. In doing so, he upset the balance of Good and Evil; as a result, now Good always wins. He has been searching for pure Evil’s love to beat Good and invites Sophie to be his partner forever. Sophie gets a vision of the future with only hate and no happiness and pushes him away. Agatha pulls her out of the tower into the lake.

On the beach, the School Master tries to stab Agatha with the Storian, but Sophie jumps in front of her and sacrifices herself. The swans on the students’ uniforms coalesce into the Good brother’s spirit, and he destroys the School Master before disintegrating. Sophie dies in Agatha’s arms, but Agatha brings her back to life with true love’s kiss. They disappear and go home because they ended their fairy tale as friends. Tedros reaches for Agatha, but he’s too late.

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• The School for Good and Evil Summary

by Soman Chainani

These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own.

Written by sakiba chowdhury, Jonathan rtjuiryjhn4, Zahra Elmi and other people who wish to remain anonymous

The story is set in the village of Gavaldon, where two children disappear every four years, never to return. The children of the village have realized that those that disappear eventually turn up in the fairy tales sold at the local book store, each child appearing as either a 'Hero' or a 'Villain'.

The two protagonists, Agatha and Sophie , are best friends and a perfect fit for these tropes. Sophie hopes to be carried off the the legendary 'school for good', where she can become a princess, however Agatha wants nothing to do with the 'school for evil'.

The two girls are kidnapped, however Sophie ends up being sent to the school for evil and Agatha to the school for good, the opposite of what they expected. During their lessons neither of them fits in, however they have no choice but to continue and no hope of escape.

In the course of lessons and events where the two schools mix, Sophie and Agatha fall apart, but Sophie begins to fall in love with one of the Princes of the school of good, Tedros.

The two girls break into the school master's tower in an attempt to get back home and are given a riddle. Agatha believes that the answer to the riddle is love and tries to help Sophie and Tedros fall in love by convincing him that Sophie was put in the wrong school.

Sophie and Tedros begin to have problems and a fight breaks out between the two schools, instigated by Sophie, who is turning uglier and uglier with each horrid act. As evil begins to fill her, she has dreams that reveal that Agatha is the enemy she is destined to fight in her fairy tale.

Sophie decides to break into the school masters tower again in order to steal his Storian, a magical item he uses to write the fairy tale. He tells her that he is in love with her and she attempts to kiss him, only to realize that as a villain she is incapable of true love, causing the school master to begins to rot. In order to be with Sophie the school master tries to kill Agatha, but Sophie attempts to save her friends and is killed in the proses. The school masters brother appears to defeat him but he cannot save Sophie.

Agatha kisses Sophie to say good bye, yet because she had a pure, heroic love for Sophie, she brings her back to life.

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The School for Good and Evil Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The School for Good and Evil is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Study Guide for The School for Good and Evil

The School for Good and Evil study guide contains a biography of Soman Chainani, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The School for Good and Evil
• Character List

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The school for good and evil, book 1, common sense media reviewers.

Fractured fairy tale has plenty of twists for fantasy fans.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Explicitly plays with conventions of familiar fair

People are not simply good or evil, but are human

At the start, Sophie and Agatha seem destined for

As with traditional folktales and fairy tales, it

Some flirting and kissing. Sophie is sure that she

Parents need to know that The School for Good and Evil is a fresh take on fairy tale devices and clichés, upending the expectations most readers have about princesses and villains. The language is very mild (nothing worse than "ass"). Would-be princesses and princes flirt with each other, and there's one…

Educational Value

Explicitly plays with conventions of familiar fairy tales and urges readers to challenge assumptions they bring to the material. Readers will recognize versions of favorite characters from folklore, but with a fresh twist.

Positive Messages

People are not simply good or evil, but are human and contain a little of each. Strike a balance and be true to yourself and the ones you love, without obsessing about how your behavior might be rewarded. Love yourself for who you are. While the author's message may be it's what's inside that counts, readers encounter some problematic messages coming from characters overly concerned with their appearance, implying that girls must be thin to be valued, suggesting you should skip breakfast to stay thin.

Positive Role Models

At the start, Sophie and Agatha seem destined for particular stations in life. But after receiving seemingly mixed-up assignments at school, they begin to change their attitudes about heroism, villainy. They bounce back and forth in their understanding of what it means to be good or evil, and their actions sometimes have disastrous consequences. Both girls eventually move beyond being stereotypes and learn the meaning of true love.

Violence & Scariness

As with traditional folktales and fairy tales, it has its fair share of violence. For much of the book, mayhem is implied rather than shown. Any violent encounters tend be be cartoonish rather than realistic. But climactic chapters involve an all-out war between Evers (good students) and Nevers (bad students), and the body count is high. One key character is killed, although there's hope of resurrection in the cliffhanger ending.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Some flirting and kissing. Sophie is sure that she's meant for the local Prince Charming, but "true love" does not run smoothy in The School for Good and Evil . A couple of jokes about swords being awkwardly unsheathed.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The School for Good and Evil is a fresh take on fairy tale devices and clichés, upending the expectations most readers have about princesses and villains. The language is very mild (nothing worse than "ass"). Would-be princesses and princes flirt with each other, and there's one kissing scene and a couple of mildly bawdy sword jokes. As in most fairy tales, violence and the threat of it are fairly constant, but most characters escape actual harm, at least until the climactic battle sequence. The body count there is rather high, and one of the main characters is killed (though seemingly revived later on).

Where to Read

Community reviews.

• Parents say (15)
• Kids say (95)

Based on 15 parent reviews

Dangerously BAD messages for girls

Parents - please reconsider the age limits - not appropriate for under 12, in my opinion, what's the story.

When best friends Sophie and Agatha are stolen away from their village and end up at the THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL, the girls assume that their roles in life will remain as they always have predicted. With her blond hair, pink dresses, and penchant for doing good deeds, Sophie will be trained to be a storybook princess. Black-clad and antisocial Agatha has all the makings of a first-class villainess. At the school, however, the girls find themselves exactly where they don't want to be. Sophie is the one to take Uglification lessons and consort with future witches and their nefarious assistants, while Agatha must learn about makeup and the proper etiquette for attracting a Prince Charming. To get back home, Agatha and Sophie must solve a riddle that seems to threaten the very existence of the school.

Is It Any Good?

The School for Good and Evil is no run-of-the-mill fairy tale spin-off. Author Soman Chainani has clearly done his homework in folklore and mass media, and he manipulates the clichés of fantasy and folklore with a great deal of wit and insight. This opening volume to the series feels a little long, however. Agatha and Sophie attempt new trials, pass or fail in unexpected ways, and then move on to the next contest. The repetition of this pattern grows burdensome across nearly 500 pages. Still, there's a lot of narrative meat here, served up with flair by Chainani and complemented by Iacopo Bruno's black-and-white illustrations.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about portrayals of fairy tale characters in The School for Good and Evil . How do fairy tale characters in modern media differ from their original, folkloric versions? Why do you think these stories remain so powerful and compelling?

Do you ever make judgments about people based on how they look or dress? Can you tell if someone is "good" or "bad" just by looking at them?

Do you ever feel as if other people -- family, friends or teachers -- have expectations of you that you can't possibly meet? How do you handle those expectations?

Book Details

• Author : Soman Chainani
• Illustrator : Iacopo Bruno
• Genre : Fairy Tale
• Topics : Magic and Fantasy , Princesses, Fairies, Mermaids, and More , Adventures , Fairy Tales
• Book type : Fiction
• Publisher : HarperCollins Children's Books
• Publication date : May 14, 2013
• Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 17
• Number of pages : 496
• Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
• Last updated : June 29, 2022

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Book Review of The School for Good and Evil ( The School for Good and Evil #1 ) by Soman Chainani

About the Book

• Soman Chainani
• Middle Grade

Grading Scale

Cover Story:  Anime-tastic! BFF Charm:  Yay and Nay Talky Talk:  Shades of Her Supreme Eminence, J.K. Rowling Bonus Factors:  Boarding School, Fairy Tales Relationship Status:  Ready to enroll

Cover Story:  Anime-tastic!

Original artwork and not clip art, yay! The cover is what actually drew me to this book in the first place. Two girls, two schools and two swans, one light and one dark. You know that shit is going to get REAL. Intensive Google research has revealed to me that the illustrator, Iacopo Bruno, has also done book jackets for such literary heroes as Lauren Oliver, Robin LaFevers and Neil Gaiman. I like his style, all dark and gothic with promises of a story well-told, full of revealed secrets, true villains and even truer heroes. I had zero shame in carting this book around with me, but I’m someone who never understood why anyone would buy the Harry Potter books with the “adult” covers. (Uh, it still says Harry Potter on the front there, folks.)

Sophie and Agatha are unlikely friends who live in the village of Gavaldon. Sophie is blonde, beautiful and an awful person convinced that she is the epitome of goodness. Agatha is dark-haired, pale, awkward, and convinced that she is unlovable and incapable of ever feeling “ordinary”. She is also intelligent and loyal, the best friend a girl could ever ask for.

Every four years the residents of Gavaldon lock their doors and hide away their children in fear of their being chosen as a student for The School of Good or The School of Evil. Sophie dreams of being chosen, so when she is snatched away by a shadowy figure in the middle of the night she believes that she is well on her way to fulfilling her destiny at The School of Good. Agatha pursues her in the hopes of “rescuing” her, and also gets taken along for the ride. Surprise! Agatha is dropped off at Good and Sophie is dropped off at Evil. The girls are convinced that they’ve gotten it wrong and try their hardest to switch schools, to no avail. 

BFF Charm:  Yay and Nay

From the beginning I knew that Sophie and I were going to have issues. This is a girl who thinks that doing Good Deeds encompasses giving used corsets to homeless women and baking low-fat bran-filled baked goods for her neighbors. It’s the neighborly way of saying, “Hey! You could stand to lose a few! Enjoy the muffins!” She also doesn’t understand how anyone who isn’t beautiful (and by default, slim) could possibly be happy. Her dream is to escape her small village of Gavaldon and live an extraordinary life by – wait for it – marrying a prince. 

Agatha, on the other hand, and her sweet emo self, we are Besties4Eva. She wants nothing more than to stop feeling so alone and so indulges Sophie in her Good Deed-Doing of (you guessed it) visiting her with low-fat high-fiber baked goods. Agatha has so little going for her in the way of day-to-day human contact (her dad is out of the picture and her mother is the village herbwoman and so is seldom home) that she actually looks forward to Sophie’s visits. The girls take walks together and start to forge a friendship out of their mutual loneliness. Sophie shares her dreams of getting chosen for the fabled School of Good and Agatha shares her dreams of just feeling ordinary for once, no longer an outsider.

Swoonworthy Scale:  6

You didn’t think that a book about fairy tales wasn’t going to have some PRINCES hanging about, right? Tedros is our main prince, son of King Arthur (and also Guinevere, which gives him some serious trust issues considering how she took off with Lancelot and broke his dad’s heart) and he is the Prince To Get. Sophie has her eye on him with laser-like precision, but how can he fall in love with her when she’s been labeled as Evil? It turns out that Tedros isn’t vapid or shallow, and so Agatha must assist Sophie in wooing him, a la Cyrano de Bergerac. You can kind of see where this is going, right? IT’S SO MUCH WORSE because Sophie is straight up cray cray when it comes to her “love” for Tedros. 

Talky Talk:  Shades of Her Supreme Eminence, JK Rowling

Boarding school, magic, competition, creatures, humor, friendships, romance, professors – how can I not make this comparison? It’s nothing but good, friends. Nothing but good.

While traditional fairy tale characters can feel a bit flat and one-sided, you will not find that here. These students may have grown up being told that they are either good OR evil, but they soon find out that this is never really the case. I was never bored by any of the characters but instead found myself rooting for all of them. Even Sophia. 

The worldbuilding feels authentic even if it can’t help but borrow from similar books. It also doesn’t shy away from this underlying current of a Very Big Bad going on somehow and while it’s not explored too much here I’m sure that the sequels will MORE than cover that ground.

Bonus Factor:  Boarding School

All I need to read on a dust-jacket is that the story takes place in a boarding school and I’m SOLD. Then when I read on the flap that there are classes called Uglification, Animal Communication and Henchmen Training how can I resist? Here we have kids who are competing to be the Next Big Prince/Princess or the Next Big Villain. And it’s serious – those who grade lower will end up becoming henchmen, animal companions or WORSE. They’ve been told to loathe one another and so they do, but now Sophie and Agatha arrive, already friends, and this upsets the status quo. 

Bonus Factor : Fairy Tales

When a book can take what’s already so historically familiar to us and still manage to flip it around a bit and make it relevant to present day, and do it WELL? It’s fantastic. As much as I loved them as a kid, I don’t think I would be able to sit down and watch Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty as an adult and feel totally comfortable. (Well, except for the mice. And Maleficent. They are adorable and she is GLORIOUS.) This archaic idea of womanhood that is so prevalent in old school Disney doesn’t do anyone a service, least of all the little girls who are watching them. Fairy tales need to be subverted a bit nowadays to reflect our cultural values and this is more than achieved here.

Relationship Status : Ready to Enroll

Where the book really started to impress me was in its handling of Good vs. Evil. Because it’s not just a case of, “Oh it’s so obvious that Sophie isn’t ACTUALLY good because she’s narcissistic and clueless, and Agatha isn’t ACTUALLY evil just because she’s pale and likes to wear black!” It goes much deeper than that and the storytelling and character-building are top notch. Borrowing from fairy tales can be tricky; stay too faithful and it feels outdated and done-to-death, stray too far and it can feel like trying-too-hard. There is a balance struck here of seeking out the truth of these tales, not the fantasy. The girl Evers (Good students) may want to spend all day grooming for their future prince but they soon learn that Valor, Honor and Forgiveness are what make you truly good, not your hair products. Likewise, the Nevers (Evil students) start to understand what makes someone evil are their choices, not their emo attire. For centuries the Good students and the Evil students have been told that they can only be one or the other in order to keep things balanced. What Chainani achieves here is an examination of truly important existential questions – Who am I? What makes me who I am? How do others see me vs. How do I see myself? Freedom of choice vs. Fate, and he does it in such a way that it never feels heavy or obvious. 

But which school to choose? Can’t I be both a princess AND a badass who takes no crap from anyone? Is it wrong to want both a nemesis (because how cool would that be?) AND a prince? This book is the first of three and its ending is kind of WHOA so I am fully onboard to see where the next installment (titled A World Without Princes) takes me.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received my review copy from HarperCollins. I received neither money nor cocktails for writing this review (dammit!).  The School for Good and Evil  is available now.

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About the Contributor:

Amanda Reid is an East Coast girl living in California who will never stop missing a true autumn. She’s a bookseller who specializes in kid and teen lit, and she bakes a damn fine pie.

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Get an exclusive first look at One True King , the final School for Good and Evil book

It’s been a long ride, but school is finally out for The School for Good and Evil .

Soman Chainani’s best-selling series, a fantasy-fairy tale hexalogy that launched in 2013, will come to a conclusion next year with One True King . Plot details remain tightly under wraps, but publisher HarperCollins is promising answers to some of the biggest questions left by last year’s penultimate installment, A Crystal of Time : Who will sit on Camelot’s throne and rule the Endless Woods? Who will be the One True King? And what will come of Sophie and Agatha?

One of the most successful YA series of the decade, The School for Good and Evil debuted on the New York Times best-seller list and has gone on to sell well over 2 million copies in the years since; it’s been translated into 28 languages and is in development for a screen adaptation.

One True King offers readers a long-anticipated finale. EW has an exclusive preview of the last book, including the official cover (designed by Iacopo Bruno) as well as a first excerpt. Read on below. One True King publishes June 2, 2020, and is available for pre-order .

Excerpt from The School for Good and Evil: One True King , by Soman Chainani

Sophie no longer wanted to kill the boy she was about to marry.

Nor could she make sense of the fleeting thought that she’d wanted to kill him in the first place. From what she could tell, he was gorgeous, eloquent, and cocksure, just like a king should be. And soon, she’d be his queen. The queen.

Not that she had the slightest clue how it had happened. The past was fuzzy now, her memories elusive. Any attempt to penetrate them spawned a spearing headache, as if there was an iron spike through her brain, before she’d jolt straight back to the present, the ache gone, as if she’d been born this second, again and again and again. Efforts to recall why she’d ended up like this—a girl with no past—only brought on stronger pain, and it wasn’t long before she stopped trying to find her memories altogether.

All she knew was that she’d woken in this prim white dress and tonight she would marry King Rhian, the Lion of Camelot, keeper of Lionsmane, and savior of the Endless Woods. She’d yet to have a private moment with her betrothed: their only time together spent recording a spellcast, which she’d struggled to follow . . . about a brother gone rogue and rebels in the Woods, ending with her pledging allegiance to the Lion, her husband-to-be, just as he’d instructed. . . . But even from this, she knew she loved him, body and soul. Sitting next to him, she’d inhaled his frosty scent and basked in his tan glow, almost too perfect. When the spellcast finished, he stroked her back with cold fingers and gave her a snake-eyed smile: “See you at the altar, my sweet.” Sophie’s heart fluttered like he was her fairy-tale prince.

Any girl would die to be in her shoes, she thought now, powdering her nose in the queen’s boudoir and peering in the mirror at her crown of golden braids and the fussy white dress that hijacked nearly every inch of her skin. She had no inkling of where this dress had come from or who had made it, but now that she was about to convene with the Woodswide press and answer their pre-wedding questions, she wished the dress had a bit more panache . . . straps instead of sleeves, perhaps, and a dash of color around the waist —

On cue, the dress shape-shifted, as if her mind’s thoughts were commands, the sleeves whittling to thin strands over her shoulders, while a slash of blue cut across her hips, forming a belt of silk butterflies. Sophie hardly flinched. For something so strange, there was no surprise in the dress’s magic, as if she’d had this happen before but couldn’t remember when. She glanced into her own eyes in the mirror and saw a flash of sparkle, an emerald gleam, like a light in a tunnel. . . . Then it was gone, as quickly as it came.

“Press is waiting for you, princess,” a voice said.

Sophie turned to the captain of the guard standing at the door to her bedroom, the gold of his jacket specked with dried blood. Kei, he said his name was, when he’d woken her from sleep. Handsome as anything, with hawkish eyes and a square jaw, but a glum, tortured expression, as if haunted by a ghost.

They walked towards the ballroom, Kei tight at her side. She noticed him peeking at her, like he was waiting for her to say something. As if they shared a secret. It made Sophie uncomfortable.

A guard cut in front of them, scanty-haired and pockmarked: “Captain, the map inna Map Room’s been burnt to nothin’—one witha rebels’ wherebouts!”

Kei flexed his jaw. “Could be one of the maids or cooks. I’ll question them.”

“But that wazza king’s map! Should I tell ’im—”

“Get back to your post,” the captain ordered, guiding Sophie past him.

Sophie was mystified by this map business, but whatever it was, it made Kei even more sour than before.

He caught Sophie looking at him.

For the first time, Kei’s face changed, replaced by a sharp gaze that seemed to drill into her mind. . . .

“You there?” he whispered.

Sophie stared into his big, dark eyes . . . then snapped from her trance. “Of course I’m here! Where else would I be?” she scolded. “And stop scowling and giving me strange looks. You’re the captain of the guard. The king’s new liege. Act the part or I’ll tell the king to find someone who will .”

Kei hardened, as if he’d turned to stone. “Yes, Princess.”

“Good,” said Sophie. “And clean your jacket while you’re at it. Unless there’s a coup unfolding in the castle, there’s no reason to be flaunting your blood as part of your uniform.”

“Rhian’s blood,” said Kei.

“Excuse me?” said Sophie, stopping.

“It’s Rhian ’s blood,” Kei repeated, with that drilling gaze again.

“Then kindly return it to him,” Sophie quipped, strutting ahead.

She smiled, her white dress puffing up like peacock feathers.

Rhian would be proud of her.

She was settling into the role of his queen already.

Related content:

• A Crystal of Time : Preview the latest in Soman Chainani’s School for Good and Evil series
• EW’s review of the original School for Good and Evil

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The School for Good and Evil | Summary, Themes, and Quotes

The School for Good and Evil is a captivating fantasy se­ries by Soman Chainani, first published in 2013. This enchanting nove­l explores the intricate­ balance betwee­n good and evil, friendship, and self-discove­ry. Set in a magical world, it takes reade­rs on an unexpected journe­y alongside two best friends who find the­mselves enrolle­d in a school designed to train children as fairy tale­ heroes or villains. In this summary, we will de­lve into the important ele­ments, characters, and theme­s of this remarkable book, The School for Good and Evil .

Table of Contents

The School for Good and Evil Summary

In the village­ of Gavaldon, a puzzling occurrence takes place­ every four years. Two childre­n are mysteriously snatched and transporte­d to the legendary School for Good and Evil. This e­xtraordinary institution is nestled in a captivating and distant forest. It imparts training to young stude­nts intending to mold them into eithe­r heroes or villains in fairy tale­s.

Sophie ardently belie­ves that her true de­stiny lies within the hallowed halls of the­ School for Good. She is a girl captivated by beauty and aspiring to be­ a princess. Meanwhile, her close­st companion Agatha wholehearte­dly believes she belongs in the School for Evil.

But when the­ir village is unexpecte­dly upended, the frie­nds find themselves on opposite­ paths. Sophie is sent to the School for Evil and Agatha to the­ School for Good. This unexpected turn of e­vents sets off a serie­s of tests, transformations, and discoveries that challe­nge their belie­fs about good and evil.

Initially, Agatha faces rejection be­cause of her appearance­ and gloomy disposition. However, she de­velops authentic friendships with he­r roommates. Later, they understand that judging base­d on appearances is misleading.

On the­ other hand, Sophie’s aspiration to be a prince­ss begins to unravel as she e­xperiences the­ harsh truth within the School for Evil. Determine­d to prove her goodness, Sophie­ strives to find a way back to Gavaldon as a princess.

Throughout the story, Sophie­ and Agatha meet a range of fairy tale­ characters and magical creatures. They face­ difficult trials that push them to discover their inne­r courage. Along the way, they start to que­stion their belief in cle­ar-cut notions of good versus evil. They interact with fellow students. For example, Tedros is a reluctant prince, and Hester is a strong-willed and misunderstood girl. These­ encounters lead Sophie­ and Agatha to unravel the intricate laye­rs of their identities.

Sophie and Agatha’s journe­ys eventually converge­ as they navigate a serie­s of challenges, culminating in the pivotal Trial by Tale­. During this pivotal event, students must confront the­ir deepest fe­ars and grapple with their true ide­ntities. The bond betwe­en Sophie and Agatha is teste­d to its limits as they strive to find their role­s in this enchanting world. They uncover the­ genuine esse­nce of being heroe­s or villains.

In a surprising twist, Sophie and Agatha find the­mselves in unexpe­cted roles once more­, questioning their identitie­s and destinies. The unraveling of the school’s enigmas and the revelations about its enigmatic headmistress are pursued by them. The girls are­ confronted with their innermost de­sires, fears, and the blurre­d distinction between morality and male­volence.

In the final battle, Sophie and Agatha must join forces. They must conquer the darkness that looms over their world. Their unbreakable bond is pivotal. It helps reveal secrets about their school’s start and protects their friends. It also saves the whole realm from a coming disaster.

Hurray! We came to the end of the summary of The School for Good and Evil .

Characters of The School for Good and Evil

The above summary of Soman Chainani’s The School for Good and Evil itself introduces a range of characters, e­ach with their own unique qualities and role­s. Let’s take a closer look at some­ of these key characte­rs:

1. Sophie: At the be­ginning of the story, the protagonist fits into the ste­reotypical mold of being beautiful and kind-he­arted. Her aspiration is to attend the­ School for Good in order to become a prince­ss. However, as her journe­y progresses, she be­gins to question her belie­fs and discover her inner stre­ngth, leading to a transformation in character.

2. Agatha: Sophie, de­spite being perce­ived as ugly and gloomy, proves her inne­r goodness through her unwavering loyalty and de­termination. These qualitie­s defy the stere­otypes associated with the School for Evil.

3. Dean Hester: The role­ of the school master exte­nds beyond merely e­ducating students. They play a crucial part in guiding and shaping their de­stinies, encouraging them to que­stion and challenge societal norms.

4. Tedros: Tedros, the­ prince in this fairytale family, grapples with the­ conflict between socie­tal expectations and his own authentic se­lf. His character symbolizes the de­licate balance and blurred distinction be­tween good and evil within the­ narrative.

5. The School Master: The School Maste­r, a central antagonist in the story, is both mysterious and manipulative­. He carefully orchestrate­s events within the schools to e­nsure a delicate balance­ between Good and Evil is maintaine­d.

6. The Woodsman: The Woodsman is a captivating and comple­x character who defies ste­reotypes, adding depth to the­ story’s examination of morality.

The characte­rs in this story experience­ personal growth and transformation, challenging conventional fairytale­ conventions. The narrative prompts re­aders to question prede­termined roles and conte­mplate the intricacies of goodne­ss and evil in both characters and society.

Themes of The School for Good and Evil

The School for Good and Evil book and its summary above explore several thought-provoking themes:

1. Friendship: At the he­art of the story lies a profound friendship be­tween Sophie and Agatha. De­spite their contrasting personalitie­s, their connection remains unwave­ring as they navigate the trials of school life­ and uncover surprising truths about themselve­s.

2. Identity and Self-Discovery: Throughout their journe­ys, the characters embark on a profound que­st of self-discovery, compelling the­m to question and redefine­ their very identitie­s. Sophie and Agatha glean the invaluable­ realization that their outer appe­arances hold no bearing on who they are­ as individuals; instead, what truly matters is the impact of the­ir actions and the depth of their characte­r.

3. Good vs. Evil: In the nove­l, the distinction betwee­n good and evil is challenged as the­ lines betwee­n the two become blurre­d. Characters in the story often display traits that e­ncompass both sides, emphasizing the intricate­ nature of humanity.

4. Appearance vs. Reality: Throughout the story, the­re is a recurring theme­ that highlights the deceptive­ nature of appearances. The characters frequently conceal their true essence and motives behind outward facades.

5. Fairy Tale Tropes: The nove­l takes apart and challenges conve­ntional fairy tale conventions. It raises doubts about the­ roles and expectations of he­roes and villains in familiar tales, offering a ne­w viewpoint on these we­ll-known narratives.

Quotes from The School for Good and Evil

Here are a few quotes from The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani:

• “The only way to write is like you’re living a fairy tale backwards.” – Agatha
• “But we were made for this, to see what nobody else sees.” – Sophie
• “Maybe we’re all a little dark inside.” – Tedros
• “People don’t change. They just become more what they are.” – Professor Clarissa Dovey
• “In fairy tales, the good girls get their happily ever afters and the bad girls are punished.” – Sophie
• “But fairy tales aren’t about what happened. They’re about what’s going to happen.” – Hester
• “The less you know, the more you fear.” – Beatrix
• “Sometimes the way to be good is to be bad.” – Beatrix
• “In a world without villains, someone has to be one.” – Sophie
• “It’s not what you are that counts, it’s what you do.” – Agatha

These­ quotes highlight the recurring the­mes of identity, destiny, and the­ intricate nature of the characte­rs in the story.

The School for Good and Evil Books in Order

If you want to read The School for Good and Evil books in order, then you can use the list below:

1. The School for Good and Evil

2. A World Without Princes

3. The Last Ever After

4. Quests for Glory

5. A Crystal of Time

6. One True King

7. Rise of the School for Good and Evil

8. Fall of the School for Good and Evil

The se­ries comprises eight books in total. The­ first six books form a cohesive narrative, while­ the last two serve as pre­quels. These pre­quels delve into the­ fascinating backstory of the School for Good and Evil’s creation and introduce ke­y characters from the main serie­s.

For those ne­w to the series, it is re­commended to read the­ first six books in sequence. If you’re curious about the school’s history, you can explore the prequels at a later time.

The School for Good and Evil: Book and Movie Differences

After reading the summary of The School for Good and Evil book, let’s delve into the differences found in its movie adaptation. The movie­ exhibits several notable­ differences, both significant and minor. Notable­ among these distinctions are the­ following:

• Selection Process for Students:  In the book, a myste­rious creature kidnaps students e­very four years, escorting the­m to the school. Conversely, in the­ movie, students are chose­n based on their familial lineage­.
• The School Master:  In the book, the­ enigmatic School Master remains a myste­ry until the story’s culmination. But, the School Master is introduced much earlier in the movie.
• Relationship between Sophie and Agatha: In the book, Sophie­ and Agatha start off as best friends. Howeve­r, in the movie adaptation, their frie­ndship undergoes strain and they initially find the­mselves as rivals.
• Final Battle:  The final battle­ in the book and the movie unfolds diffe­rently for Sophie, Agatha, and the School Maste­r. In the book, Sophie achieve­s victory by utilizing her true love’s kiss, which le­ads to the demise of the­ School Master. Conversely, the­ movie depicts a collaborative e­ffort between Sophie­ and Agatha as they join forces to overcome­ the School Master. Ultimately, this joint e­ndeavor results in the School Maste­r’s redemption.

The School for Good and Evil: Major Book and Movie Differences

• Honora:  In the book, Sophie­’s stepmother portrays kindness and love­. While in the movie, he­r character takes a dark turn, reve­aling a cruel and wicked nature.
• August Sader: This major character in the book is removed from the movie.
• Lady Lesso: Lady Lesso replaces Evelyn Sader as the Dean of the School for Evil in the movie.
• The Circus of Talents: This major event in the book is removed from the movie.
• Tedros and Agatha’s Relationship:  Tedros and Agatha initially harbor animosity towards e­ach other in the book. Howeve­r, their feelings gradually transform into a de­ep and passionate love. Conve­rsely, in the movie adaptation, the­ir relationship starts off on a more amicable note­.

Readers’ and Viewers’ Thoughts on The School for Good and Evil Book and Movie Differences

Here are some additional thoughts on the book and movie differences:

• Some re­aders have expre­ssed criticism towards the adaptation of the book, claiming that the­ movie portrays Sophie as more likable­ and Agatha as less likable. Sophie­ tends to be more focuse­d on herself while Agatha is known for he­r selflessness. Whereas the film alters this dynamic, potentially appealing to ce­rtain viewers while possibly alie­nating others.
• The movie­ delves dee­per into the School Master’s backstory, re­vealing his intricate connection with Sophie­ and Agatha. While this addition brings an intriguing dimension to the story, it doe­s compromise some of the book’s e­nigmatic allure and thrilling suspense.
• The movie­ adaptation of The School for Good and Evil is an enjoyable and visually stunning film, appe­aling to both fans of the book and newcomers to the­ story. It is worth noting, however, that the movie­ diverges from the original mate­rial, incorporating significant changes. Therefore­, fans of the book should be prepare­d for this alteration.

In summary, The School for Good and Evil brings re­aders on a spellbinding adventure­ into a world that challenges conventional notions of good ve­rsus evil. As readers join Sophie and Agatha in navigating the­ school’s trials and discovering their true ide­ntities, they are prompte­d to contemplate the intricacie­s of human nature and the immense­ power of friendship.

Recommended: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke | Summary, Themes, and Quotes

Keerthana Prakasam

Keerthana is a passionate literature enthusiast and blogger with a deep love for words. Being an avid reader since childhood, she constantly explores diverse genres and authors. She is dedicated to sharing insightful book summaries, thought-provoking literary analyses, and engaging discussions on the written word.

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School of Good and Evil Books In Order

Publication order of the school for good and evil books.

The School for Good and Evil Series

The School of Good and Evil is a collection of fantasy fairytale books written by Soman Chanani. The debut novel was published in 2013. The set up of the series is in the fictional area of endless woods. It is about the adventure of Sophie and Agatha at the school good and evil, a place where children are taught to be heroes and villains.

The School for Good and Evil

The School for Good and Evil is the first book in the series. The book is about two girls who find themselves at an unlikely friendship. Sophie is princess- like and dreams of marrying a prince and eternal beauty and Agatha who is hideous and feels insecure after being kidnapped to the school; she wants to go with her friend, Sophie. The two live in a world where fairytales occur and every year two children one kind and the other terrible are kidnapped never to return. Agatha has high self-esteem and wants a friend who will be there for her when in need. At some point she cares less about her cat, going home. Seeing her mother, and helping her only friend Sophie. When she finds a boy, she sees the likelihood of a happy life and throws everything out of the window.

Sophie is obsessed with ending up in a fairytale; she cares about her looks and doings and wants to be kidnapped and taken to the school. Agatha wants to become a witch, and most of the villagers avoid her and lives in a graveyard with her mother and her black cat. She likes wearing black and is dark and avoids mirrors. Agatha had never had a friend before Sophie, and when one night a shadow comes to pick her, Agatha tries her best to save her. They are both kidnapped, and Agatha is taken to the school of good where there are handsome princes and maidens while Sophie is brought to the school of the evil to take death curses and uglification. The school trains the kids to be heroes and villains in fairy tales. Agatha is not happy at the school, and all she wants is to save Sophie and go back home. Things are difficult than they appear and for each of them to survive in the school they have to do well, or else they will suffer.

Agatha while in school notices that good might be beautiful and the princesses are supposed to be courageous and kind but they seem to be very selfish. All they want is aPrince to love and their goal is to get one to ask them to the ball or suffer the fate. Sophie wonders why she had to be placed in the school for the evil since by just looking at her she looks like a princess. She thinks that it might have been a mistake. The book is about how boys sometimes lure some girls and end up breaking their good relationship with their female friends. It makes the reader re-imagine of the fairytales and a place where the princesses, princes and the villains undergo training.

Agatha is a loveable character from the beginning of the story because of her commitment to Sophie.

The fairytale lovers of all ages will find this story more interesting. The main characters are adaptable and well developed. There is more of the two characters than what we see.

A World Without Princes

A World Without Princes is the second book in the series. After saving themselves and other fellow students, Sophie and Agatha returns home from the school and are seen as heroes in their village and are living happily. It is after realizing that they don’t need the princes to be happy or escape from the school. Life does not seem to be a fairy tale as they thought it would be. Sophie is enjoying this honor from the villagers and makes a lot of show-offs while Agatha is not interested in fame at all. All Agatha wants is to end her story with Tedros, and this wish brings many magical arrows with a message that they wish to Sophie. The village becomes very angry and turns into a mob wanting Sophie to go to the one she wants.

The elders claim to be protecting Sophie, but the truth is that they plan to give in to the demands of the mob. They instruct Sophie to stay in the church and Agatha thinks that she will be safe there and leaves her alone. Agatha has many questions about whether this kind of life with Sophie is what she wanted and if she was wise when choosing her best friend. Sophie on the hand thinks that she needs other people to feel special but later realizes that she only needs to be kind to one person who mattered to her. It is the reason why when they find themselves back in the school as Agatha is wanting Tedros, Sophie becomes very much determined not to allow anyone to takes her best friend. To her, she thought that they needed each other as friends even though in the beginning all that mattered to her attention from people and her looks.

While back in the school they realize that it has changed and that there is no good and evil what is there is a school for the boys and the girls. It happened after the princesses decided that they don’t need the princes to be happy and this brings some chaos and fight between the girls and the boys.

Agatha is a sarcastic character, and her appearance sometimes belittled by her. She is intelligent, and we see her questioning the school and the authorities, and she does everything it takes to get her friend back to the real world. However, her love for Tedros ends up changing her personality.

A World Without Princes incorporates the themes of betrayal, friendship, magic, love, and enemies. The characters are loveable and well developed with Agatha being kind, brave and smart and Sophie being loyal and courageous to her friend. The two have a good relationship though we see some faults, weaknesses, and mistakes in it.

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The School for Good and Evil Books 1-4 Paperback Box Set: Now a Netflix Originals Movie Paperback – September 25, 2018

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THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL is the #1 movie now streaming on 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 many others! 

Don’t miss the first four books in Soman Chainani’s New York Times bestselling fantasy series, The School for Good and Evil, in a paperback box set. Now with beautifully redesigned covers!

Journey into a dazzling new world when two best friends enter the 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 the two friends are swept into the Endless Woods, they find their fortunes are reversed…. The aftermath leads to unexpected paths, new alliances, and forces that divide them in an exhilarating quest to find their true Ever After.

Featuring books 1-4 in the series with newly designed covers, as well as a sneak peek at the fifth book, The School for Good and Evil: A Crystal of Time , this paperback box set will delight both fans that are new to the series and die-hard fans alike.

Don't miss the thrilling conclusion to the beloved series,  The School for Good and Evil #6: One True King !

• Print length 2432 pages
• Language English
• Grade level 3 - 7
• Dimensions 5.25 x 5.25 x 7.7 inches
• Publisher HarperCollins
• Publication date September 25, 2018
• ISBN-10 0062855573
• ISBN-13 978-0062855572
• See all details

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About the author.

Soman Chainani' s six novels in the School for Good and Evil series each debuted on the New York Times bestseller list. The series has sold over 4.2 million copies, has been translated into 35 languages, and has been adapted into a film by Netflix that debuted at #1 in over 80 countries. His collection of retold fairy tales, Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales , was also an instant New York Times bestseller and is in development to be a television series from Sony 3000.

Soman is a graduate of Harvard University and received his MFA in film from Columbia University. Every year, he visits schools around the world to speak to kids and share his secret: that reading is the path to a better life.

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins; Reprint edition (September 25, 2018)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 2432 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062855573
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062855572
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 10 - 12 years, from customers
• Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 7
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.66 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 5.25 x 7.7 inches
• #5,073 in Children's Folk Tales & Myths (Books)
• #7,999 in Children's Friendship Books
• #8,888 in Children's Fantasy & Magic Books

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About the author

Soman chainani.

Soman Chainani’s debut series, THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD & EVIL, has sold more than 3.5 million copies, been translated into 32 languages across six continents, and has been adapted into a major motion picture from Netflix that debuted at #1 in over 80 countries at release.

His book of retold fairytales, BEASTS & BEAUTY, also debuted on the New York Times Bestseller List, his seventh book in a row to do so, and is slated to be a limited television series from Sony 3000, with Soman writing and executive producing. Together, his books have been on the New York Times Bestseller List for 44 weeks.

A graduate of Harvard University and Columbia University’s MFA Film Program, Soman has been nominated for the Waterstone Prize for Children’s Literature, been named to the Out100, and also received the Sun Valley Writer’s Fellowship.

His latest novel, RISE OF THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD & EVIL, kickstarts a new series under his EverNever World brand, to be continued in its sequel, FALL OF The SCHOOL FOR GOOD & EVIL, coming May 2023.

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Soon to be a major motion picture from Netflix 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,...

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