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12 books to read next
If you loved The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
Readers love The School for Good and Evil for its sly twist on fairy tales: a magical school where heroes and villains are trained, and two best friends sorted into the 'wrong' sides. It mixes humour, dark edges and big questions about whether goodness is about looks or choices. The friendship between Sophie and Agatha, tested by jealousy and loyalty, drives the story, alongside inventive classes, rival students and a fast, twisty plot aimed at middle-grade and younger teen readers.
J. K. Rowling
The classic boarding-school fantasy: sorting into houses, strange lessons and school rivalries will feel familiar to anyone who enjoyed the Schools for Good and Evil and their competing students.
Jessica Townsend
A cursed girl is whisked into a magical city and must pass trials to join an elite society, offering the same wonder, outsider heroine and secret-filled institution as Chainani's school.
Sarah Prineas
A street thief becomes an apprentice wizard in a city of magic. Like Agatha, he is an unlikely fit for his new world and must prove himself through wit and courage.
Adam Gidwitz
Hansel and Gretel wander through the real, gruesome Grimm stories with a cheeky narrator, delivering the same darkly funny, subversive take on fairy tales that makes Chainani's book so fun.
Chris Colfer
Twins fall into a world where fairy-tale characters live on after their stories end, perfect for readers who loved meeting Cinderella's and Snow White's legacies at the School for Good.
Gail Carson Levine
A witty Cinderella retelling about a girl cursed with obedience. Like Agatha, Ella refuses to be a passive princess and questions what makes someone truly good.
Gregory Maguire
For older teens ready to go further: the Wicked Witch of the West's own story asks, just as Chainani does, whether villains are born or made. Note it is written for adults.
Shannon Hale
Children of fairy-tale characters attend a school where they must follow their destined stories, and one girl refuses, echoing Sophie and Agatha's fight against assigned roles.
Eva Ibbotson
A gentle, funny adventure where a hag, a troll and an orphan set out to fight an ogre, only to find the monsters aren't what they seem, a lighter look at good versus evil.
Kelly Barnhill
A lyrical fantasy about a witch wrongly feared as evil and the girl she raises, exploring loyalty, love and assumptions about who is wicked, with real emotional depth.
Trenton Lee Stewart
Gifted children infiltrate a sinister school, relying on each other's strengths. Their bond, puzzles and suspense will appeal to readers who loved Agatha and Sophie's partnership under pressure.
Madeleine L'Engle
An awkward, stubborn heroine much like Agatha journeys across worlds to fight darkness, discovering that love and loyalty are her greatest strengths, a timeless pick for this audience.
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