The School for Good and Evil

Chainani's premise is clever: beautiful Sophie is dropped in the School for Evil while plain Agatha lands in Good, forcing both girls — and the reader — to question whether appearance and goodness actually have anything to do with each other. The friendship at the center of the story is genuinely well-drawn, and the fairy-tale deconstruction keeps the pages turning. Parents should know before buying that the book includes a romantic subplot involving two boys (treated positively), body-image themes that some parents find counterproductive for young readers, and content a number of parent reviewers found more mature than the middle-grade positioning suggests. Common Sense Media recommends parental review for readers under 12. Worth a conversation before handing to younger kids.