Teen Tuesday Audiobook Review: The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Happy Tuesday! Well, the Hunter's Moon sure put on a show last night as it waxes toward full tomorrow. I hope the weather cooperates and we can continue to bask in its light. And, I could see Orion nearly halfway up at 5 AM. I've been watching him make his way across the pre-sunrise sky since September. I will never forgot the morning I looked out from my deck at the beach at 3AM one August. I saw Orion appear to rise from the ocean.

Well, TMS Readers, I did it. An eighth grader has been telling me that I needed to read The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani for years! She might be a little obsessed with this series and its author. The hype is real!

Teen Tuesday features The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani. This fantasy fairy tale series starter was published in 2013 and was the author's debut. Its 14+ hours fly by as listeners are transported into Agatha and Sophie's adventures. Every four years in their village, two children, age 12 or older are kidnapped, never to be seen again, presumably transported to the School for Good and Evil. While most of the villager dread this arrival, Sophie believes herself to be a princess and hopes for it. She goes about her day doing good, especially seeking out homely Agatha, who lives in a cemetery. Agatha just wants to be left alone. A surprise happens on the day of the kidnapping and both girls end up in unexpected circumstances.
The world-building is quite vivid and the many characters add charm, humor or menace as Sophie and Agatha try to find where they truly belong. Not surprisingly, this cinematic epic has been adapted for film and is be released on Netflix soon.

Thanks to my student for the recommendation! I'm hooked.

Teen Tuesday: Girl, Stolen by April Henry

Girl, Stolen by April Henry. 224 p. Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), September, 2010. 9780805090055.

Today's Teen Tuesday feature is a title that was recommended by a sixth grade student. Sixteen-year-old Cheyenne Wilder is sleeping in the back of her step-mother's car while she pops into the pharmacy to pick up antibiotics for Cheyenne's newly diagnosed pneumonia. Griffin is under instructions to steal a car for his father and his criminal cronies. When he discovers Cheyenne in the backseat, he's worried that his dad will do something drastic until his dad learns that Cheyenne's father is rich. He decides to hold her for ransom instead. Complicating matters is the fact that Cheyenne is blind. She's also in very grave danger. Tension ratchets up as things go wrong. You may need to read this suspenseful novel in one sitting!

I happened to read this one with my ears four years ago. It is exactly the type of book I cannot stand reading because of the suspense. It was especially hard reading it with my ears despite the excellent performance by Kate Rudd because I couldn't read ahead! There is a sequel out called, Count All Her Bones which I may have to read though I get the willies just reading the synopsis.