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Audio Length: 20 minutes School of Good and Evil Turns Fairy Tales Upside Down-2014
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A World Without Princes
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Who is good, and who is evil …and how can you tell which is which? These are the questions explored in The School of Good and Evil, A World Without Princes. It’s book two in the magical fairy tale trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Soman Chainani. In Soman’s up close AUDIO conversation with Authorlink, he talks of turning traditional fairy tales upside down, about his not-so-fairy-tale life as an author, and about what keeps him going creatively. His debt novel, The School for Good and Evil, was released last year to rave reviews from critics and readers of all ages. The film rights were snapped up by Universal Pictures (with Joe Roth, Palak Patel, and Jane Startz producing, who when combined have been responsible for Alice in Wonderland, Snow White and the Huntsman , the upcoming Maleficent , and Tuck Everlasting ), and the author is writing the screenplay with Malia Scotch Marmo, who wrote Steven Spielberg’s Hook. Soman is a Harvard-educated fairy tale expert who turned all pre-conceived notions of fairy tales upside down with this whimsical, captivating and even subversive saga of two archetypal heroines who are not what they appear to be. Now, Chainani pushes the boundaries even farther with A WORLD WITHOUT PRINCES, the second in the trilogy releasing from HarperCollins Children’s Publishers on April 15, 2014. Just as he made readers question the notions of Good and Evil in the series debut, in the sequel he shatters preconceptions and stereotypes of Boys and Girls. Sophie, who is blond and beautiful, and her best friend Agatha – witchy and awkward – return to the School for Good and Evil, where ordinary teenagers train to become legendary fairy tale heroes like Snow White and Prince Charming, and villains like Captain Hook and Rumpelstiltskin. To the girls’ dismay, everything at their beloved school has changed. Now heroes and villains have reluctantly banded together, with all the girls on one side and the boys on the other. War is declared, and the stage is set for an unforgettable battle of the sexes. One of the many joys of reading this series is choosing which side to root for, because the author keeps his readers guessing as to whom the heroes and the villains really are. And children (of all ages) are embracing his story, with more than 300,000 people all over the world – from Qatar to Bangladesh –having taken the Good or Evil online quiz to determine if they’re an Ever or a Never. Chainani travels throughout the US and abroad and inspires others to write. “As long as you are working, something can happen,” Soman says. He recommends that aspiring writers read a fellow author’s new book, MFA vs NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction Paperback by Chad Harbach ABOUT THE AUTHOR Soman Chainani’s debut novel, The School for Good and Evil, debuted on The New York Times bestseller list, has been translated into languages across six continents, and will soon be a major motion film from Universal Pictures. As a graduate of Harvard University and Columbia University’s MFA Film Program, Soman has made films that have played at more than 150 film festivals around the world, winning more than 30 jury and audience prizes, and his writing awards include honors from Big Bear Lake, New Draft, the CAPE Foundation, the Sun Valley Writer’s Fellowship, and the coveted Shasha Grant, awarded by a jury of international film executives. He lives in New York City. Visit Soman online at www.somanchainani.net and follow him on Twitter @somanchainani. AMONG PRIASES FOR THE SCHOOL OF GOOD AND EVIL “The stories bend and twist on themselves right up until the last pages, leaving readers anxious to find out in the next book exactly who ends up with whom—and why.” – Booklist “Soman Chainani’s whip-smart debut [is] guaranteed to make any girl think twice about wanting to be a princess. If I could bewitch you all to read it, I would. Grade: A.” – Entertainment Weekly |
School of Good and Evil Turns Fairy Tales Upside Down-2014
