Quick Facts
Biography
Soman Chainani is an American author and filmmaker, best known for writing the children's book series The School for Good and Evil. He attended Harvard University, where he graduated summa cum laude with a degree in English & American Literature. After graduation, he went on to attend Columbia University, where he participated in their MFA Film Program.
Soman's first novel, The School for Good and Evil, debuted on the New York Times Bestseller List, has sold 2.5 million copies, been translated into 30 languages across 6 continents, and will soon be a film from Netflix directed by Paul Feig.
His other four books in the School for Good and Evil series – A World Without Princes and The Last Ever After, Quests for Glory, and A Crystal of Time — have all debuted on the New York Times Bestseller List as well. To date, these five books in the series have been on the print and extended New York Times Bestseller List for more than 30 weeks.
Early life
Chainani grew up in Key Biscayne, Florida, where his family was one of the few of Indian descent.
Awards
The School for Good and Evil
- New York Times Bestseller
- ABA Indie List Bestseller
- Waterstone's Children's Book Prize for Best Fiction for 5–12 (2014, nominee for The School for Good and Evil)
- A Barnes & Noble Best Book of 2013
- A Books-a-Million Best Book of 2013
- Entertainment Weekly PopWatch Pick
- Children's Choice Reading List Selection
- Goodreads Choice Semi-finalist (Best Children's Book)
- IndieNext Pick
A World Without Princes
- New York Times Bestseller
- ABA Indie List Bestseller
- Goodreads Choice Finalist (Best Children's Book)
The Last Ever After
- New York Times Bestseller
- ABA Indie List Bestseller
- A Barnes & Noble Best Book of 2015
- Goodreads Choice Runner-up (Best Children's Book)