Spotted in the Speyer Library: Author of “The School for Good and Evil” books Soman Chainani and Graphic Novelist Dave Roman!

Recently, Speyer welcomed two amazing authors to inspire our Speyer students: author of “The School for Good and Evil” books Soman Chainani and Graphic Novelist Dave Roman!

Soman Chainani, author of The School for Good and Evil books, visited with our students in grade 4-7. Soman's debut series has sold more than four million copies and has been translated into 35 languages across six continents; his books were also made into a hit Netflix movie! 

During his engaging and very entertaining presentation, Soman shared that, as a child, he identified more with Disney villains rather than the heroes. He wondered why we considered the Disney heroes good, and hilariously described why we have it all wrong. This thinking was the starting point for The School for Good and Evil series. The books are an epic journey into a dazzling new world, where the only way out of a fairy tale is to live through one. Our students even took his quiz to determine if they were an Ever (good) or a Never (evil), defending their choices sometimes with hilarious results! Following the presentation, Soman hosted a writing workshop where students could work closely with him to develop or hone their writing.

Graphic novelist Dave Roman brought the exciting world of comics to life for students in Speyer's Third Grade with a captivating workshop on creating graphic novels. Engaging students with his enthusiasm and expertise, Roman demystified the process of storytelling through illustrations and text, inspiring our third graders to express their creativity. His hands-on approach, combining demonstrations with interactive activities, allowed students to explore their imaginations and learn the fundamentals of graphic novel creation. This memorable visit not only enriched the students' understanding of visual storytelling but also ignited a passion for reading and creating their own graphic novels.