1. The Book Thief
author: Marcus Zusak
theatrical release: November 15, 2013
The Book Thief is a great, though harder, more mature read (not more mature as in appropriateness, necessarily, just the writing style may not hold interest for younger readers) and I am already planning on taking tissues to the theater. I am very, very curious as to how this is going to be played out in a movie, considering who the narrator is. Can't. Wait.
Blurb:
A New York Times bestseller for seven years running that's coming to movie theaters on November 15, 2013, this Printz Honor book by the author of I Am the Messenger is an unforgettable tale about the ability of books to feed the soul.
Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.
The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.
Movie info:
* The Book Thief movie on IMDb (link)
Book info:
Amazon (link)
Goodreads (link)
2. Catching Fire
author: Suzanne Collins
theatrical release: November 22, 2013
This is the second installment of The Hunger Games series. I know a lot of you adults out there (not usual YA readers) have no idea what happens, and from what I've been able to tell, the trailers don't say either, so I don't want to give anything away. Let's just say that President Snow isn't happy with Katniss and Peeta, and a big something happens because of that. (Vague enough?) For those of you still living under a rock (*she says, jokingly*), here's a link to the first installment.
Blurb:
Sparks are igniting.
Flames are spreading.
And the Capitol wants revenge.
Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.
Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.
In Catching Fire, the second novel in the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before...and surprising readers at every turn.
Movie info:
* Catching Fire facebook page (link)
* Catching Fire movie on IMDb (Iink)
* Catching Fire movie on twitter (link)
Book info:
Amazon (link)
Goodreads (link)
3. The Maze Runner
author: James Dashner
theatrical release: February 14, 2014
I just finished this about a week ago, and being as it's *so* dystopian, I am very interested to see this on the big screen. I had a lot of questions I felt weren't answered (plop me into a story and I want to know all the whys), and am hoping the second book in the series, The Scorch Trials, will help with that a little. Still, as there is so much in the storyline, it will be a good experience, I think, to have a visual of everything. I'm also excited about some of the actors. :)
Blurb:
The first book in the New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series—The Maze Runner is a modern classic, perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent.
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.
Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.
Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.
Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.
Movie info:
* The Maze Runner on IMDb (link)
* Informative article on CinemaBlend.com (link)
* The Maze Runner movie on facebook (link)
* The Maze Runner movie on twitter (link)
Book info:
Amazon (link)
Goodreads (link)
4. If I Stay
author: Gayle Forman
theatrical release date: TBD
Blurb:
In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...
A sophisticated, layered, and heart-achingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make, and the ultimate choice Mia commands.
Movie info:
* If I Stay movie info on IMDb (link)
* Recent article on If I Stay movie news from Variety (link)
Book info:
Amazon (link)
Goodreads (link)
author: Neal Shusterman
theatrical release date: TBD (2015?)
This is the book-to-movie adaptation I am *most* excited about. YAY! It's still in the beginning stages, but it's happening, and that's all that matters. :D
Blurb:
Connor, Risa, and Lev are running for their lives.
The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.
Movie info:
* Unwind movie website (link)
* Unwind movie on twitter (link)
* Article from The Hollywood Reporter (link)
Book info:
Amazon (link)
Goodreads (link)
6. Chaos Walking Series
author: Patrick Ness
theatrical movie release: TBD
This is the second most exciting up-and-a-long-time-away-but-still-YAY adaptation for me. I mean.. YAYYYYYY. After trial and error (of recommending these books and loaning them out), I've found that there isn't much in-between: either readers like the Chaos Walking series, or they don't. I did--because it was different. And if you decide to read this series (you must), you better make sure you have the second book in the series, The Ask and The Answer, handy, or you will go absolutely bonkers.
Blurb:
Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee -- whose thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not -- stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden -- a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives.
But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought?
Movie info:
* Informative article on Deadline.com regarding Lionsgate (link)
Book info:
Amazon (link)
Goodreads (link)
So, what do ya think? Are you excited about any of these (or different upcoming adaptations)? Did this list spark interest in a book you hadn't been interested in reading before?
