Books versus Movies

Don't you love it when one of your favorite books gets made into a movie? The anticipation and excitement of seeing your favorite characters and scenes brought to life on the big screen is amazing! That is, until you actually see the movie . . . and realize that the book is far superior. Typically, key moments from a book are cut from the script, events and characters are tweaked and shuffled around to make a "better" movie, and the actors playing the characters don't match what you envisioned in your head while reading the book. This can be so disappointing! BUT occasionally you will find a really well-made movie based on a really well-written novel; for example, the Harry Potter movies have for the most part remained faithful to J.K. Rowling's books, in spirit if not always in detail. So there's always hope that your favorite book-turned-movie will end up being great. Here is a list of book-based movies targeting kids and/or teens that will hit theatres in the next few months to years, according to the Internet Movie Database:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (based on the book by J.K. Rowling)
The Golden Compass (based on the book by Philip Pullman)
The Dark is Rising (based on the book by Susan Cooper)
Coraline (based on the book by Neil Gaiman)
Prince Caspian (based on the book by C.S. Lewis)
Inkheart (based on the book by Cornelia Funke)
Peter and the Starcatchers (based on the book by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson)
The Amulet of Samarkand (based on the book by Jonathan Stroud)
The Wee Free Men (based on the book by Terry Pratchett)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (based on the book by Roald Dahl)
Cirque du Freak (based on the book by Darren Shan)
Where the Wild Things Are (based on the book by Maurice Sendak)
The Giver (based on the book by Lois Lowry)
The Twits (based on the book by Roald Dahl)
Eddie Dickens and the Awful End (based on A House Called Awful End by Philip Ardagh)
Walk Two Moons (based on the book by Sharon Creech)

Most of these have the potential to be fabulous, if only the movie studios and screenwriters can resist the urge to change too many aspects of the original book. It's always a good idea to read the book first, then see any movie made from it . . . so we'd better get to reading some of these titles quickly!

What are some books that you would like to see made into movies? Personally I would love to see movies of The Hobbit (which may happen one day!), The Lightning Thief, and Artemis Fowl. Leave us a comment with your book-turned-movie ideas!

~Ms. Erica