Top 5 YA Novels That Should Be Adapted To Film

Don’t Knock Em’ Until You’ve Read Em’

If Mortal Engines has taught us anything, it’s that with the right direction and a unique property, there is still plenty of intrigue to be gained from the likes of the young adult novel sub-genre. Here’s hoping that if any of these get adapted, they will manage to deliver on the uniqueness of the source material!

#5: “Graceling” Series (2008-12)
Kristin Cashore

The Graceling books feel like a perfect mix between the worlds of “Divergent” and “Game of Thrones.” Citizens in this fantasy world are set apart if they are born with special skills or “graces”. And the story has all the high fantasy elements that make “Game of Thrones” so popular with audiences. There was news back in 2013 that the Graceling series was being developed by Reliance Entertainment, but as of early 2017, there hasn’t been any news of progress since then. It’s possible that since the world was inundated with so many YA fantasies around that time, the team decided to put this project on hold.

4: “Eleanor & Park” (2013)
Rainbow Rowell

This quirky love story between two misfits set in the 1980s would make a perfect YA romance film. Can you imagine how great the soundtrack would be? Sadly, the latest news as of 2016 is that the film rights have been returned to Rainbow Rowell after she spent a year and a half developing the screenplay with Dreamworks Entertainment. This doesn’t mean that a movie will never happen, but it does mean we’ll likely have to wait a long time to see one. Fans of the author’s work also have their fingers crossed for an adaptation of Rowell’s Fangirl, another popular novel but with college age characters.

3: “Wicked Lovely” Series (2007-11)
Melissa Marr

This five part series by Melissa Marr – short stories and manga notwithstanding – has had fans clamoring for a movie since the first book became a bestseller. In this magical story, the protagonist is a girl who can see evil faeries and is trying to avoid being sucked into the faerie realm. The author has even shared some of her dream casting choices, mentioning Hailee Steinfeld as her pick for main character Aislinn and Steven R. McQueen of “The Vampire Diaries” for Keenan. There have been a couple of planned adaptations for Wicked Lovely but so far none have come to fruition.

#2: “Earthsea” Series (1964-2001)
Ursula K. Le Guin

Started by Ursula K. Le Guin in the 1960s, this classic fantasy series about a world with no large continents has become part of the young adult canon. When the first book was published however, YA novels weren’t the powerhouse industry they are today. In fact, the category of young adult barely even existed then. This series started with a short story called “The Word of Unbinding,” which then developed into six full length novels set in the world of Earthsea. The story has already been turned into a Japanese animated movie called “Tales from Earthsea,” as well as a 2004 TV miniseries but fans would love to see this fantasy favorite get the live action Hollywood treatment.

#1: “Looking for Alaska” (2005)
John Green

John Green is basically the Nicholas Sparks of the YA world. He has an enormous fandom and online following and some of his books have been turned into hit movies. You may have heard of a little movie called “The Fault in our Stars?” Yeah that’s him. John Green’s first novel is a boarding school story with as much charm and whimsy as his other books. It also generated complaints for its depiction of realistic teen-age activities. Sadly, the film adaptation has been in a state of uncertainty for years. Green has expressed his frustrations with the process and says he has tried to buy back the film rights several times to no avail.

Be sure to check out the video below to see our picks for the Top 10 Young Adult Book to Movie Adaptations of the 21st Century.