Read the Book, Watch the Movie: Young Adult Book-to-Movie Adaptations of 2018
So many new releases, not enough time! What movies were your favorite in 2018? Photo by: Bella Angell
January 10, 2019
The year 2018 was full of iconic Young-Adult (YA) fiction events, from book festivals to red carpets. How could someone remember them all? Many teens are looking for a new book to read, but they struggle to find something that they are interested in. What would be more interesting than watching a book come to life? Here is a recap of the top YA book-to-movie adaptations of 2018:
- “Maze Runner: The Death Cure” by James Dashner
This is the third installment of the “The Maze Runner” series, and many fans have been waiting for this moment. Starring Dylan O’ Brien from “Teen Wolf,” the movie follows Gladers that escaped the Maze as they begin their last perilous journey to rescue their friends. This movie was released Jan. 26.
- “Everyday” by David Levithan
Loved by many readers, “Everyday” was released as a movie on Feb. 23. This movie offered roles to upcoming stars as well as major actors including Debby Ryan (from the Disney channel) and Justice Smith (who you may recognize from the adaptation of “Paper Towns” by John Green). This story finds new twists and turns every day (ha see what I did there) as a girl falls in love with a spirit who is in a new body every morning when they wake up.
- “Love, Simon” (adapted from “Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda” by Becky Albertalli)
Nick Robinson, Katherine Langford, Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel and many others come together for a gay rom-com about 17-year-old Simon Spier who is being blackmailed with his emails confessing his sexuality to a fellow anonymous classmate who he also happens to be falling in love with. Sounds too good to be true, right? This movie released on March 16, and fans fell in love with Nick Robinson as Simon Spier. Fun Fact: Authors Becky Albertalli, who lives in Georgia, and Adam Silvera both make a small appearance standing next to each other in costumes at the Halloween party at Bram’s house.
- “Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline
Readers and viewers follow Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) as he ventures into the OASIS, a virtual reality world. When the creator dies, he leaves an Easter Egg for players to find in the OASIS. Filmmaker Steven Spielberg brings this story to life and it was released on March 29.
- “The Darkest Minds” by Alexandra Bracken
Most 10-year-olds are dying from a disease, but Ruby Daly is not one of them. She finds that she has new, unusual powers, and her parents send her to a camp called Thurmond. At the age of sixteen, she attempts to leave Thurmond, only to find that she may barely escape with her life. Starring Amandla Stenberg as Ruby, the movie released August 3 and was filmed in Atlanta, Georgia.
- “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” by Jenny Han
I do not think there is a single person who has not seen a photo of Peter Kavinsky pop up on their timeline or on their explore page on social media. This YA novel was released as a Netflix movie on August 17 starring Noah Centineo as Peter Kavinsky and Lana Condor as Lara Jean Covey. Lara Jean writes letters to her crushes from the past, but she keeps them hidden in her closet. Everything changes one day when the letters are delivered to the people that they are addressed to. Her life enters a state of chaos as her crushes confront her.
- “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas
“The Hate U Give” has remained on the New York Times Bestseller List for 93 weeks. Readers cannot get enough of this book, and it was released as a movie on Oct. 5! This movie also stars Amandla Stenberg (Starr Carter) as well as KJ Apa (from “13 Reasons Why”), Anthony Mackie (as Falcon from Marvel) and Sabrina Carpenter. Starr lives in a poor neighborhood but attends a suburban school; the balance between these worlds is destroyed when she witnesses her friend Khalil’s death as he is shot by a police officer. When people start asking about what happened that night, Starr must choose what to say and what not to say as it could jeopardize her community or her life.
- “Dumplin’” by Julie Murphy
“Dumplin’” was released as a Netflix movie on Dec. 7 and features many well-known actresses such as Jennifer Aniston, Dove Cameron and Kathy Najimy. With music by Dolly Parton, the story follows a pageant mom’s daughter who enters a pageant to defy the stereotyped body image, and other competitors follow in her footsteps.
Note: These movies are in chronological order. The order is not based off of personal opinion or preference.
Who knew there were so many movies released this year that are adapted from YA novels? Any future readers who are looking for a good book to curl up with can stay curled up and watch these movies. Or if they have curled up to watch the movie, they can live the story again by reading the book! Additionally, there are already rumors spreading through the literary community about other book-to-movie adaptations possibly coming or starting in 2019, and readers cannot wait to see more of their favorites hit the big screen.
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