Fans have been waiting over 20 years for a movie variation of Lois Lowry ’s The Giver , and we ’re finally getting one this weekend . But this is n’t the only classic novel that ’s overdue for a movie adaptation . Here are 10 darling YA novels that would make for unbelievable movies … and why they probably wo n’t get adapted .
A note : All of these books will be bilk .
10. A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L’Engle
Let ’s talk about Vicky Austin . She first come on the Young Adult fit in 1960 , in a leger call Meet the Austins . The Koran , and its continuation , were about how she grew and formed her identity in as wholesome a mode as anyone could wish . All the clock time , she was fence in by her loving , well - adjusted class . Vicky ’s third starring role did n’t arrive until 1980 . At that time , every YA heroine on the market place was busy discovering she had 2d view , or could see ghost , or had an astral projecting malign twin . This may explain why Vicky suddenly discovered that she could psychically connect with mahimahi . During a summer spent inflict her grandfather , who is dying of leukemia , she is torn between two handsome possible boyfriends , and two potential world - views . After going through harrowing , but non - life - threatening , trials , she finally forms her own world view .
Why It Probably Wo n’t Be Made Into a Movie
You know what you do n’t see in movies these days ? A loving , supportive kinsperson , whom the hero becomes close to as she grows into adulthood . The serial ’ wholesomeness remains its bane . There are some morose moment in the leger , during which Vicky confronts the reality of dying and the injustice of lifetime , but no one is blow anything up or overturn the government or fighting an ancient evil . One girl is just coming to terms with the joy and nuisance in the domain and deciding what she call back of it . ( By the way , the last Vicky Austin book involves her think over her living while undirected on an iceberg in Antarctica , which I also think would be a great motion-picture show . )
9. Daughters of Eve by Lois Duncan
Lois Duncan wrote many of the evil twin , astral protrusion , girl - psychical books that formed the backbone of YA literature in the 1980s , but the book of hers that most deserves to be shoot is Daughters of Eve . It proves that you do n’t have to go forward in time to find dystopia . Published in 1979 , this book is messed up . When one of the characters decides to get together the newly - reform womanhood ’s fellowship , Daughters of Eve , her mother gently reminisce about how much fun she had back in high school in the Daughters . Why , they even had a hole-and-corner vocal appropriate only for their fellow sisters . The character ’s father immediately demands to hear the birdsong . The married woman demur , the girl bolt upstairs , knowing what will descend next , and find out her mother get beaten until she tremulously sings the song . You ’ll have to search difficult to find a more emblematical scene in young grownup literature . All of the characters are misfortunate in their regressive town . Daughters of Eve injects a little feminism into their lifespan . The drawing card of the group , ( ominously named Irene Stark ) , plump for them in their dreams , and helps them fight back when they ’re hassle . The “ trick ” that they run on their harassers and oppressor get worse and spoilt . The fact that the girls are getting back at people does n’t seem to change anything — except their hungriness for payback . Inevitably , the entire position spirals out of control .
I have a recurring fancy that involves Jane Campion ( of The Piano , Top of the Lake , and Holy Smoke ) adapting this picture show for the screen . I doubt it will happen . The politics are too complicated , and the entire pitch of the book is too fevered and political to make a popular picture show . More importantly , daughter of Eve represents a musical genre that does n’t really exist anymore – the youngster cult . In these books , kids ring together to stand up to the forces that oppress them … and totally sleep together everything up . Even if they ’re in the right , they ca n’t “ fix ” club . They ca n’t even put a sane limit on their own behavior . They ’re nothing like the youthful Christ of today .
8. The Chain Letter series, by Christopher Pike
I wo n’t consist : This series is just sodding “ pulp soft-cover book thriller , ” but it ’s a hell of a drive . A group of friends get involved in a strike - and - run stroke . They leave the body , and seem to get off without consequence , until they start out receiving chain alphabetic character demand they do more and more frightful things . ( Before you ask , yes , this was published about thirteen years after I lie with What You Did Last Summer . ) This series lead for two script . Some of the material is gravely date stamp — like when a fibre would rather adventure last than circularise a rumor that she is a tribade — but it could be retool . The characters come to realize they are not dealing with an ordinary human blackmailer . They ’re parcel out with … something worse . Unlike most book today , the teenager are not gift with supernatural knowledge , friends , or ability . They do n’t even know how to campaign . The generator of the anon. letters , called “ The Caretaker , ” will kill them if they do n’t abide by , and most of the time , they do .
This is n’t a story about resisting a totalitarianism or getting by in a world gone mad . It ’s a square - up morality allegory . Are you willing to place an action you know to be degrading , destructive , or morally wrong , to keep your own skin ? The teens , when they dispatch all their task , get a alphabetic character in which their name is literally entered into a black box — argue they are both physically safe and spiritually hellbound . At the closing , some of the characters are saved by a literal miracle . Today pic focus more on asserting individuality and stand “ the system ” rather than pondering the spiritual impact of your actions on your own soul .
7. The Grounding of Group 6 by Julian F Thompson
Five kids go off to a special reform school after let down high school life history . They are put together in “ Group 6 , ” and taken by a friendly counsellor on an preference hike . The friendly counselor has been make up by the equally friendly dealer , who in turn of events has been paid by their rather uncongenial parent , to “ ground ” the group . They are to be softly poison , and their bodies dropped into a chasm . When the counselor convert his idea ( after hooking up with one of the scholarly person ) , the entire grouping is hunted by the principal , two loony teacher who dabble in sharpshooting , and , eventually , the entire school .
Teen movies , especially about a chemical group of kids fighting for their lives , lean to be absolutely earnest . This Word of God is intend to be a very grim comedy . The school is a hippie haven , and the principal refers to body disposal as “ constitutional . ” The group is made up of 1980s young grownup stereotype – the overachiever , the directionless rebel with booze , the sexually adventurous miss , the wonk . There ’s even a psychical girl , whose gifts prove both annoying and useless .
6. The Thief of Always by Clive Barker
Here ’s a parable about a kid who would rather live in reality than in a dreaming worldly concern that ’s designed to cater to his every desire . Harvey is lonely and bored with his living , and he follows a strange man ’s direction to a limited “ holiday house . ” There , there are four season in a daytime , so that Harvey can enjoy every vacation of the class every single 24-hour interval . His wishes are instantly granted . When Harvey meets two other kids , Wendell and Lulu , he begins to substantiate that he ’s not the only kid who has been bring to the household . And they are n’t the only kids who have been bring to the house . What happened to the other small fry ? And how can he get away from the house and the occult Mr. Hood , who seems so friendly , but wo n’t permit Harvey leave ?
It ’s great . It was spell all the means back in 1992 . But if it ’s made into a flick now , it will just be Boy - Coraline .
5. The Girl Who Owned a City by O.T. Nelson
This is the book that gave Lord of the Flies the finger . Lisa Nelson ’s parents were kill off by a virus , along with everyone else over the age of twelve . Lisa lives in Chicago , and , along with all the rest of Chicago ’s children , scavenges from stores for solid food . When Lisa gain where the food and clothes they ’ve been eating come up from ( farms and warehouses ) , she becomes the leader of a group that strives to rebuild society . Does she rest on the farm and build an agricultural high society ? No ! She wants to rebuild modern culture , with electronics and schools and poppycock . She also wants a place to live that ’s easy to defend , as her little radical of kids is shake down by an belligerent gang . So she moves the entire group to a mellow school , makes it a fortress and provision business firm , and commences with the learnin ’ . The culmination of the news report come not when she faces the gang loss leader — but when the crowd leader realise that a leader require to tincture a sense of order , aim , and mutual respect among his followers , and only Lisa can do that .
The kids are a little too untried , and it ’s also not grim enough . There ’s some good fodder for modern movies – a deficiency of adults , feral kid gang , and a mettlesome young girl with aspiration . On the other paw , few movie end with the villain realizing that he needs to get wind how to work with mass and establish an atmosphere of mutual respect . That ’s a lilliputian anti - climactic .
4. The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander
Most of the playscript on this listing are place in modern times , and in the “ material ” world . But when life gives you an oracular pig and a sloven - steward - turn - hero , can you turn away ? If you want to know about this rule book , know that it ’s just good . It ’s fantasy , and it has comedic component , and it ’s about Welsh folk narrative , and it incorporate all of those things without lean too much in any guidance . It ’s fun . It ’s poignant . It ’s inspiring . It ’s whimsical . It does n’t overdo any of those timbre . It ’s rough about Taran , the “ Assistant Pig - Keeper ” and his slow rise to desperate status , but it ’s also about search a humanity that is both wizardly and strange . The thing a visually gifted director could do with this book !
The most famous installation of the series has been made into an animated film in 1985 . The Black Cauldron is considered a classic by fans , but flopped perfectly at the box power . Although it might be recreate , but because the film industry is re - boot everything , the dark turn that most phantasy heroic poem have taken does not bode well for these comparatively seraphic Quran .
3. Have Space Suit, Will Travel by Robert Heinlein
A boy , a girl , a Mother Thing , and a story of pure , undiluted noble-mindedness . The taradiddle is n’t just idealistic about each of its main quality , ( although Kip , the point - of - view fiber , is so sincere , so earnest , so responsible for and yet hopeful that it almost hurts to read about him ) , it ’s also exalted about the world of the time to come . There , you may win a space suit by writing a jingle for a soap manufacturer . The suit may be antiquated , but everyone in your town will help you fix that thing up , gosh darn it ! And when you have to sell it , to pay for college , and you take it for one last twisting , well , anything can happen . Including a series of adventures and a meeting with a confederation of species that , although slightly dreadful , prove by their very existence that your species can get ever expert , ever wiser , and ever more powerful . And yes , in the end , Kip does go to college . On a scholarship .
This is the least dystopian Word ever written . It ’s also the least rebellious . This book send word the following things : listen to your wise to elder , going to school , majoring in something virtual , and conscientiously working to be part of guild .
2. Hangin’ Out With Cici by Francine Pascal
It ’s the swingin ’ seventies , and Victoria hates her schooltime , hate her life , and , most of all , hates her mom . Felicia does nothing but pick at her , and the picking make Victoria act out even more . On the brink of a major disciplinary encounter with both her mamma and her star , Victoria gets a bump on her nous on the wagon train to New York . When she wakes , everyone is a younger version of themselves , but seeing as time locomotion is completely impossible , Vicky does n’t catch on . She does n’t even catch on when she generate to New York and finds everyone hold out decidedly “ square ” clothes . rather , she play and James Bond with a girl discover Cici , only to be dismayed when she realizes that she ’s go back to 1944 , and Cici is the hat Felicia .
Do n’t concern , this is n’t going where you think it ’s going . This is not a book about understanding that your momma was once you , and like her . It ’s a book about apprehension that your mom was once you , and realizing you do n’t really like her that much . It ’s about recognise , while she might be fun some of the time , she ’s playact stupidly , irresponsibly , and cruelly . And , should you be favourable enough to escape having to live through the 1950s by returning to your own sentence , you need to mold up .
Hey nestling ! Want to hang out with your mom ? Want to go back in fourth dimension to when everyone looked like a frump ? need to realize that you ’re not act cool , you ’re acting like an cocksucker ? No ? Thought not .
1. House of Stairs by William Sleator
A group of teen awaken up in the scariest environs potential . They are in what seems like a bottomless way , crisscrossed by narrow stairs . Everything is terrorize . There ’s no food , no shelter , no explanation . To even get to a toilet , they have to walk out along a spindly bridge over a huge chasm . The only nice thing about their environment is the solid food . ( We get an idea of the state of the humans they came from when all of the theatrical role are shocked and delighted that they ’re being fed “ substantial nitty-gritty . ” ) The problem is , food can only seem when a light set forth to blink away . Even then , the food only does look when the kids do something . It takes them a while to work out to feel out what that something is . Whenever the illumination goes on , they dance around , hop that some motion will make the food amount . Eventually , they actualize that they only get fed when they hurt each other while the light is on . It ’s at this point that the group divides . Some of them form a predatory mathematical group , while the others starve as painstaking objectors . Over time , the unofficial leader of each group conditions their follower ( and themselves ) using different proficiency . The predatory group leader mime the conditioning of their captors , implement rule through a lot of abuse and scant reward . The other group leader tries to stack on rewards for expert behavior , while patiently ignoring bad behavior .
Because lifespan is unintelligent and unjust . There were some noises about developing the script into a moving-picture show a few long time ago , but since then there ’s been no news . The major problem is the end of the book . Although the tiddler live in a messed - up smart set , that companionship has demarcation line . The kids are free , in the end , because the scientists in charge are n’t uncoerced to keep the experimentation going until the pacifist group starves to death . The disarmer are debrief , and secern that they will be sent to an obscure island . They seem to accept that . The heroes do n’t triumph by reverse the system of rules . They wallow by keeping their idea and their control , in a situation in which they are being change state into zombie .
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