To All the YA Adaptations I Loved in 2018 | Blogmas
To All the YA Adaptations I Loved in 2018 | Blogmas
In the book world, movie adaptations always get a bad rep, which is often unjust. 2018 year has been a great year for book to screen adaptations, and I thought it would be a good idea to pay homage to them in a blog post! I haven’t watched or even read most of these yet but they’re definitely on my list. You may not be surprised to hear that I mainly watch Sci-fi and horror movies at the moment… so one day I’ll get to most of these!
This post is more of a compilation of the adaptations that came out this year than a commentary on how good they were or how well they represented certain things. I can’t really comment on that as I haven’t watched most of them.
Maze Runner
The Book
The Death Cure (The Maze Runner, #3) by James Dashner Published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers on October 11th 2011
Pages: 325
Goodreads
It’s the end of the line.
WICKED has taken everything from Thomas: his life, his memories, and now his only friends—the Gladers. But it’s finally over. The trials are complete, after one final test.
Will anyone survive?
What WICKED doesn’t know is that Thomas remembers far more than they think. And it’s enough to prove that he can’t believe a word of what they say.
The truth will be terrifying.
Thomas beat the Maze. He survived the Scorch. He’ll risk anything to save his friends. But the truth might be what ends it all.
The time for lies is over.
The Movie
In the epic finale to The Maze Runner Saga, Thomas leads his group of escaped Gladers on their final and most dangerous mission yet. To save their friends, they must break into the legendary last city, a WCKD controlled labyrinth that may turn out to be the deadliest maze of all. Anyone who makes it out alive will get the answers to the questions the Gladers have been asking since they first arrived in the maze. Will Thomas and the crew make it out alive? Or will Ava Paige get her way?
Every Day
The Book
Every Day (Every Day, #1) by David Levithan Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers on August 28th 2012
Pages: 322
Goodreads
Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.
It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone A wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.
The Movie
Based on David Levithan’s acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Every Day tells the story of Rhiannon (Angourie Rice), a 16-year old girl who falls in love with a mysterious soul named “A” who inhabits a different body every day. Feeling an unmatched connection, Rhiannon and A work each day to find each other, not knowing what or who the next day will bring. The more the two fall in love, the more the realities of loving someone who is a different person every 24 hours takes a toll, leaving Rhiannon and “A” to face the hardest decision either has ever had to make.
A Wrinkle in Time
The Book
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle: Study Guide by Teri Shagoury on January 1st 1970
Goodreads
On a dark and stormy night, Meg Murry and her family are visited by a stranger who surprises them by announcing that "there is such a thing as a tesseract." Two years earlier, Meg's father had disappeared while conducting experiments with a tesseract, a method of traveling through the fifth dimension. Now Meg, her brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin must journey across time and space to find Meg's father. Though they are aided by three mysterious women, they must rely on their own skills--and in Meg's case, her faults--to rescue Mr. Murry from the forces of evil. 1963 Newbery Medal winner. Setting: Imaginative
The Movie
Following the discovery of a new form of space travel as well as Meg’s father’s disappearance, she, her brother, and her friend must join three magical beings – Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which – to travel across the universe to rescue him from a terrible evil.
Love, Simon
The Book
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Creekwood, #1) by Becky Albertalli Published by Balzer + Bray on April 7th 2015
Pages: 303
Goodreads
Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.
With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.
The Movie
A young coming-of-age tale about a teenage boy, Simon Spier, goes through a different kind of Romeo and Juliet story. Simon has a love connection with a boy, Blue, by email, but the only problem is that Simon has no idea who he’s talking to. Simon must discover who that boy is–who Blue is. Along the way, he tries to find himself as well.
Midnight Sun
The Book
Midnight Sun by Trish Cook Published by Hodder Children's Books on September 7th 2017
Pages: 258
Goodreads
Seventeen-year-old Katie Price has a rare disease that makes exposure to even the smallest amount of sunlight deadly. Confined to her house during the day, her company is limited to her widowed father and her best (okay, only) friend. It isn't until after nightfall that Katie's world opens up, when she takes her guitar to the local train station and plays for the people coming and going.
Charlie Reed is a former all-star athlete at a crossroads in his life - and the boy Katie has secretly admired from afar for years. When he happens upon her playing guitar one night, fate intervenes and the two embark on a star-crossed romance.
As they challenge each other to chase their dreams and fall for each other under the summer night sky, Katie and Charlie form a bond strong enough to change them - and everyone around them - forever.
The Movie
Based on the Japanese film, Midnight Sun centers on Katie, a 17-year-old sheltered since childhood and confined to her house during the day by a rare disease that makes even the smallest amount of sunlight deadly. Fate intervenes when she meets Charlie and they embark on a summer romance.
Ready Player One
The Book
Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1) by Ernest Cline Published by Crown Publishers on August 16th 2011
Pages: 374
Goodreads
In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.
The Movie
In the year 2045, the real world is a harsh place. The only time Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) truly feels alive is when he escapes to the OASIS, an immersive virtual universe where most of humanity spends their days. In the OASIS, you can go anywhere, do anything, be anyone-the only limits are your own imagination. The OASIS was created by the brilliant and eccentric James Halliday (Mark Rylance), who left his immense fortune and total control of the Oasis to the winner of a three-part contest he designed to find a worthy heir. When Wade conquers the first challenge of the reality-bending treasure hunt, he and his friends-aka the High Five-are hurled into a fantastical universe of discovery and danger to save the OASIS.
The Kissing Booth
The Book
The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles Published by RHCP Digital on December 13th 2012
Pages: 448
Goodreads
Meet Rochelle Evans: pretty, popular--and never been kissed. Meet Noah Flynn: badass, volatile--and a total player. And also Elle's best friend's older brother...
When Elle decides to run a kissing booth for the school's Spring Carnival, she locks lips with Noah and her life is turned upside down. Her head says to keep away, but her heart wants to draw closer--this romance seems far from fairy tale and headed for heartbreak.
But will Elle get her happily ever after?
The Movie
When Elle Evans (Joey King), a pretty, late-bloomer who’s never-been-kissed, decides to run a kissing booth at her high school’s Spring Carnival, she unexpectedly finds herself locking lips with her secret crush- the ultimate bad boy, Noah Flynn (Jacob Elordi). Sparks fly, but there’s one little problem: Noah just happens to be the brother of her best friend, Lee, (Joel Courtney) and is absolutely off limits according to the rules of their friendship pact. Elle’s life is turned upside down when she realizes that she must ultimately make a choice: follow the rules or follow her heart. Based on Beth Reekle’s self-published coming-of-age novel that became an international sensation, THE KISSING BOOTH is a Netflix Film, written and directed by Vince Marcello.
The Darkest Minds
The Book
The Darkest Minds (The Darkest Minds, #1) by Alexandra Bracken Published by Disney Hyperion on December 18th 2012
Pages: 488
Goodreads
When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that had killed most of America’s children, but she and the others emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they could not control.
Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones. When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. She is on the run, desperate to find the only safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who have escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents. When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at having a life worth living.
The Movie
After a disease killed 98% of children and young people in the United States, the 2% who managed to survive have developed superpowers, but have been locked in internment camps after being declared a threat. 16-year-old, Ruby, manages to escape from her camp and joins a group of teenagers fleeing government forces
To All the Boys I Loved Before
The Book
To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, #1) by Jenny Han on April 15th 2014
Pages: 355
Goodreads
What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them…all at once?
Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.
The Movie
Lara Jean Covey writes letters to all of her past loves, the letters are meant for her eyes only. Until one day when all the love letters are sent out to her previous loves. Her life is soon thrown into chaos when her foregoing loves confront her one by one.
The House with the Clock in its Walls
The Book
The House with a Clock in Its Walls (Lewis Barnavelt, #1) by John Bellairs, Edward Gorey on January 1st 1970
Goodreads
John Bellairs, the name in Gothic mysteries for middle graders, wrote terrifying tales full of adventure, attitude, and alarm. For years, young readers have crept, crawled, and gone bump in the night with the unlikely heroes of these Gothic novels: Lewis Barnavelt, Johnny Dixon, and Anthony Monday. Now, the ten top-selling titles feature an updated cover look. Loyal fans and enticed newcomers will love the series even more with this haunting new look!
The Movie
Lewis Barnavelt, after losing his parents, is sent to Michigan to live with his uncle Jonathan. He discovers his uncle is a warlock, and enters a world of magic and sorcery. But this power is not limited to good people: Lewis learns of Isaac Izard, an evil wizard who constructed a magical clock with black magic, as long as it exists it will keep ticking, counting down to doomsday. He died before he could finish the clock, but he hid the clock in his house, where Uncle Jonathan now lives. Now Lewis and Jonathan must find the clock before it finishes its countdown and ends the world.
The Hate U Give
The Book
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Published by Balzer + Bray on February 28th 2017
Pages: 444
Goodreads
A three-time winner of Goodreads Choice Awards
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.
Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.
But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.
The Movie
Starr Carter is constantly switching between two worlds: the poor, mostly black, neighborhood where she lives and the rich, mostly white, prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressures from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what’s right.
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
The Book
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms: The Secret of the Realms: An Extended Novelization by Walt Disney Company Published by Disney Press on September 18th 2018
Pages: 320
Goodreads
This dazzling novel will not only retell the moving story from The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, but half of the book will expand and explore the world of the Walt Disney Studios film with brand-new, exclusive content. Complete with beautiful full-page chapter opener illustrations and never-before-seen details that add new depth to the story, this novel will have readers eager to step into the resplendent world of The Nutcracker and the Four Realms for generations to come.
The Movie
All Clara wants is a key – a one-of-a-kind key that will unlock a box that holds a priceless gift from her late mother. A golden thread, presented to her at godfather Drosselmeyer’s annual holiday party, leads her to the coveted key-which promptly disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world. It’s there that Clara encounters a soldier named Phillip, a gang of mice and the regents who preside over three Realms: Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers, and Land of Sweets. Clara and Phillip must brave the ominous Fourth Realm, home to the tyrant Mother Ginger, to retrieve Clara’s key and hopefully return harmony to the unstable world.
Dumplin’
The Book
Dumplin' by Julie Murphy Published by Balzer + Bray on September 15th 2015
Pages: 375
Goodreads
Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked…until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.
Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.
With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine—Dumplin’ is guaranteed to steal your heart.
The Movie
Willowdean (‘Dumplin’), the plus-size teenage daughter of a former beauty queen, signs up for her mom’s Miss Teen Bluebonnet pageant as a protest that escalates when other contestants follow her footsteps, revolutionizing the pageant and their small Texas town.
Mortal Engines
The Book
Mortal Engines (The Hungry City Chronicles, #1) by Philip Reeve Published by Harper Collins US UK on September 1st 2004
Pages: 373
Goodreads
"It was a dark, blustery afternoon in spring, and the city of London was chasing a small mining town across the dried-out bed of the old North Sea."
The great traction city London has been skulking in the hills to avoid the bigger, faster, hungrier cities loose in the Great Hunting Ground. But now, the sinister plans of Lord Mayor Mangus Crome can finally unfold.
Thaddeus Valentine, London's Head Historian and adored famous archaeologist, and his lovely daughter, Katherine, are down in The Gut when the young assassin with the black scarf strikes toward his heart, saved by the quick intervention of Tom, a lowly third-class apprentice. Racing after the fleeing girl, Tom suddenly glimpses her hideous face: scarred from forehead to jaw, nose a smashed stump, a single eye glaring back at him. "Look at what your Valentine did to me!" she screams. "Ask him! Ask him what he did to Hester Shaw!" And with that she jumps down the waste chute to her death. Minutes later Tom finds himself tumbling down the same chute and stranded in the Out-Country, a sea of mud scored by the huge caterpillar tracks of cities like the one now steaming off over the horizon.
In a stunning literary debut, Philip Reeve has created a painful dangerous unforgettable adventure story of surprises, set in a dark and utterly original world fueled by Municipal Darwinism -- and betrayal.
The Movie
A mysterious young woman, Hester Shaw, emerges as the only one who can stop a giant, predator city on wheels devouring everything in its path. Feral, and fiercely driven by the memory of her mother, Hester joins forces with Tom Natsworthy, an outcast from London, along with Anna Fang, a dangerous outlaw with a bounty on her head.
Out of 14 YA Adaptations this year I’ve watched 7 of them and read NONE of them.
Have any of you watched or read these? What did you think?
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41 Comments
This title is pure genius! 🙂 I’ve been meaning to read Maze Runner and I have Everyday on my TBR shelf 😮
Haha thank you! My boyfriend said I should change it but I was like NAH THIS IS GOLD haha. I have more I keep meaning to watch/read. Story of my life.
I loved To All The Boys I Loved with all my heart. And I also really really liked Crazy Rich Asians! Kissing Booth was a disappointment for me, but I’m glad you loved it!
I really need to watch Crazy Rich Asians! It’s been on my list, definitely one of the next I’ll be watching <3
I think this was the most thorough Book to Movie adaptation posts I have seen yet! You had a lot on here that people forgot about. Great job :]
Thank you!! There were even more I had to remove (ones that weren’t YA) because it was just too much!
Oh I can only imagine! How do you stay on top of so many releases? Like how do you hear about them?
I read other posts about them, see the hype on Twitter, I also search every month for my blog posts 🙂
Awesome 🙂
Not gonna lie, I went into the theatre with my friend expecting to ROAST Every Day the entire time, but we actually ended up loving it! Granted, it wasn’t the beeest movie we’ve ever watched (and it had it’s select cringey moments) but it was still pretty good! Loved this post 🙂
Thank you! I’m quite easy going when it comes to movies, and tend to enjoy even when I try and roast them haha
I wanted to watch all of these! I have seen To All The Boys and RPO (my husband LOVES that one) and The Maze Runner and that’s about it. I’ve got Dumplin’ on my list next though.
Dumplin’ was soooo good! I hope you get to it soon!
Awesome list! I adored the TATBILB movie and death cure adaptation! I was especially shocked by the matter since I wasn’t a huge fan of the book at all! Haha
Haha I need to finish watching that series, I’ve only watched a few of them. Thank you!
I didn’t enjoy The Maze Runner not The Darkest Minds but apparently they changed quite a few things compared to the books (haven’t read them yet). I was really let down by Ready Player One, it’s one of my favorite books and I was hoping Spielberg would nail it, but no it felt super young, didn’t enjoy it.
I absolutely loved both To All The Boys I’ve Loved before and Love, Simon, they were so good! Haven’t read the books either but I feel like the movies were enough 🙂
I feel like it’s so hard to get sci fi and fantasy adaptations to work right! So often they’re wrong. Contemporaries are easier as there isn’t world building etc.
It’s true, and I guess for SFF all the readers have their own vision of the world built in their mind so more expectations too
Yes that’s so true!
Ugh, it hurts. Especially ” A Wrinkle in Time”
Some did ok though! Death Cure and Maze Runner particularly
Yeah that film was really…. special? I don’t know but I wish I could get that time back haha
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I really have to catch up with the movies! I haven’t watched any of these yet. xD Great list!
haha thank you! I hope you enjoy them if you get to them!
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Love, Simon and The Hate U Give are my favorites from this year! They were amazing adaptations! I still want to see To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before! Hopefully soon!
Let me know if you like it! I need to watch The Hate U Give!!
I didn’t realise Love, Simon and Dumplin’ were books! I’m always on the lookout for new ones. There have been some good YA adaptations this year! Loved To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, I’ve even got the first book now, I just had to have the book! Need to pick up the other two. A great list here!
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Thank you! Yes they are! I haven’t read them yet myself but fully intend to… someday haha.
I saw Love, Simon, The Hate You Give, Dumplin, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Death Cure, A Wrinkle in Time, Four Realms, and The Kissing Booth. Four of them will be on my top 20 movies of 2018 list. I have no read of the book versions but the movies were enjoyable.
I keep meaning to read them but haven’t managed to find the time yet!
I have seen a few of them.
Dumplin , To all the boys I have loved before and Every Day….!!
(They were so so so so good.) especially every day.💗💗
Ahhh I need to watch Every day!! Glad you liked it!
Omg yes The Death Cure, Love Simon and TATBILB were superb and magical 😍 I am still yet to watch THUG and Dumplin though!
I haven’t watched THUG yet either! I missed the secret screening Cineworld did and I was so gutted
It didn’t come in the cinemas near me at all :((
I’m not sure it came out here other than the secret screening
I can match only Ready Player One as both a book and film I’ve read and seen.
For a handful of others, it’s one or the other, mostly the books.
One of the favors the film industry does for this older reader who DOESN’T follow YA books until they’re pointed out to him is to draw attention to classic or well-known YA books I probably should know at least something about.
Case in point: The House with the Clock in Its Walls. I was completely unaware of Mr. Bellairs’ vast empire, and I look forward to discovering it, THEN seeing the film.
What did you think of the film version of Wrinkle in Time? Thumbs up or down?
As for the Disney Nutcracker, that strikes me as utterly over-the-top pandering to pseudo-steampunk, but I’m inherently skeptical of things Disney until I simply have to surrender and love some of them — like Disneyland, itself, with all its compromises.
I didn’t know about Moving Engines, either, but I’ll look up the book. Reading reviews of the film, it sounds
Thanks very much for following Under Western Skies, and happy reading and reviewing.
I thought A Wrinkle in Time was… interesting? I didn’t enjoy it a whole bunch to be honest. I haven’t read the book either so I can’t really compare the two! How did you find Ready Player One? Which did you prefer? Same, I rarely watch and read both, though to be honest that’s more because I have to wait a while between the two or I’ll be bored!
Thank you for the comment!
As for Ready Player One, read the book. Recommended. I’m 50 years older than the target audience, but it rocked.
I’ll deffo check it out!