Books into Movies 2014: Pam's Take

Several of the highly touted films for this fall are based on books. Increasingly Young Adult books are the source of these films, which leads our Pam to both delight and despair:  delight when one is well adapted and despair when it isn’t.  Pam loves both YA books and movies, so she’s the perfect source for opinions.  Anyone who knows Pam knows that she isn’t afraid to speak her mind, so here are some of her takes on some recent YA films from books:

The Giver, starring Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Brenton Thwaites, and Katie Holmes

Young Jonas has a perfect life in a perfect world.  No war. No fear. No pain. Life is worry free because every person is assigned a particular occupation within the community, leaving no room for competition or trouble. When Jonas meets an elderly man called the Giver, his life changes forever as he begins to see the world is not quite what he had believed it to be.

The movie was based on the classic book The Giver by Lois Lowry.  The book won the Newbery Award when it came out in 1993 and has been a favorite ever since. Lowry has since written three other books set in the same society, Gathering Blue, Messenger and Son.

Pam:  Oh, the disappointment!! I had such high hopes for this film.  The book is wonderful, and they somehow just didn’t get it right.  The age of the kids was a problem for me—they’re much younger in the book—and they changed the ending completely.  Read the book. 

The Maze Runner, starring Dylan O’Brien, Aml Ameen, Ki Hong Lee

When Thomas awakens in the middle of a maze with a group of guys he does not know, he is disturbed to discover that he has no recollection of how he got there or anything else from his past. What Thomas does know is that the maze is not a place for fun or comfort. In this dystopian young adult novel, the group will be forced to survive the horrors that rest inside the maze, all while figuring out how, and if, they can escape.  

The Maze Runner by James Dasher is the first of a trilogy, and based on the reception of the first film, we can expect adaptations of the other two books, Scorch Trials and The Death Cure. Dasher has also written a prequel to The Maze Runner entitled Kill Order.  

Pam: This is, hands down, the BEST adaptation of a YA book to film.  It’s better than the Hunger Games.  I knew this one was going to be big. For one thing, Dylan O’Brien is very popular and a very good little actor.  For another thing, it’s a boy’s movie.  So many of the dystopian books have featured female main characters, and this one doesn’t.  It’s easier to draw boys into this one.  The acting was exceptional, and the story really moved.  You were right there with that kid all the way. It is a great, great movie.  Now, some of my kids who read the book were disappointed because the movie left some things out, but I thought it was great.  Really, the book is another take on Lord of the Flies.  If I were an English teacher today, I’d have the kids read those two books together.  Highly, highly recommended!

If I Stay, starring Chloe Grace Moretz

Mia Hall’s life is drastically changed after a car accident puts her in a coma. An out-of-body experience lets Mia see just how different her life will be if she chooses to wake up. Will she choose to accept her fate or will she choose an unknown future that will be completely different from her previous life? 

The movie is based on the book of the same title by Gayle Forman and has been embraced by a lot of teen readers as well as their parents. There is a sequel, Where She Went.

Pam:  I was pleased with this one as a whole.  It was true to the spirit of the book and Chloe did a good job with the part.  

Mockingjay, Part 1 starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Donald Sutherland, Philip Seymour Hoffman

The adaptation of the final book of the Hunger Games trilogy, as if you didn’t know! Katniss has survived the Hunger Games twice, but now she faces an even greater test with even higher odds.  The Capital blames her for the unrest and intends to punish not just Katniss but those she loves. With Peeta held hostage, Katriss must decide how much she is willing to sacrifice.

Many credit Suzanne Collins with starting the recent wave of dystopian YA novels; after all, The Hunger Games was not only a best-seller but was the basis for a blockbuster movie.  The sequels, Catching Fire and Mockingjay both proved equally popular in print and film—so popular that the final book is split into two movies, with part one scheduled for November 2014 and part two for 2015.  

Pam:  I’m really curious about this one.  Mockingjay was my least favorite book in this series, but the trailer looks really good.  I have enjoyed the Hunger Games movies.  I think they’ve done a good job with them.  Now, another film I’m looking forward to is Insurgent, based on the second book in the Veronica Roth dystopian series (Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant). Insurgent was my favorite book in that series, but the movie doesn’t come out until 2015.  They did a pretty good job with the first one, and Shailene Woodley is a fine actor. She gave a good performance in The Fault in Our Stars, which was another good YA movie and of course she nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in The Descendants.

Read 'Em Before You See 'Em: Young Adult Books

The rush to turn Young Adult books into movies has not abated! Many adults are discovering that YA books can definitely be worth reading:  a good book is a good book. Here are some upcoming movies based on YA books coming to a theater near you:

·         “If I Stay” is the story of a young woman who is in a coma after an accident. She sees her life as it was, where she is now, and must make a choice: to face a very different life or to go to the light. The book (and its sequel, Where She Went) is by Gayle Forman and is a teen favorite.  The movie opens August 22.

·          “The Maze Runner” is based on the YA series by James Dasher.  Thomas awakens in a glade inside a maze, but has no memory of anything before.  He’s one of a group of boys struggling to survive and to find a way out in this futuristic movie due in theatres this September.  It joins the very popular “Hunger Games” and “Divergent” series as a big budget movie with strong teen following. It’s coming to theaters September 19.

·         Speaking of “Hunger Games,” the final book has been split into two movies.  “Mockingjay, Part I” is scheduled for release on Nov. 21.

·         “The Giver” stars Jeff Bridges in an adaptation of the award-winning book by Lois Lowry.  Jonas lives in a seeming idyllic community where everyone gets along and there is no war or suffering. Then he is singled out to be given the memories and secrets of his world from an old man known as The Giver.  The book came out in 1993 and became an instant classic. Let’s hope the movie does it justice! We’ll find out starting August 15.

·         “White Bird in a Blizzard” is based on the novel by Laura Kasischke. Sixteen year old Evie is trying to move into adulthood, struggling to escape the tightly proscribed world her parents have created.  Then her mother disappears. Shailene Woodley and Christopher Meloni star, and the opening is scheduled for September 25.

        While YA books seem to be the most prized for movies, children’s books have made their own impression.  Recent titles turned into film have included “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” and William Joyce’s "Epic" which was based on his book The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs.   Next up will be “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” based on the book by poet Judith Viorst. Viorst wrote the book after noticing that  her youngest son, Alexander, was prone to having "bad days."  The book became a musical play, and now it's going to be a movie.   Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner star in the family comedy which opens October 10.

YA books too good to miss!

Teen books aren’t just for teens anymore!  There have been a number of YA and children’s books which have attracted an adult audience:  Rowling’s Harry Potter series, Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series and the gritty, realistic books by Ellen Hopkins. Teen Librarian Pam Neal joined the Nevermore Book to talk about some new teen books too good to miss:

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare is the first in the “Mortal Instruments” series.  Clary is an average teenager living an average life until the night she witnesses an apparent murder except that the victim disappears.  She soon discovers that she’s seeing people no one else does, and that there’s a “Shadow World” all around us.  This new urban fantasy series has fans panting for the next installment; a movie is in the works.

Themes in fiction often follow real world events.  In the last few years, the news has been dominated by the rise and fall of governments as well as questions about the relationship between government and the governed so it’s not surprising that books in which people question the status quo are filling the best seller lists.  Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins has been the most successful so far, but here are two up and comers:

Divergent by Veronica Roth is set in a future society where people are divided up into factions.  At age 16, each person has to chose a faction and competes for the right to join that faction; the catch is that the person also remains there for the rest of his or her life—even if it means leaving your family behind forever.  As Beatrice struggles to find where she belongs, she also discovers that the “perfect society” may not be quite so perfect.

Can you imagine a world where love would be considered a disease?  Lauren Oliver does just that in Delirium.  Lena is perfectly content to undergo the operation that will cure her of deliria (love), and to have her occupation and husband chosen for her.  Then she meets a young man named Alex and her world will never be the same.  Oliver has won praise not just for her imaginative world, but for her lyrical writing.

Just in case futuristic societies are not your cup of tea, there’s If I Stay by Gayle Forman about a young girl who suddenly becomes aware she is watching the aftermath of a horrific car accident—and she is one of the victims.  While her body remains in a coma, Mia considers her options and remembers her life with her family while she tries to decide if she wants to live or die.

Another member of Nevermore wanted to recommend some “children’s books” which adults love too.  Goodnight, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian tells the story of a young Londoner evacuated to the English countryside in the days before World War II.  Willie is a shy child, abused by his mother who is at first bewildered and overwhelmed by his new situation.  As he gradually bonds with his new guardian, Mr. Tom, he begins to blossom and Mr. Tom grows to love his charge.  After Willie is sent back to London, Mr. Tom becomes increasingly concerned when he doesn’t hear from the child.  Magorian does a wonderful job of portraying the relationship between a gruff old man and a frightened child as well as depicting England in the late 1930s.

There are a number of other wonderful children’s/YA books out there and we’ll spotlight some in future posts.  In the meantime, just ask Pam for other recommendations!