ModCloth has a great list of books, from a quality picture book to a Pulitzer Prize winner, that are not movies but should be. I am also amazed that The Catcher in the Rye isn’t a movie starring some young, hunky-but-sensitive, guy. But please don’t make it into a musical! For the full post, please click here to go to ModCloth’s blog. It’s a fun post!
p.s. I added my own comments with an “*.”
Books That Should Be Made IntoMovies
10. Suttree by Cormac McCarthy
At once dramatic and comedic, and sprinkled with flashbacks enough to make it an intriguing film, this book wanders through the story of a man who gave up his wealth for life as a fisherman on the Tennessee River. [adult novel]
9. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
It’s hard to believe that this much-revered novel, the tale of teenager Holden Caulfield’s angst and confusion, hasn’t yet been adapted for film. [young adult, ages 14 and up]
* I can picture Rob Pattison as Holden Caulfield … what do you think? Any other nominees for the lead role? This is a great book for High School! In fact, it should be mandatory reading for all rebels without a clue!
8. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
Although this novel was once slated to become a film, the project has since been dropped. So, we’re still waiting to see a visual recreation of this memoir, a document of Eggers’ attempts to start a magazine, raise a younger sibling, and come to terms with life after his parents’ death. [adult memoir]
7. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
Even though Sedaris declined to follow through with making this book into a film, we still think a motion picture of this witty book, which speaks of Sedaris’ Raleigh-based childhood and years in Normandy, France, would have us laughing up a hurricane. [adult humor]
6. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
This childhood delight, our favorite touching tale about an anthropomorphic donkey who finds a wish-granting stone, is a great candidate for claymation or Pixar. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
* Shrek is also by William Steig and the picture book is nothing like the movie but rather more of a shell of the movie.
5. Midnight’s Children: A Novel by Salman Rushdie
A telepathic narrator, other magically gifted kids, a newly independent India struggling to solidify its identity, delicious mango pickles – this book has all the fixing for cooking up one heck of a film. [adult magic realism]
4. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
There’s been much anticipation surrounding a potential eponymous film for this novel, but it’s yet to happen. Nonetheless, this futuristic fragment of fiction, where hyper-talented young kids are trained to fight virtual aliens in an elaborate game, would surely be a hit if only it were finessed into a film. [young adult, ages 12 and up]
3. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
Reportedly a film ‘in development,’ we’ve yet to see an adaptation of this book mapped onto movie reels. There’s no doubt in our minds, however, that this can’t-put-it-down novel, which follows immigrant Joe Kavalier and his cousin Sam Clay through the jungle of comic book stardom, and even includes a scene with Salvador Dalí in a scuba suit, would be just as gripping on the screen as it is on the page. [adult Jewish historical fiction]
2. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
Imagine how great it would be to see this fantastical tale—dazzled with characters drawn up into the sky, dreams of mirror cities, and six generations’ worth of wonder—made into a movie?
* That would be quite an undertaking but maybe the same director as Like Water for Chocolate could handle it? That magical realism might be hard to capture. But it’s also so long, might have to be a made-for-tv mini-series! [young adult, ages 14 and up]
1. The Giver by Lois Lowry
With a Wizard of Oz-like transition from black and white to color, spanned out over the story of a young boy facing the decision of whether or not to leave his ‘utopian’ society, this story would be incredible if done well as a film. [young adult, ages 12 and up]
* Just please don’t cast Tom Cruise in it! It needs acting heavy weights!
p.s. Related posts:
Top 10: Best Family Movies with Meaning
Top 100: Best Movies Based on Books
Best Books For Teens Who Read 2 to 3 Grades Below
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BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 is a book that I created to highlight books written by authors who share the same marginalized identity as the characters in their books.
Great list – haven’t read all of the books here, but the ones I have, like Me Talk Pretty One Day and A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius are amazing.
Thank you for your great additions!!!