6 Great Books on the Big Screen

Every author of young adult fiction likely hopes his or her book will be the next big box office success. Until that happens, here are six movies based on great books you can read with your kids.

The Book Thief - A desire to read leads one young girl to a life of thievery in the early days of WWII. After learning to navigate the written word, Liesel Meminger welcomes the escape she finds in it as she and her family face the realities of war.

The Hunger Games - Based on the books by author Suzanne Collins, this movie and its sequel The Hunger Games: Catching Fire introduces audiences to a futuristic world where children are routinely sacrificed in a horrific game. But that changes when Katniss Everdeen picks up her bow.

The Chronicles of Narnia, the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - This first movie in the series is based on the books of C.S. Lewis. Sent to live in the country to avoid WWII bombing raids on the city, four siblings discover a secret door in the back of a wardrobe that leads to the magical world of Narnia.

Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs - It won’t take long to read this children’s storybook before seeing the movie. But with a limited script to work from filmmakers had to get creative to flesh out this story about food that falls from the sky.

Bridge to Terabithia - This 2007 film stars a young Josh Hutcherson of The Hunger Games fame and AnnaSophia Robb from The Soul Surfer in the adaptation of the classic children’s book. The story introduces two friends who create a world of their own using their imagination and artistic abilities.

Anne of Green Gables - A spunky redheaded orphan turns the world of her adoptive family upside down when she comes to live with a soft-spoken bachelor and his strong-willed sister. Despite her best intentions, Anne’s romantic notions and active imagination soon put this new arrival in one predicament after another.