Catching Fire Trailer

The movie adaptation of Catching Fire, sequel to The Hunger Games, comes to theaters on November 22!!

Check out the trailer:



We can't wait to see this one - my husband, son, and I all loved this trilogy.

Did you read Catching Fire? Are you looking forward to the movie?

P.S. Remember that Great Books for Kids and Teens is now on Facebook! Like the page and you can keep up with posts and reviews and enjoy chatting with other book lovers!

The Book Thief Movie Preview!

I'm so excited!!

One of my all-time favorite books, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, has been made into a movie! I've read the book twice myself and recently gave it to my 14-year old cousin who loves historical fiction and is fascinated by World War II for her birthday. Check out the official movie trailer:



I think it looks sooo good! I can't wait to see it....January!

What do you think? Does the trailer look good to you? Will you see the movie?

Teen/YA Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

In celebration of Banned Books Week, I read a classic teen/YA novel that is always high on the list of banned books, The Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. I don’t know how I missed this wonderful novel for so long! I devoured it in just a few days and felt like I got to know the characters intimately and lived in their world.

The entire novel is written through a series of letters that the main character, Charlie, writes to an anonymous “friend.” This is someone Charlie doesn’t know personally but overhead a classmate talking about, and he starts writing to him to ease his anxiety over starting high school. Charlie has good reason to feel anxious. His only real friend from middle school committed suicide, leaving Charlie mourning, confused, and alone.

Charlie describes his days at high school in a way that is familiar to anyone who went to high school…the cliques, the social pressures, the desire to be liked, and the insecurities. He also talks about his family – his mom, dad, older brother who has just left for college, and his older sister who is a senior in high school. Charlie’s family seems very ordinary; he loves them and they love him, but they can drive him crazy at times. His descriptions of holiday dinners with extended family are especially amusing for anyone who has a dysfunctional family of their own!

One evening at a football game, Charlie recognizes a boy from his shop class, a boy known by his classmates as Nothing. Charlie sits down next to him and begins talking with him (finding out his real name is Patrick) and gets to know his stepsister, Sam, too. Although Charlie can be very quirky at times, Patrick and Sam have their own reasons for not quite fitting in, and they all become friends, eventually pulling Charlie into their own group of friends until he finally feels like he belongs.

Charlie himself admits that one of his problems is that he thinks too much, and that is part of what makes his narration so irresistible. He analyzes everything (who didn’t in high school?), wonders about everything, and questions everything. His English teacher, who gives him extra books to read all year long, tells him he needs to participate in life more, but Charlie feels there are some advantages to being a wallflower, always quietly observing the world around him.

This quintessential coming-of-age novel follows Charlie through his entire freshman year, as he experiences all those things familiar to many high schoolers: dances, first dates, the ups and downs of friendships, drugs and drinking, and the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Adding to the fun are ample references to music (mix tapes – it’s set in 1991!), movies, and literature. He writes to his anonymous friend with open candor about his hopes and fears, all that is happening around him, and all that confuses him. Along the way, he grows and learns more about himself and how to feel comfortable in the world. And the reader goes along for the ride, laughing, cringing, crying, and, ultimately, caring about Charlie on his wild ride through his first year of high school.

213 pages, Gallery Books (Simon & Schuster)

Why has it been banned? Ah, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a censor’s dream! It has a bit of everything – sex, drugs, yup – rock ‘n roll, too! There is also homosexuality, swearing, and sexual abuse. All of it is dealt with in a very frank, almost innocent, way, as Charlie tries to figure things out for himself.

P.S. Now that I’ve read the book, I want to see the movie, though I am a bit leery after loving the book so much. I can see from the movie photo on the cover that the characters don’t look as described in the book which drives me crazy in a book adaptation…but I have heard that the movie is excellent (including from my son!), so I look forward to giving it a try.

 

Ender's Game Movie Trailer

The trailer for the movie adaptation of Orson Scott Card's highly acclaimed novel, Ender's Game, was recently released. I first read Ender's Game about 25 years ago, based on the recommendation of my husband (then boyfriend!), and I loved it and went on to read the entire series. My oldest son, now 18, read it a few years ago, and he loved it, too. So, we are all very excited that they have finally made a movie out of this fabulous book!

Here's the trailer:



I didn't realize that Harrison Ford and Ben Kingsley were starring in it - looks like it should be good! Its release date is 11/1/13 - can't wait!

Top 10 Anticipated 2013 Books-to-Movies

Publisher's Weekly published their list of Ten Most Anticipated Book Adaptations of 2013 this week - take a look.

I decided to post the list here because many of these movie adaptations are based on teen/YA books! It looks like the paranormal/supernatural trend is still in high gear!!

I haven't read most of these, but our family is looking forward to Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, Catching Fire, and - of course - The Hobbit #2. 

But we are most excited about the movie adaptation of Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card!  My husband and I both read this novel for the first time about 25 years ago, so we've been waiting a long time! It's a favorite of our older son, too.

Which movie adaptations are you most looking forward to in 2013?

Happy Birthday, Robert Louis Stevenson!

Robert Louis Stevenson was born on this day in 1850, so happy birthday to him!  That would make him...uh...162 if he were still alive today (yeah, I had to bring up the calculator!).

Stevenson was a talented writer.  We read Treasure Island aloud to our two sons a couple of times when they were younger; it is a favorite book at our house!

We also greatly enjoyed watching Disney's 1950 movie adaptation starring Robert Newton as Long John Silver - dozens and dozens of time!  It was one of our sons' favorite movies, and Ken and I enjoyed it, too.  In fact, I included it in a round-up of great pirate products for Family Fun magazine in 2005.  And, of course, the Muppets starred in a pretty good adaptation of the novel, too!

I do think, though, that Treasure Island is the only Stevenson book I ever read.  In fact, I was surprised when  looked him up on amazon and discovered that he also wrote Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - I've seen stage productions of that one but have never read it.  And, of course, he also wrote A Children's Garden of Verses, but I don't think I read that one either.

What are your favorite Robert Louis Stevenson works?  Happy Birthday, Robert!

             

The Book Thief Comes to Life!

The wildly popular YA novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, which sold over 2.5 million copies  in the U.S. and many more overseas, has been adapted for the stage.

This New York Times article explains how the best-selling book - which was one of the biggest YA-adult stand-alone cross-over novels of all time - came to be adapted as a stage production.  It is currently running as a young adult production at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater through November 11.  I wish I lived there so I could go see it!

And....it is also being adapted as a movie, though no word yet on when that might come out - sounds like they are just getting started.

Did you read The Book Thief?  I loved it -you can check out my own review here.  Are you lucky enough to live in the Chicago area?  If so, will you go see it?  I wish I could!

The Hunger Games movie

Yes, we finally went to see The Hunger Games movie last night, and I am dying to talk about it!

Our whole family read the book (and loved it, of course) - here is my review.  Craig, our 14-year old, got to see the movie the first day it came out, with his entire English class on a field trip, but the rest of us hadn't seen it yet.  We are visiting my father-in-law in Oklahoma and finally had some free time to go to the movies yesterday (a rarity for us!).

Within the first 10 minutes of the movie, I was already crying, and Jamie, my 17-year old son, was whispering to me, "I just have to read the whole series again!" (and of course, also making fun of me for crying!).  In fact, I cried three times during the movie, even though I knew what to expect after reading the book.

I thought they did a fabulous job of adapting the book into a movie; it was obvious that Suzanne Collins co-wrote the screenplay and advised on production.  The casting was perfect - every character just seemed to match my mental images.  I especially liked Stanley Tucci as the MC, Caeser Flickerman, with his blue hair and wild enthusiasm.  And, of course, the actors in the main roles of Katniss, Peeta, and Gale were just wonderful.  Lenny Kravitz was an unusual but inspired choice for Cinna.

I loved seeing the Capitol and all of its superficial people brought to life - it was just amazing eye candy!  And, even though I knew what was going to happen, the action in the arena was still horrifying and compelling.

So, overall, a big thumbs up from my family.  Those two and a half hours passed by very quickly (other than my full bladder by the end!).  We can't wait to see Catching Fire!

What did you think of the movie?

First Peek at Hunger Games Movie Trailer!

Eeek!!  My 17-year old son, Jamie, and I watched the first movie trailer for The Hunger Games last night.  It looks so good!!  We can't wait!  March is too far away.



What do you think?

First Look at Gale and Peeta in Hunger Games Movie

Entertainment Weekly is publishing a first peek at the actors playing Gale and Peeta:

They both look fairly close to how I imagined the characters, although I didn't picture Peeta quite so buff (he is, after all, a baker's son and specializes in decorating cakes).

What do you think?

Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, book and movie

Last week was Harry Potter week at our house (and probably in many other houses, too!).   I re-read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for the second time, and our whole family went to see the final movie at the theater on Sunday.  We don’t get out to the movie theater very often, but for years we have made sure to catch the annual Harry Potter movie, no matter what.  There’s not much I can say about the book or movie that hasn’t already been said, but I thought I’d just share some of my own thoughts on both.

If you haven’t read a Harry Potter book in a while (or…gasp…have never read one), I urge you to pick one up.  I had forgotten what an amazing writer J.K. Rowling is, how she has the ability to make her pretend world seem more real than your real world.  Her books are exciting and fast-paced, of course, but they are also imbibed with a wonderful, subtle sense of humor and plenty of warmth.  By this past weekend, I was at the point where I just could not put the book down (even though I’d read it before and knew how it ended!) – that sounds trite, but in reality, there are very few books that can really make me set aside my to-do list and just spend an entire day reading.

The movies have been remarkable also.  As any avid reader knows, the book is always better than the movie, and there is nothing worse than a poorly done movie adaptation of a favorite book.  My husband, older son, and I have all read all of the Harry Potter books, and we have all thoroughly enjoyed the movies as well.  Of course, as with any movie adaptation, especially of such long books, there are many small details missing and other details that need to be changed, but overall, the Harry Potter movies have stuck closely to the original books.  In this case, the movies have been additive, bringing our favorite characters and scenes to life in a way that pays homage to the books.

Harry Potter has been more than a story; it has defined a whole generation, creating a cultural phenomenon never before seen.  Before J.K. Rowling came along, could you even have imagined a book causing hundreds of thousands of fans to line up for hours?  Or bookstores staying open until midnight so that people could buy a book at the exact moment of its release?  Or kids willingly reading 800-page tomes?  Harry Potter caused all of that and more, paving the way for other mega-popular books and midnight release parties (Twilight comes to mind).

 

So, now it’s all over – the last book written, the last movie made.  Will my family ever go to the movies again?  Well, if we ever miss Harry Potter, we’ll find him alive and well on our bookshelves, in seven beautiful hardcover volumes, just waiting to take us back to the world of witchcraft and wizardry.

 

(NOTE:  I thought you might enjoy some more photos from my son’s 8^th birthday when we hosted a Harry Potter party:  there’s Professor Snape presiding over Potions class, Madam Trelawney in Divinations class, and all the kids ready for their Sorting Ceremony.  I also included a few photos on Monday’s post.)

 

Top Ten Kids & Teen Books I'd Like to See Made Into Movies

It's Tuesday and that means it's time for another Top Ten list from The Broke and the Bookish.  This week's topic is Top Ten Books I'd Like to See Made Into Movies.  You can read my list of grown-up movie adaptations I'd like to see at Book By Book.

Here are my family's picks for kids'/teen/YA books we'd like to see made into movies (the first 5 are my picks; the last 5 are my sons' picks):

1. Prism by Faye and Aliza Kellerman – my whole family loved this imaginative dystopian thriller – it would make a great movie.
2. Leviathan and Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld – since I enjoyed studying the books’ amazing illustrations so much, I think the visuals in this steampunk series would make an awesome movie!
3. Wake, Fade, and Gone by Lisa McMann – creepy thrillers with a supernatural twist - would probably have to be rated R.
4. Thunder Over Kandahar by Sharon E. McKay – would make an excellent, action-packed drama about two girls in war-torn Afghanistan. 
5. Pendragon series by D.J. MacHale – my favorite kids/teen series would make great movies, but there’s need to be 10 of them! 

Jamie’s picks:

1. The Fasala Trilogy by Hilari Bell
2. The Cry of the Icemark by Stuart Hill - Jamie says it might already be being made into a movie, but it's his top choice!
3. Deltora Quest series by Emily Rodda - Jamie says it would have to be at least 3 movies.
4. The Book of Time trilogy (book two was The Gate of Days) by Guillame Prevost – he and I both enjoyed this series - all the time travel locations would make for a great movie!
5. Craig says his favorite book, Nick of Time by Ted Bell, would make an exciting action movie.

How about you?  Which kids' or teen/YA books would you like to see made into movies?

Katniss Cast for Hunger Games Movie!

Big news in the teen/YA book world yesterday: 

Lionsgate announced that they have cast Jennifer Lawrence for the role of Katniss in the upcoming movie adaptation of The Hunger Games.

I'm not familiar with Lawrence, but apparently, she was recently nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Winter's Bone, so she's a good actress.  There's already some buzz about the fact that her appearance doesn't match Katniss' description in the book, but Hollywood can usually find a way around that.

If you're interested in more information about the upcoming movie and the casting, Book Page posted a great article on their blog yesterday.

Can't wait for March 2012!