Five YA Books That Would Make Awesome Movies

Since the success at the box-office for Harry Potter and Twilight, we’ve been seeing a huge increase in book-to-movie adaptations. Some are outstanding adaptations and some not so much, but every one is met with huge excitement from the fans. Down below is a list of five YA books which I think movie studies should jump at, because these books have fantastic potential and would be great to see on the big screen.

Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour

By Morgan Matson

First up on the list is Morgan Matson’s fantastic 2010 contemporary novel. The book follows Amy Curry as she travels across America from California to meet up with her mom at their new home in Connecticut. Joining Amy on her trip is childhood friend Roger Sullivan, and shortly after the trip starts, Amy & Roger decide to make the drive a little more fun and veer off on a slight detour. This book is absolutely loaded with great character development, heartwarming scenes, and heartbreaking scenes which have the potential to translate so beautifully to the big screen.

Eragon

By Christopher Paolini

This one is sort of a cheat because, as fans of the series will remember, Eragon was already made into a movie once. But since that movie had pretty much no similarity to the book and has since been wildly ignored by ardent fans, I figure that it could make for one incredible reboot. Christopher Paolini wrote this book when he was only 15, and the series of four books has gone on to receive numerous awards. Eragon follows the eponymous character, a young boy who happens upon a dragon egg whilst hunting in the woods, and we watch as Eragon travels the land to learn the ways of the Dragon Riders.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

By Laini Taylor

Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone is packed with incredible characters and an epic plot. So much goes on within this fantasy novel in which 16 year old Karou has been raised by Chimaera and can travel through dimensions through the front door of her house. Pretty crazy, and pretty difficult to explain, but this story has the potential to make an absolutely stunning movie, and to top it off, it’s set in the beautiful city of Prague.

Harken

By Kaleb Nation

This lesser known YA novel was written by Kaleb Nation in 2013, and follows teenager Michael Asher as he escapes an assassination attempt and tries to uncover the truth about why someone tried to kill him. The only person who can help him might already be dead, and underneath it all, Michael learns of terrifying conspiracy reaching higher than any earthly power. Lizard people and explosions fill this book, and it’s a lot of fun to read.

The Heroes of Olympus Series

By Rick Riordan

Lastly, not just a book, but a series. We’ve already seen a couple of attempts at adapting the Percy Jackson books into film, and they haven’t ever really hit the mark. But what about The Heroes of Olympus? In my opinion, I think that it’d be easier to stick true to the books with the characters being older (producers wouldn’t have to look for young actors or alter the ages) and the plot being more towards YA than MG. Hopefully one day we’ll see Rick Riordan’s epic Greek and Roman Mythology books hit the big screen!

Let me know in the comments what you think. Do you agree with these five books, and are there any others you would add?