Book to film adaptations are nothing new. Hollywood pours them in, hoping to hit us right in our ’90s kids nostalgic feels. Sometimes it works—like the whole Harry Potter series. Other times it’s just “meh,” like The BFG. While Hollywood is busy brainstorming which childhood memento to turn into the next big blockbuster, here are a few children’s books that would make great films:
“The Magician’s Nephew” by C.S. Lewis
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Most of us remember the live-action version of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”, which is actually only one out of the epic seven-book series, “The Chronicles of Narnia“. “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” is an awesome display of fantasy and special effects, but it threw the audience right into the middle of the Narnia narrative, which is exactly why we need a film adaptation of “The Magician’s Nephew”, the first installment of the Narnia series. It introduces the backstory behind the wardrobe, dimension traveling children and an evil witch who escapes from the wardrobe into the real world—sounds like a solid prequel to me.
“George’s Marvelous Medicine” by Roald Dahl
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Lesser known among Roald Dahl’s classics but still just as dark and eccentric as the rest, “George’s Marvelous Medicine” has the makings for a quirky Wes Anderson remake. The book follows the story of George, who decides to get back at his grumpy grandmother by making her a medicine which results in her growing to superhuman size, only to have his father steal his “marvelous medicine” and use it to supersize their farm animals and make bank. Just the right amount of sarcasm, satire and whimsy, “George’s Marvelous Medicine” deserves a place among the classics such as “Matilda” or “The Witches”.
“Esperanza Rising” by Pam Muñoz Ryan
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Growing up, it was difficult to find period pieces about Latinos in the United States, with the exception of the “Josefina” books published by American Girl, which is why I was extremely excited to read my older sister’s copy of “Esperanza Rising”. For those who haven’t read “Esperanza Rising,” it follows the story of a wealthy family in Mexico who lost all their money and most importantly, their father, in a tragic accident. The title character, Esperanza, and her mother have to come to the United States and work as farm workers in the middle of the Great Depression. It is a beautifully told story, deeply rooted in history that would make for a fantastic drama, not only for children but for adults as well. The fact that many Mexican-Americans can relate to Esperanza’s story makes this book a strong contender for the book to film adaptation process. Lionsgate‘s Latino partners, Pantelion films, should definitely do the adaptation, just sayin’.
This is a story of two siblings looking for a more elegant lifestyle who run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art where they live it up in between antique furniture and world-renowned paintings. As fun as secretly living in a museum is, the two children find themselves in the middle of a controversy surrounding a statue that may or may not be Michaelangelo’s. Mystery, intrigue, humor—how is this not a movie yet?
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Even now as an adult, I appreciate “The Phantom Tollbooth” for its puns (like the watchdog named Tock, see what the author did there?) but also for its sweet message: appreciate the little, seemingly ordinary things in life. Cliche yes, but also adorable. With whimsical characters and an alternate dimension via tollbooth, “The Phantom Tollbooth” deserves a 2016 remake because the 1970 version didn’t come close to the book.
“Walk Two Moons” by Sharon Creech
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Sharon Creech’s books provided deeply personal insights into teen angst, which always hit you right in your pre-teen heart. “Walk Two Moons” is one of these books, in fact, it’s one of Creech’s more heart-wrenching stories. It follows the story of Salamanca Tree Hiddle, a young girl who goes on a road trip with her grandparents to visit her mother’s grave. Along the way she reflects on her difficult relationship with her mother, her father’s depression and comes to terms with her mother’s death. Someone should make this a movie so we can all cry about this story some more.
Another Sharon Creech classic, “Absolutely Normal Chaos” is about Mary Lou Finney (who also happens to be Salamanca’s best friend in “Walk Two Moons”) and the extremely eventful summer she has. From Mary Lou’s strange cousin coming to visit, summer relationships and huge changes in her family life, Mary Lou handles all of this with humor and strength. Due to its real life lessons in loss and change, “Absolutely Normal Chaos” is the kind of coming-of-age film we could have all used.
“Island of the Blue Dolphins” by Scott O’Dell
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“Island of the Blue Dolphins” was a mandatory book in my elementary school and I distinctly remember reading this book and being envious of Karana’s life. She lived alone on an island with her dog and the two would hunt for fish in the ocean and live off abalone. Great, I know. Turns out, “Island of the Blue Dolphins” is much deeper than that. The story is based on a real Native American girl named Karana who resisted European colonization for 18 years after her tribe disappeared. Although the story may not appeal to everyone, “Island of the Blue Dolphins” provides an honest look at the colonization of the United States, which is something Hollywood should strive for with their movies. A film adaptation was released in 1964, but we could definitely use a reboot.
“Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” by Grace Lin
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“Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” is a newer children’s book and most of us were in high school by the time it was published, but it’s still worth mentioning. The book revolves around Minli who goes on an adventure to find The Old Man on the Moon. Along the way she meets magical creatures from the Chinese folk tales her dad tells her, kind of like Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz”. The story is so sweet and full of fantasy that a film adaptation of it would definitely be ranked alongside Hayao Miyazaki’s “Castle in the Sky.”
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OK, so it was barely announced this year that a film adaptation is in the works, but this is too exciting not to mention: Guillermo del Toro announced this year that he will be involved in the film adaptation of “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.” You may remember this series for being responsible for literally ALL of your nightmares growing up, but turns out it’s about to get the film version that it deserves. Del Toro’s fantasy cred from movies such as “Pan’s Labyrinth” combined with author Alvin Schwartz’ retelling of creepy urban legends like “High Beams” are about to give us those same nightmares all over again.
