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21 Hot YA Novels to Read Before They're Movies

YA Novels Becoming Movies

21 Hot YA Novels to Read Before They're Movies

YA Novels Becoming Movies
Image Source: Disney

I barely have to utter the words "The Fault in Our Stars" to remind you of how well YA novels can be translated to the big screen. There are literally over a hundred books being adapted to movies at any given moment, so of course, there are also plenty of young adult books. If you want to read the next Hunger Games before it becomes the next Hunger Games, find out which YA novels are currently in the works to become films.

1 Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
  • What it's about: This young adult sci-fi tale is the first book in a trilogy about Kady and Ezra, two former love interests whose planet is invaded in the year 2575. Breakup stress and intergalactic warfare abound.
  • Who's starring: No one has been cast yet, but Brad Pitt is producing the film.
  • Release date: TBD
1 / 19

2 Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
  • What it's about: The author of the Lemony Snicket series, Daniel Handler, takes on high school romance in this chronicle of the relationship between bookish Min and Ed, the popular captain of the basketball team. If you can't guess, they broke up.
  • Who's starring: Hailee Steinfeld will play Min.
  • Release date: TBD
2 / 19

3 Looking For Alaska by John Green

Looking For Alaska by John Green
  • What it's about: A cerebral teen falls for a girl, the titular Alaska, in the first novel from The Fault in Our Stars author John Green.
  • Who's starring: There's no cast yet, but the screenplay will be adapted by the same team who did The Fault in Our Stars.
  • Release date: TBD
3 / 19

4 The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
  • What it's about: In Jandy Nelson's tear-jerking novel, 17-year-old Lennie deals with the fallout around her after her older sister passes away from a heart attack.
  • Who's starring: Though Warner Bros. has optioned the book, the adaptation has not been cast yet.
  • Release date: TBD
4 / 19

5 Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick

Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick
  • What it's about: An upbeat teen's positive outlook is challenged by personal tragedy in this YA drama.
  • Who's starring: No one has been cast yet, but Youth in Revolt's Miguel Arteta has signed on to direct.
  • Release date: TBD
5 / 19

6 The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
  • What it's about: A young girl gets stuck at JFK on her way to London, only to meet a boy who seems utterly perfect.
  • Who's starring: Hailee Steinfeld will star opposite Robert Sheehan in the adaptation, which is written by Dustin Lance Black.
  • Release date: TBD
6 / 19

7 Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
  • What it's about: This YA novel depicts a world where two different kinds of people exist — the privileged few with superhuman abilities, and the underprivileged with no abilities — and a young woman, Mare, who infiltrates the other side.
  • Who's starring: No one has been cast yet, but Elizabeth Banks will direct.
  • Release date: TBD
7 / 19

8 The Merciless by Danielle Vega

The Merciless by Danielle Vega
  • What it's about: A group of teen girls kidnaps a classmate to "exorcise" her in this debut novel.
  • Who's starring: There's no casting yet, but Pretty Little Liars creator I. Marlene King will write the screenplay.
  • Release date: TBD
8 / 19

9 Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle

Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle
  • What it's about: This holiday-set anthology connects three intertwining romantic tales.
  • Who's starring: No one has been cast yet, but Pitch Perfect screenwriter Kay Cannon is working on the screenplay.
  • Release date: TBD
9 / 19

10 A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
  • What it's about: The first in a fantasy series, the book follows a young magician who can travel through parallel universes.
  • Who's starring: Gerard Butler is among the producers of the adaptation, which has not been cast yet.
  • Release date: TBD
10 / 19

11 The House of Tomorrow by Peter Bognanni

The House of Tomorrow by Peter Bognanni
  • What it's about: The coming-of-tale follows two teen boys, one of whom who lives in a geodesic dome where he's been homeschooled by his eccentric grandmother.
  • Who's starring: Asa Butterfield and Alex Wolff will costar, along with Nick Offerman and Michaela Watkins.
  • Release date: April 8, 2017
11 / 19

12 Every Day by David Levithan

Every Day by David Levithan
  • What it's about: Sixteen-year-old Rhiannon has fallen in love — with a spirit that goes by the name "A" and which inhabits a different body every single day.
  • Who's starring: Angourie Rice plays Rhiannon; Maria Bello and Justice Smith also star.
  • Release date: Feb. 23, 2018
12 / 19

13 The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
  • What it's about: The timely novel (one of our favourites of the year) tells the story of young Starr Carter, who witnesses her best friend being killed at the hands of a police officer.
  • Who's starring: Amandla Stenberg is playing Starr; Regina King will play her mother, and Anthony Mackie, Common, and Issa Rae all costar.
  • Release date: TBD
13 / 19

14 Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertelli

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertelli
  • What it's about: In this coming-of-age novel, high school junior Simon hasn't come out yet, but he's forced to do so when a classmate finds out.
  • Who's starring: 13 Reasons Why's Katherine Langford will play the female lead, Leah, and Everything, Everything's Nick Robinson will play Simon. Greg Berlanti will direct.
  • Watch the trailer for Love, Simon.
  • Release date: March 16, 2018
14 / 19

15 The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
  • What it's about: In the first novel of the Chaos Walking series, Todd Hewitt and Viola Eade, two teens living on an Earth-like planet, are affected by a plague called The Noise but discover a way to control it. The movie adaptation is being called Chaos Walking.
  • Who's starring: Daisy Ridley is playing Viola, and Tom Holland will star as Todd.
  • Release date: 2019
15 / 19

16 A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
  • What it's about: Fourteen-year-old Meg Murry's father goes missing after working on a government project, setting off Meg's fantastical journey through space and time.
  • Who's starring: Ava DuVernay will direct the adaptation, and the three Mrs. have been cast: Reese Witherspoon will play Mrs. Whatsit, Mindy Kaling will play Mrs. Who, and Oprah Winfrey will play Mrs. Which. See the whole cast here.
  • Watch the trailer for A Wrinkle in Time.
  • Release date: March 9, 2018
16 / 19

17 The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
  • What it's about: In the futuristic YA novel, the government tries to intern and suppress young people with special abilities, including 16-year-old Ruby.
  • Who's starring: Amandla Stenberg will play Ruby, and Mandy Moore will play a doctor.
  • Release date: Sept. 14, 2018
17 / 19

18 All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
  • What it's about: In this young-adult romance, a girl named Violet falls for Finch, a boy who is intent on ending his life.
  • Who's starring: Elle Fanning is starring, and Miguel Arteta is directing.
  • Release date: TBD
18 / 19

19 Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
  • What it's about: Teenager Wade Watts gets sucked into a virtual universe in a dystopian future society in 2044.
  • Who's starring: Tye Sheridan will play Wade, Olivia Cooke will play his love interest, and Ben Mendelsohn, T.J. Miller, and Simon Pegg will costar in the sci-fi flick, which is being directed by Steven Spielberg.
  • Release date: March 30, 2018
19 / 19
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