There are a lot of young adult books in the pipeline to be converted into the next big blockbusters. I loved The Hunger Games and am looking forward to Catching Fire, with a scheduled release for November. But there are two new YA trilogies coming to the big screen in 2014 that I'm excited about:
The Maze Runner, written by James Dashner
The Maze Runner is an exciting dystopian adventure/mystery where a group of teenage boys with no memory of their former lives live on a self-sufficient compound (nicknamed "the Glade"), surrounded by a colossal maze, which houses unspeakable horrors. Then a girl is brought into the compound, which (as to be expected) changes everything... The maze, which used to close at night, now remains open. The Grievers can come into the Glade. Alby and Teresa have a telepathic connection, and a mysterious previous relationship. All the rules of the Glade are changing, and power is shifting. The runners must run for their lives to save the group. The Maze Runner has dynamic characters, its own slang, plenty of action, and an ending that will blow you away. It's a great story and I sure hope Hollywood doesn't screw it up. February, 2014
Divergent, written by Veronica Roth
Divergent is another dystopian novel set in post-apocalyptic Chicago, where the society is split into five factions, each representing a different value. Everyone is supposed to fit neatly into one faction, but Beatrice Prior is one of the dreaded anomalies--she is divergent (but of course!). It's not long before she discovers secret plots between factions that are certain to tear her seemingly Utopian society apart, promising to destroy everything and everyone she loves. This trilogy is being hailed as the next Hunger Games, and I believe and hope that it is. I found myself more engrossed in the characters and thought the story was more original than The Hunger Games. What I found even more impressive was Divergent was written by a debut author of 22. I have my fingers crossed that this will be a good adaptation. March, 2014What movie adaptations are you looking forward to?
