Moviefone santa logo
Trending
'Avengers: Doomsday' Trailer
'Dune: Part Three' Trailer
'Shrek 5' Teaser Trailer
'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' Trailer
MoviesTV ShowsStreamingIn TheatersComing SoonMovie ChartsTV Show ChartsShowtimesHighlightsNewsCelebritiesWhat to WatchNew TrailersMovie TheatersMovie ReviewsVideosMoviefone TVMade In Hollywood
ObsessionObsessionNormalNormalMichaelMichaelProject Hail MaryProject Hail MaryDon't Say Good LuckDon't Say Good LuckReacherReacherFuriousFuriousLionessLionessSiloSiloTed LassoTed Lasso
Highlights
Off Campus Season 1 - Let Me Help Clip
Off Campus
Ted Lasso Season 4 - Relationship Advice from Mum Clip
Ted Lasso
Mutiny - First Round Pick Jason Statham Clip
Mutiny
Ice Cream Man - Eli Roth, Benjamin Byron Davis and Ari Millen at the World Premiere
Ice Cream Man
Off Campus Season 1 - Absolutely Obsessed with Justin Kohl Clip
Off Campus
Paper Tiger - Adam Driver as Gary Pearl
Paper Tiger
Ladies First - Exclusive Interview
Ladies First
Onslaught - Adria Arjona as Celeste Character Poster
Onslaught
Masters of the Universe - Exclusive Interview with Nicholas Galitzine
Masters of the Universe
Practical Magic 2 - Official Poster
Practical Magic 2
The Devil Wears Prada 2 - Grab Your Friends Clip
The Devil Wears Prada 2
Sterling Point Season 1 - Daniel Quinn-Toye as Rory Character Poster
Sterling Point
The Odyssey - Zendaya Exclusive Interview
The Odyssey
Unabomber - First Look at Russell Crowe and Jacob Tremblay
Unabomber
  1. News

10 YA Books Being Made Into Movies

Moviefone
March 17, 2015 - 1 min read
Google transparent preferred source badge

If you're ready for more young-adult stories set in fantasy, sci-fi, or dystopian universes, we've got good news -- there are dozens of popular YA books currently in development for film adaptations. Here are 10 books to read if you want more "Divergent"-level action and romance at the movies.

1. 'The 5th Wave'

Written By: Rick Yancey On the Page: Booklist described Yancey's series starter (available May 13) as "part 'War of the Worlds,' part 'Starship Troopers,' part 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers,' and part 'The Stand.'" That's good enough for us, but if you want to know more, the "waves" refer to five "plagues" that wipe out billions of humans after an alien invasion. The story mostly chronicles how one teen, Cassie, manages to survive against unthinkable odds. Get the book hereOn the Screen: Tobey Maguire and Oscar-winner Graham King ("The Departed") are producing the doomsday thriller, which stars Chloe Moretz as the lead character, Cassie, Liev Schreiber, Ron Livingston, and Tony Revolori ("Grand Budapest Hotel"). January 29, 2016

2. 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children'

Written By: Ransom Riggs On the Page: "Entertainment Weekly" applauded the book's "X-Men: First Class-meets-time-travel story line, David Lynchian imagery, and rich, eerie detail." The thriller follows 16-year-old Jacob Portman, who travels to Wales after the death of his grandfather and meets a time-traveling girl who takes him back to 1940 to meet Miss Peregrine, who lives with a group of mysterious orphans with supernatural abilities. Get the book hereOn the Screen: Director Tim Burton has teamed up with "X-Men: First Class" scribe Jane Goldman to adapt the creeptastic fantasy, renamed "Peregrine's Home for Peculiars" and starring Eva Green, Samuel L. Jackson, and Asa Butterfield ("Ender's Game") as Jacob. March 4, 2016

3. 'Daughter of Smoke and Bone'

Written By: Laini Taylor On the Page: Taylor's lyrical fantasy trilogy has everything a YA fan could ask for -- a fierce and brilliant heroine, exotic locales around the world, witty humor, gripping action sequences, and, of course, a swoon-worthy forbidden love story between the blue-haired protagonist Karou and a sexy, brooding angel Akiva. Unfortunately for them, Karou's godfather is a chimaera "demon" whose natural born enemy is Akiva's kind. Get the book hereOn the Screen: Taylor told the press last fall that she had re-written a draft of the script and was waiting for the studio (Universal) to go from there: "If a version of this screenplay does get made, I feel like it'll still feel like the same story, but there will obviously be a lot of differences, just things that you can't fit into an hour and a half movie."

4. 'Grasshopper Jungle'

Written By: Andrew Smith On the Page: Impossible to describe in just a few sentences, the award-winning "Grasshopper Jungle" is a trippy sci-fi/dystopian story about teenager Austin Szerba, who accidentally unleashes a top-secret plague that turns people into insatiable, vicious six-foot-tall praying mantises in small town Ealing, Iowa. Entertainment Weekly described Smith the "Kurt Vonnegut of YA." Get the book hereOn the Screen: British director Edgar Wright ("Shaun of the Dead," "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) -- no stranger to out-there plots – has signed on make the adaptation with the producer behind the "Amazing Spider-Man" reboots.

5. 'Immortal Rules'

Written by: Julie Kagawa On the Page: In a future ravaged by the Red Lung virus, the only creatures to survive are vampires, who come out of hiding to rule society and use any remaining humans as food whom they bloodlet in exchange for shelter and meager provisions. Allie is taught to hate and avoid vampires, but when faced with certain death she chooses to become an immortal, but one who still loves humans. Get the book hereOn the Screen: The film project is referred to as the trilogy's series name, "Blood of Eden," and so far there's a script but no director attached. The movie's producer is Sigurjon Sighvatsson, who also produced the post-apocalyptic drama "Z for Zacharia."

6. 'Legend'

Written By: Marie Lu On the Page: In the future, the West Coast has turned into the Republic, a sovereign nation that's constantly at war. Fifteen-year old June is a military prodigy born to one of the Republic's most elite families, while 15-year-old Day is a parkour prodigy and petty criminal from one of its poorest neighborhoods. When Day is suspected of murdering June's brother, their high-stakes game of cat and mouse turns into the uncovering of the totalitarian government's sinister secrets. Get the book hereOn the Screen: CBS Films acquired rights to the dystopian trilogy, which USA Today called "'Les Misérables' meets 'Blade Runner.'" "Warm Bodies" helmer Jonathan Levine is attached to direct.

7. 'Monument 14'

Written By: Emmy Laybourne On the Page: Even the book's tagline sounds like a movie promo: "Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong." When natural and man-made disasters occur during a morning school bus ride, 14 Colorado students (six high schoolers, two middle schoolers, and six elementary schoolers) end up locked in a superstore without adult supervision. Meanwhile, disasters ranging from storms to biological agents wreak havoc outside. Get the book hereOn the Screen: Laybourne has a Hollywood background -- she's an actress, screenwriter, lyricist, and screenwriter -- but she's not adapting her own book. The movie is currently in development with Andrew Adamson ("The Chronicles of Narnia") producing and script by writer-director Brad Peyton ("Journey 2: The Mysterious Island").

8. 'Red Rising'

Written By: Pierce Brown On the Page: Although "Red Rising" wasn't published strictly as a young adult novel, its protagonist Darrow is 16 when the story starts, so the "crossover" bestseller is popular with teens and adults who don't regularly read YA. The futuristic fantasy is set in a highly stratified world were humans terraform and inhabit other planets. To maintain order, a strict color caste system rules society, with the Golds on top and the Reds at the bottom. After a personal tragedy, Darrow, a Red miner, joins a secret uprising to infiltrate and overthrow the Golds. Get the book hereOn the Screen: Considering Publishers Weekly hailed it as "The next Hunger Games ... a Hollywood-ready story with plenty of action and thrills," it's not a surprise "Red Rising" was optioned with Marc Forster ("World War Z") committed to direct.

9. 'Shadow and Bone'

Written By: Leigh Bardugo On the Page: Bardugo's fascinating and unputdownable novel is a vivid fantasy set in the fictional Ravka, which bears a striking resemblance to Tsarist Russia, only with supernatural figures. The story's Tris-like heroine is Alina Starkov, who goes from mousy, quiet orphan to a force as bright and powerful as the sun. It doesn't hurt that there's a fascinating (and sexy) antagonist called the Darkling and a loving hottie of a best friend, Mal. Get the book hereOn the Screen: Any book worthy of a "Harry Potter" producer to option is worth reading. The Potter franchise's producer, David Heyman, optioned the book and will bring the story of Alina, Mal, and the Darkling to the big screen.

10. 'An Ember in the Ashes'

Written By: Sabaa Tahir On the Page: There has been a lot of buzz about Sahir's debut novel, and the hype is well deserved. The story is set in a brutal fantasy universe that, like "Red Rising," resembles ancient Rome. It blends politics, revolution, and romance to explore prejudice, injustice, and, naturally, love. Tahir's book is told from two points of view: Laia, a scholar who poses as a slave girl to help a rebel group save her brother; and Elias, an elite warrior bound for glory. On the Screen: Tahir's fantasy series isn't even available yet (it comes out April 28) but Paramount already optioned it in a seven-figure-deal with producers Mark Johnson and Haroon Saleem ("Chronicles of Narnia").

movies
Moviefone
Article by Moviefone
Moviefone Writers

From Our Partners

Jonathan Majors’ ‘Run Hide Fight: Infidels’ Trailer Has Arrived & It’s Garnered An Interesting ResponseGlobal Grind
Jonathan Majors’ ‘Run Hide Fight: Infidels’ Trailer Has Arrived & It’s Garnered An Interesting Response
David Jonsson Is The New Black Panther And People Have Feelings About ItNewsOne
David Jonsson Is The New Black Panther And People Have Feelings About It
15 Greatest Black TV Theme Songs of All TimeHello Beautiful
15 Greatest Black TV Theme Songs of All Time

Related News

Every Eli Roth Movie Ranked from Worst to Best
Every Eli Roth Movie Ranked from Worst to Best
Paramount Plans New ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ Movie
Paramount Plans New ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ Movie
Every Steven Spielberg Movie, Ranked From Worst to Best
Every Steven Spielberg Movie, Ranked From Worst to Best
Every Jack Ryan Movie and TV Show Ranked
Every Jack Ryan Movie and TV Show Ranked
Every Guillermo del Toro Movie Ranked From Worst to Best
Every Guillermo del Toro Movie Ranked From Worst to Best
The 20 Most Terrifying Horror Films of the Last Decade
The 20 Most Terrifying Horror Films of the Last Decade

More News on Moviefone

Weekend Box Office: ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Remains Top
Weekend Box Office: ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Remains Top
D23 2026: Disney Entertainment Showcase
D23 2026: Disney Entertainment Showcase
Jennifer Aniston and Peter Dinklage Starring in ‘Naughty’
Jennifer Aniston and Peter Dinklage Starring in ‘Naughty’
Nathan Fillion Joins DC's Animated ‘Mister Miracle’ Series
Nathan Fillion Joins DC's Animated ‘Mister Miracle’ Series
‘Joe Dirt’ Animated Series in the Works
‘Joe Dirt’ Animated Series in the Works
All Marvel Cinematic Universe Movies Ranked
All Marvel Cinematic Universe Movies Ranked

Explore Movies and TV Shows

Avatar: Fire and Ash Movie Poster
Movies
Sinners Movie Poster
Movie Charts
Hoppers Movie Poster
Movies In Theaters
The Odyssey Movie Poster
Movies Coming Soon
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Movie Poster
Movie Release Calendar
Anaconda Movie Poster
Movie Genres
The Housemaid Movie Poster
Streaming
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Series Poster
TV Shows
Young Sherlock Series Poster
TV Show Charts

Follow Moviefone

FacebookXInstagramYouTubeLinkedInRedditTikTokNewsletterWidgets

Latest Trailers

'Fall 2: Deadpoint' Trailer1:41
'Fall 2: Deadpoint' Trailer
'Paper Tiger' Teaser1:01
'Paper Tiger' Teaser
'Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story' Teaser57s
'Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story' Teaser
'Animals' Teaser1:10
'Animals' Teaser
'Ahsoka' Season 2 Teaser1:35
'Ahsoka' Season 2 Teaser

Movie and TV Reviews

The Rivals of Amziah King poster
The Rivals of Amziah King
Movie Review
95
The End of Oak Street poster
The End of Oak Street
Movie Review
55
The Wrong Girls poster
The Wrong Girls
Movie Review
80

Top Movies

Obsession poster
Obsession
Be careful who you wish for…
82
Normal poster
Normal
Small town. Big secret.
72
Michael poster
Michael
Discover the making of a king.
87

Top Series

Reacher poster
Reacher
Reacher's back.
81
Furious poster
Furious
There's a thin line between hunter and prey.
69
Lioness poster
Lioness
This wasn't the mission.
81
Moviefone xmas logo
MoviesTV ShowsStreamingShowtimesWhat to WatchVideosNews
AboutContact UsSitemapTerms of ServicePrivacy Policy
FacebookXInstagramYouTubeLinkedInRedditTikTokNewsletterWidgets
Google preferred source badge
Copyright © 2026 Moviefone Media LLC
Asset 1This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.