Book or Movie

One of the things I try to do is read all of the books that are currently being made into movies.  Teaching middle school I know that movies really grab the attention of my students so I want to suggest books that are current AND they could see as movies.  I know there are a lot of purists out there who only want to read the book, but especially for struggling readers it can be helpful to see the movie first.  That way you already have a sense of the characters and plot so comprehending the book becomes much easier.  And (sneaky teacher move here) many of the books being  made into movies are part of a series, so once a kid gets hooked on the first one they will have to read the second book before the second movie comes out!  Here is a smattering of some book series that have already been made into movies.

The Divergent series by Veronica Roth (Divergent, Insurgent and Allegiant).  I must admit the day I started Divergent I did not sleep well because I could not put this book down.  I was up half the night finishing the story.  Tris, the main character, lives in a society where everyone is sorted into a faction based on what they value most.  One faction values kindness, another honesty, the third courage, another values learning and the last values service.  But, as you may be able to guess by the title, not everyone fits neatly into one category....   Definitely a thrilling read and, bonus, not all the movies have been released yet so you will have to read the book first! If you do read it be sure to tell me what faction you think you are in (my new favorite question to ask). 

 Next up is the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mocking Jay).   First lets just take a second to appreciate that this another blockbuster series with a female lead!  What a wonderful shift from stories where the girl is the one who needs to be rescued.  Now we have girls who do the rescuing.  This is another dystopian society only this time society is divided by geographic area and each area produces a different kind of good.  The twist here is that the government has saved society from total annihilation by war.  To pay back the government for this benevolence each area must offer up one girl and one boy to compete in The Hunger Games.  All of the tributes are locked in an arena (which is filled with it's own hazards) and fight to the death, winner take all.  Watch as our heroine Katniss battles her way through the games.  As you can imagine it's anything but easy. 

What's great about these two series is that they are similar enough that if you liked one you will probably really enjoy the other.  So if you liked the first of either series you now have 5 other books you can put on your "to read" list. 

Reading the book before seeing the movie.....that's kids stuff.