5 Books Hollywood Must Adapt

With the new Paper Towns movie about to come out, I've been thinking a lot about book-to-film adaptations recently. I love the little things. They're so amazing and emotional and gripping that I want to hug the people who made them all over.

As long as they do it right. (Are you listening, Person Who Ruined the First Percy Jackson Movie?) *becomes slightly crazed*.

Okay, sorry, I'll rein myself in a bit. Here is a list of books which need to become films before I lose my patience. They might not be well-known, but that's no excuse.

When Lightning Strikes, by Jenny Carroll (Meg Cabot's pen name)

I really don't know why the film world haven't snapped this one up yet. It has teen angst, a sassy main character, and superpowers. Is that a no-brainer or what? Plus, it was written by Meg Cabot, who is crazy talented, and is even the first in a series. This thing is film dynamite.

Oh, and film industry? If the movie idea isn't working for you, this would also make a pretty good TV series.

Window Boy, by Andrea White

Frankly, I can understand why Hollywood haven't found Window Boy yet - you need to very specifically know what you're looking for to find it - but that doesn't mean it's not one of the best things I've ever read. I can imagine it making a beautifully epic film which would make the author a lot of money: she clearly deserves both the cash and the recognition because her book is that brilliant.

Just. . . I'll give you a quick word of warning. It's about a boy growing up with disabilities in the 1960s, so yes. YOU WILL CRY.

Model Spy Series, by Sarah Sky

I fully believe that this would make a brilliant film, provided certain conditions are met. It's half a chick-flick, half an adventure story, and would appeal to lots of people as long as it wasn't trivialised. Firstly, Jessica would have to be played smart, not just beautiful, and she couldn't be a girly-girl either. The whole point of her as a character is that she might be a model who loves her shoots, but she also wears vintage jackets and hates high heels because they make her too tall. Without those character complexities, she'd come across as a bit of a spoiled brat, not a Model Spy.

Also, I'm aware that this is the kind of series which would use one film for the whole lot, rather than one for each book, like with Stormbreaker or A Series of Unfortunate Events. This really wouldn't work here - I'd rather have only the first book adapted than a cover-all movie.

Noughts and Crosses series, by Malorie Blackman

These books would make a brilliant film series for so many reasons. Firstly, dystopian films never fail to make my jaw drop; secondly, it's already been made into a play, which worked pretty well, and thirdly, I really would love to see its message about unconscious racism reach a wider audience. To be honest, most of us need to get a better understanding of this subject, and the book helped me to do that. I'm hoping the film would do the same for a whole new set of people.

Eleanor and Park, by Rainbow Rowell

There is actually something going on with this one. According to a Rainbow Rowell blog post dated 8th April 2015, a DreamWorks film is in the works (*laughs at the unintended wordplay*), but no-one's going to be cast until they can get a director to sign on.

I only have one condition for this film - It's not a big one. Eleanor needs to be plus-sized, just like in the book. She wasn't necessarily hugely fat, but she had curves, and that's important. I would hate it if Hollywood skinny-ized her, because not only would certain plot points not make much sense, she wouldn't be such an important character. Do you get what I mean?

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Which books do you guys think should be made into films RIGHT NOW? And are you excited about the Paper Towns movie?

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