In the world of YA Lit, book to movie adaptations are the in thing lately. Many of our favorite titles are being made into movies, so we thought we’d provide you with a little status update on some of the bigger names leaving our bookshelves for a stint on the silver screen.

Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden

Release: September 2010

Production Company/Studio: Paramount

Status: The hugely successful Australian novel will make its film debut on September 8, 2010 in Australia. Filming is finished and now all we have to do is wait in anticipation. We’re still searching for worldwide release dates. If anyone has any information on this, we’d appreciate the update!

You can watch the official trailer for the film here

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J.K Rowling

Release: Part 1 – 18 Nov 2010, Part 2 – 15 July 2011

Production Company/Studio: Warner Bros.

Status: Part 1 of the Deathly Hallows is currently in post-production stages, with a release date set for sometime at the end of 2010. You can watch the trailer for the first instalment here. Not surprisingly, the release date for this film was delayed so that it wouldn’t coincide with, or be overshadowed by, the release of Eclipse, the third Twilight film. Part two is also completed and scheduled for an early 2011 release.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Stephenie Meyer

Release: Part 1 – 18 Nov 2011, Part 2 – 2012

Production Company/Studio: Summit Entertainment

Status: Part 1 of the fourth book in the Twilight Saga is currently in pre-production, gearing up for a 2011 release. The full cast from the previous three films have all signed back on for this two part mega finale. Bill Condon has signed on as director for both instalments. Condon directed the ever popular Dreamgirls and the creepy horror flick, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh. Filming is rumored to start in the early stages of 2011 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Vancouver, Canada. Filming for both instalments will be conducted back-to-back.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Release: 2011

Production Company/Studio: Lionsgate

Status: Although no cast or director has been named yet, Suzanne Collins herself is writing the screenplay adapatation and has already completed the first draft. A rumor is circulating that a director will be announced as soon as this summer, and the movie itself is scheduled to start filming in January 2011.

If I Stay – Gale Foreman

Release: 2011

Production Company/Studio: Summit

Status: Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke has signed on as director for the adaptation of Gayle Forman’s bestselling novel. No news yet on casting or when filming will begin.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Release: 2012

Production Company/Studio: Unique Features /Warner Bros.

Status: Shiver is still in the early development stage, and screenwriter  Nick Pustay has been signed on for the project. Putsay also wrote the screenplay for Ramona and Beezus, scheduled for release in 2010, starring Disney superstar, Selena Gomez. As yet, no director has been announced that we’re aware of.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones – Cassandra Clare

Release: 2012

Production Company/Studio: Unique Features

Status: Also still in early development, Jessica Postigo ha signed on as the screenwriter. The production company is currently looking for an appropriate director. No casting information is available as yet.

Vampire Academy – Richelle Mead

Release: TBC

Production Company/Studio: Preger Entertainment

Status: Vampire Academy is the latest YA book to have the film rights optioned and is at the very early stages of development. No studio has currently picked up the project as of yet but you can head over to the Official VA Movie page here to show your support.

Other books that are currently in development

Wake by Lisa McMann – Miley Cyrus has scored the leading role of Janie.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Marg Stohl (Warner Bros.)

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr (Universal Pictures)

Fallen by Lauren Kate (Disney)

Wings by April Lynn Pike – Miley Cyrus scored the leading role.  (Disney)

The Book Thief (20^th Century Fox)

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

After Katniss and Peeta won the Hunger Games, their lives changed forever. They’re now totally loaded, for one, and Katniss and her mother and sister moved out of their old shack into newer, more desirable living quarters in District 12. That means no more scavenging just to make ends meet; no more hunting for food; no more cold showers. They’ve got everything they could possibly need in the district. Everything except freedom, that is.

Even though they’re home, the Capitol still controls their every move. It’s less obvious at first, and life assumes some kind of normality for Katniss and Peeta for a little while. But then the Quarter Quell is announced – another version of the Hunger Games – and Katniss, Peeta and Hamish find themselves in the middle of another Capitol scheme to ensure complete and utter control over all citizens everywhere.

But the people aren’t having it, and those with enough guts and manpower are revolting against the Capitol’s regime – and they’re using Katniss as their inspiration. If Katniss can defy the capitol in the arena, like she did with the berries, then they can too. If Katniss can manipulate the Capitol through her ‘relationship’ with Peeta, then surely they could find a way to do the same. Their freedom, their quality of life depends on it. Katniss hopes like hell they do, because in the meantime, her and Peeta are the Capitol’s pawns. They have to do what the Capitol wants, or they risk the lives of the people they love.

Love.

It’s certainly an issue that is dealt with in Catching Fire. Although he seems to have accepted that Katniss’s affections for him in the arena were fabricated, Peeta still loves Katniss. And it’s not that Katniss doesn’t feel for Peeta, it’s just that she feels for another, too. Does she love Gale? It’s clear that Gale loves her. It seems no matter whom she chooses, someone she cares about is going to suffer. Then the Capitol picks up on to Katniss’s little dilemma and interfere in a way that makes life almost impossible for her. Can’t choose? No problem. Katniss’s choice is made for her…

After the hugely popular The Hunger Games, I bet a whole stack of you have the Mount Everest of expectations for Catching Fire. No problem. Suzanne Collins takes those expectations, stamps all over them, and proves that she’s a force to be reckoned with.

Her prose is effortless and her characters shine brightly in a world of chaos. Katniss is brave, logical, and she certainly has her priorities in order. When the going gets tough, she doesn’t forget what the important things in life are. She’s an outstanding role model for teenagers everywhere.

You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll gasp, and your heart will break. I can’t wait for the third book. Pity the release date is so far away!

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The Hunger Games is the first novel in a planned trilogy, and what a ride it is!

In Katniss Everdeen’s world, the government randomly chooses one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen from each of the twelve districts in her country to participate in the Hunger Games. The “Tributes” as they’re called, are then taken to the Capitol and thrown into a huge arena which is set up to simulate the wilderness they live in. From then on, it’s pretty much a kill or be killed situation, and the last Tribute alive wins – obviously.

When Katniss wakes up on the day of the Reaping, she never thought her own sister would be the Tribute selected from her district. In an effort to save Prim’s life, Katniss volunteers herself instead. And so the Hunger Games begin…

This novel is a real page-turner. I started reading early in the afternoon, and I was physically incapable of putting it down. Instead of showering, I ran myself a bath so I could cleanse and read at the same time. I skipped lunch and dinner and refused to go to bed until it was over.

Katniss is a strong character, and her resourcefulness is inspiring. She understands the essence of the game; she knows that unless she wins, she’s going to die. Her focus does not waiver and she does not allow her emotions to control her actions. Yet the value of human life is not lost on Katniss, as it appears to be on her fellow Tributes. Where they kill ruthlessly in their own quests for survival, Katniss has a different strategy.

What I like about Katniss, however, is that she is smart, yet not cocky. She is confident in her abilities, yet humble when it counts. She is a thinker, but does not allow her ponderous thoughts to cloud her judgement. She appreciates the value of friendship and family, but she is definitely more than capable of standing on her own two feet. She is a strong, independent and utterly likeable character.

Girls, if you’re looking for a book that empowers your womanhood, look no further. If Katniss can, you can too! And boys, don’t despair. While this story is narrated through a female’s perspective, there is so much action in The Hunger Games I doubt you’ll ever feel bored. Katniss’s narration is far from the girly girl slang that seems to be saturating Young Adult bookshelves these days and reading through this particular girl’s eyes wont be a problem for you.

Not only does Collins really capture the essence of good characterization in this novel, but she proves to readers that she really is a master of the English language. Her prose is beautiful, creative and full of powerful imagery. It was hard to believe that I wasn’t actually in that arena with Katniss, watching her on her travels.

I take my hat off to you Suzanne Collins – the world needs more writers like you!

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