I hope you enjoyed the column last week, and since 2020 will be chock full of book-to-movie adaptations, here are even more titles. So take a quick look at some more offerings and check in with your Abilene Public Library to start reading, since we all know the book is almost always better than the movie!
Children’s novels will see adaptations this year from some classics. The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting starring everyone’s favorite Iron Man Robert Downey Jr. is already in local theaters. If you enjoyed the live/animated film adaptation of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, the sequel should be on your must-watch list. Another classic, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, will be receiving a fresh film.
Roald Dahl books are a favorite and have received several book-to-film adaptations, the most famous (or infamous) being the “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” movies, but his creepy fun kids book The Witches was adapted starring the wondrous Angelica Huston as the High Witch in 1990. It may be hard to beat her performance, but the book is getting a new film with Anne Hathaway playing the pivotal role, so we will have to wait and see.
The Newbery Medal winning novel The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate is about a silverback gorilla named Ivan that will make for a fun watch. It stars Angelina Jolie and Helen Mirren, and is expected for release in August or September this year. Last but not least Dragon Rider, by Cornelia Funke, will also be hitting the big screen later this year.
For teens and those who love teen literature, Netflix will be adapting the sequel to "To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before," called "All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You." These are part of the “To All These Boys I’ve Loved Before” trilogy by Jenny Han, so don’t be surprised if part three is on the horizon for 2021. If you are looking for a fun detective story, check out the “Enola Holmes” series by Nancy Springer, which is being made into a movie. Also, the mega popular “Artemis Fowl” series by Eoin Colfer is finally getting its movie debut...let’s hope it lands better than Percy Jackson.
The Knife of Never Letting Go is part one of the “Chaos Walking” trilogy written by Patrick Ness. You might remember this author for his eerie early novel that was made into the movie “A Monster Calls.” Also, later in the year we should be seeing the Disney+ adaptation of Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli.
To find these books and more, be sure to check out our website www.abilenetx.gov/apl and social media pages or call us at any of our locations...It’s much more fun to see the movie if you’ve already read the book!
Article Contributed by Marianne Vadney, Librarian, Mockingbird Branch Library