From Little Fires Everywhere to The Invisible Man, check out the books that inspired some of the hottest movies and T.V. series.
Looking for something to keep you busy? Try Our Page to Screen Reading Challenge!
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Now a Hulu original series starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington.
“To say I love this book is an understatement. It’s a deep psychological mystery about the power of motherhood, the intensity of teenage love, and the danger of perfection. It moved me to tears.” —Reese Witherspoon
From the bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You, a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives.
Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood—and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
Click for a Discussion Guide.
Click for a Teacher’s Guide.
Click to Watch the Trailer.
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
Now a Hulu series starring Zoë Kravitz!
A wise and hilarious novel about love, heartbreak, and rock and roll from the bestselling author of About a Boy and A Long Way Down.
Rob is a pop music junkie who runs his own semi-failing record store. His girlfriend, Laura, has just left him for the guy upstairs, and Rob is both miserable and relieved. After all, could he have spent his life with someone who has a bad record collection? Rob seeks refuge in the company of the offbeat clerks at his store, who endlessly review their top five films; top five Elvis Costello songs; top five episodes of Cheers.
Rob tries dating a singer, but maybe it’s just that he’s always wanted to sleep with someone who has a record contract. Then he sees Laura again. And Rob begins to think that life with kids, marriage, barbecues, and soft rock CDs might not be so bad.
Click for a Discussion Guide.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
Click to Watch the Trailer.
Defending Jacob by William Landay
Coming soon to Apple TV+ in a new miniseries starring Chris Evans!
Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney for two decades. He is respected. Admired in the courtroom. Happy at home with the loves of his life: his wife, Laurie, and their teenage son, Jacob. Then Andy’s quiet suburb is stunned by a shocking crime: a young boy stabbed to death in a leafy park. And an even greater shock: The accused is Andy’s own son—shy, awkward, mysterious Jacob.
Andy believes in Jacob’s innocence. Any parent would. But the pressure mounts. Damning evidence. Doubt. A faltering marriage. The neighbors’ contempt. A murder trial that threatens to obliterate Andy’s family. It is the ultimate test for any parent: How far would you go to protect your child? It is a test of devotion. A test of how well a parent can know a child. For Andy Barber, a man with an iron will and a dark secret, it is a test of guilt and innocence in the deepest sense.
How far would you go?
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Click for a Discussion Guide.
Click to Watch the Trailer.
Locke & Key, Volume 1: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill; Illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez
Now Streaming on Netflix!
A sprawling tale of magic and family, legacy and grief, good and evil.
Acclaimed suspense novelist and New York Times bestselling author Joe Hill (The Fireman, Heart-Shaped Box) has created a gripping story of dark fantasy and wonder—with astounding artwork from Gabriel Rodriguez—that, like the doors of Keyhouse, will transform all who open it. The epic begins here: Welcome to Lovecraft.
Following their father’s gruesome murder in a violent home invasion, the Locke children return to his childhood home of Keyhouse in secluded Lovecraft, Massachusetts. Their mother, Nina, is too trapped in her grief—and a wine bottle—to notice that all in Keyhouse is not what it seems: too many locked doors, too many unanswered questions. Older kids Tyler and Kinsey aren’t much better. But not youngest son Bode, who quickly finds a new friend living in an empty well and a new toy, a key, that offers hours of spirited entertainment. But again, all at Keyhouse is not what it seems, and not all doors are meant to be opened. Soon, horrors old and new, real and imagined, will come ravening after the Lockes and the secrets their family holds.
Click to Watch the Trailer.
Emma by Jane Austen
Now a major motion picture starring Anya Taylor-Joy available for streaming.
Beautiful, clever, rich—and single—Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr. Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protégée, Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected. With its imperfect but charming heroine and its witty and subtle exploration of relationships, Emma is often seen as Jane Austen’s most flawless work.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Click to Watch the Movie Trailer.
The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells
Now available for purchase on Amazon Prime, YouTube, and Google Play!
Rediscover H. G. Wells’ classic novel and inspiration for the terrifying new film starring Emmy® winner Elisabeth Moss.
Wells’ novel, The Invisible Man (1897), blends horror and tragedy in its story of a scientist who discovers a way to make himself invisible. His inability to reverse the process leads to a radical disconnection from society–and eventually from his own sanity. Arriving in a town where no one knows him, disguised in bandages and dark glasses, the invisible man is driven to violent and criminal extremes before his secret is revealed. This prescient parable of the dark side of scientific progress demonstrates H. G. Wells’ signature gift for dramatizing humanity’s grandest possibilities and darkest fears.
The film, The Invisible Man, from Blumhouse Productions and Universal Pictures is a chilling modern tale of obsession about a woman who escapes a violent, controlling relationship with a wealthy, brilliant scientist. But when the man commits suicide, she begins to suspect that his death was a hoax . . . and that she is now being hunted by someone who no one can see.
Click to Watch the Movie Trailer.
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Now a major motion picture starring Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx streaming on HBO!
A powerful true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to fix our broken system of justice—from one of the most brilliant and influential lawyers of our time.
Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanship—and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever.
Just Mercy is at once an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer’s coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Click to for a Teacher’s Guide.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
Click to Watch the Movie Trailer.
The Stranger by Harlan Coben
Now streaming on Netflix!
A secret destroys a man’s perfect life and sends him on a collision course with a deadly conspiracy in this shocking thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben.
The stranger appears out of nowhere, perhaps in a bar, or a parking lot, or at the grocery store. Their identity is unknown. Their motives are unclear. Their information is undeniable. Then they whisper a few words in your ear and disappear, leaving you picking up the pieces of your shattered world . . .
Adam Price has a lot to lose: a comfortable marriage to a beautiful woman, two wonderful sons, and all the trappings of the American dream: a big house, a good job, a seemingly perfect life.
Then he runs into the stranger. When he learns a devastating secret about his wife, Corinne, he confronts her, and the mirage of perfection disappears as if it never existed at all. Soon Adam finds himself tangled in something far darker than even Corinne’s deception, and realizes that if he doesn’t make exactly the right moves, the conspiracy he’s stumbled into will not only ruin lives—it will end them.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Click to Watch the Trailer.
The Aeronauts: Travels in the Air by James Glaisher
Now streaming on Amazon!
The true story behind the major motion picture—and one of the greatest daredevil stories in the history of aviation.
In 1862, ambitious scientist James Glaisher set out to do the impossible: ascend higher into the skies than ever before. A pioneer of weather forecasting and of photography, and a founding member of the Royal Meteorological Society, he wanted to take ground-breaking research measurements from different altitudes.
On 5th September, along with experienced balloonist Henry Coxwell as his pilot, he lifted off in a hot air balloon for what would prove to be a death-defying and historic flight. Rising above the English countryside, they rose to the remarkable height of 37,000 feet (7 miles or 11km), almost killing both men, who experienced blurred vision, loss of motor function and, eventually, unconsciousness. It was a miracle they survived to tell the tale.
Written in his own words, The Aeronauts chronicles Glaisher’s incredible flights and discoveries first hand, as well as his observations on those pioneers who came before and inspired him.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Click to Watch the Movie Trailer.
The Good Lord Bird by James McBride
Coming soon to Showtime in a new series starring Ethan Hawke!
Henry Shackleford is a young slave living in the Kansas Territory in 1857, when the region is a battleground between anti-and pro-slavery forces. When John Brown, the legendary abolitionist, arrives in the area, an argument between Brown and Henry’s master quickly turns violent. Henry is forced to leave town—with Brown, who believes he’s a girl.
Over the ensuing months, Henry—whom Brown nicknames Little Onion—conceals his true identity as he struggles to stay alive. Eventually Little Onion finds himself with Brown at the historic raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859—one of the great catalysts for the Civil War.
An absorbing mixture of history and imagination, and told with McBride’s meticulous eye for detail and character, The Good Lord Bird is both a rousing adventure and a moving exploration of identity and survival.
Click to View a Reading Guide.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
For Teens:
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
This beloved celebration of individuality is now an original film on Disney+!
“Spinelli has produced a poetic allegorical tale about the magnificence and rarity of true nonconformity.” —The New York Times
Stargirl. From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of color and sound, the hallways hum with the murmur of “Stargirl, Stargirl.” She captures Leo Borlock’ s heart with just one smile. She sparks a school-spirit revolution with just one cheer. The students of Mica High are enchanted. At first.
Then they turn on her. Stargirl is suddenly shunned for everything that makes her different, and Leo, panicked and desperate with love, urges her to become the very thing that can destroy her: normal. In this celebration of nonconformity, Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli weaves a tense, emotional tale about the perils of popularity and the thrill and inspiration of first love.
Click for a Discussion Guide.
Click for a Teacher’s Guide.
Click to Watch the Trailer.
The Letter for the King by Tonke Dragt; Illustrated by Tonke Dragt; Translated by Laura Watkinson
Now streaming on Netflix!
When Tiuri answers a desperate call for help, he finds himself on a perilous mission that could cost him his life. He must deliver a secret letter to the King who lives across the Great Mountains—a letter upon which the future of the entire realm depends.
It means abandoning his home, breaking all the rules and leaving everything behind – even the knighthood he has dreamed of for so long.
The fate of a kingdom depends on just one person.
He must trust no one.
He must keep his true identity secret.
Above all, he must never reveal what is in the letter.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
Click to Watch the Trailer.
Fun Fact:
“Audiobooks found to elicit a greater emotional response than movies or television.”
Click to Read the article!
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven; Read by Kirby Heyborne, Ariadne Meyers, and Jennifer Niven
Soon to be a Netflix film starring Elle Fanning and Justice Smith!
The New York Times bestselling love story about two teens who find each other while standing on the edge.
Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might die. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.
Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.
When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
Click to Watch the Trailer.
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer; Read by Nathaniel Parker
Soon to be a major motion picture from the Walt Disney Studios, coming in May 2020!
Here is the book that started it all, the international bestseller about a teenage criminal mastermind and his siege against dangerous, tech-savvy fairies.
Twelve-year-old criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl has discovered a world below ground of armed and dangerous-and extremely high-tech-fairies. He kidnaps one of them, Holly Short, and holds her for ransom in an effort to restore his family’s fortune. But he may have underestimated the fairies’ powers. Is he about to trigger a cross-species war?
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
Click to Watch the Trailer.
Greyhound by C. S. Forester; Read by Jim Frangione
Soon to be a major motion picture starring Tom Hanks, coming May 8th!
A World War II naval thriller from the author of the legendary Hornblower series.
The mission of Commander George Krause of the United States Navy is to protect a convoy of thirty-seven merchant ships making their way across the icy North Atlantic from America to England. There, they will deliver desperately needed supplies, but only if they can make it through the wolfpack of German submarines that awaits and outnumbers them in the perilous seas. For forty eight hours, Krause will play a desperate cat and mouse game against the submarines, combating exhaustion, hunger, and thirst to protect fifty million dollars’ worth of cargo and the lives of three thousand men.
Originally published as The Good Shepherd and acclaimed as one of the best novels of the year in 1955, here is a riveting classic of World War II and naval warfare from one of the twentieth century’s masters of sea stories.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
