Books are truly wonderful things. Each time we crack one open, we dive in and immerse ourselves fully in fantastical stories, untangling mysteries and discovering new worlds. What could possibly be better than that? I’ll tell you what: Watching those words on the page come to life onscreen.
Book adaptations have been coming to the big and small screens almost faster than we can get our hands on a paperback. But trust us, these page-turners are worth a read before you head to the movies or turn on Netflix to watch their stories play out.
1. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
Starring: Amandla Stenberg, Mandy Moore, Harris Dickinson
Release Date: August 2018
Ruby’s whole world changed the morning of her 10th birthday when she woke up and realized something about her was different. Her parents noticed it, too — and locked her in the garage before calling police. After then being carted off to a brutal government “rehabilitation camp,” she manages to survive a mysterious disease that kills most of America’s children, but leaves her with uncontrollable, frightening abilities. Trust me, you and your teen won’t want to miss this action-packed book — or the movie that just hit theaters.
2. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
Starring: Lily James, Jessica Brown Findlay, Matthew Goode
Release Date: August 2018
Juliet is a writer looking for her next subject when a letter from a stranger arrives not long after the end of World War II. He’s a member of a book club on the small island of Guernsey, which she quickly decides she absolutely must visit. When she does, her world is never the same. Told in a series of letters, the book has charmed millions as the main character’s friendship with the islanders and research into her next story encourage her to live the life she really wants — and find the love she deserves.
3. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
Starring: Constance Wu, Michelle Yeoh, and Henry Golding
Release Date: August 15, 2018
The mega-hit first book of Kwan’s internationally bestselling trilogy is now the rom-com we didn’t know we needed in our lives. Even before it hit theaters this month, the movie was making headlines for being the first major Hollywood film with an all-Asian cast in 25 years. The story centers around New Yorker Rachel Chu, who heads to Singapore for the first time to meet her boyfriend’s family. There’s just one thing he forgot to mention: His family’s rich — like, crazy rich — and this is going to be one helluva family getaway.
4. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
Starring: Josh Dylan, Domhnall Gleeson, Ruth Wilson
Release Date: August 31, 2018
Stephen King himself called this book “terrifying,” and once you begin reading, you’ll understand why. It’s 1947, and Dr. Faraday has been asked to visit a patient at Hundreds Hall, a manor that has lost the glory he recalls from the last time he saw it 30 years ago. Could a house actually hate the family who lives there? And can the doctor help a patient while surrounded by eerie secrets? Part mystery, part historical fiction, part horror, this one is bound to give you chills.
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