Before They Were Movies
A CMS Reader Challenge
You may have seen the movie, but have you read the book?
Books that are adapted into movies aren't limited by genre-- dystopian thrillers, fantasy, classics, romance, memoir, mystery, science fiction, historical fiction, biographies-- they've all hit the page and then the big screen.
So here's your chance to go back to the source. Maybe you love the movie, maybe you think the film adaptation is an absolute disgrace; read it in its original form and decide how you would have created its film.
Titles Available @ Your CMS Library
- Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
- Angus, Thongs, & Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
- Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
- Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl & Kami Garcia
- Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
- Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
- Charlie & the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
- The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
- City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
- Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen by Dyan Sheldon
- Coraline by Neil Gaiman
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
- Divergent by Veronica Roth
- Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
- Eragon by Christopher Paolini
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
- Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
- The Giver by Lois Lowry
- The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
- Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
- Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
- Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
- How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
- Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy
- If I Stay by Gayle Forman
- Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
- Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
- The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
- James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
- The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
- Lord of the Flies by William Golding
- Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
- Matilda by Roald Dahl
- The Maze Runner by James Dashner
- Old Yeller by Fred Gipson
- The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
- Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
- The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
- Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
- The Princess Bride by William Goldman
- Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
- Redwall by Brian Jacques
- Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare
- Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
- Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
- Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
- Stormbreaker: Alex Rider by Anthony Horowitz
- The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
- The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
- Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
- Watership Down by Richard Adams
- Where the Red Fern Goes by Wilson Rawls
- White Fang by Jack London
- The Witches by Roald Dahl
- The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum
- A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Guaranteed to have better special effects than the movie. Yes, really.
Titles Available @ Burnham Memorial Library
- Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame Smith
- Angela’s Ashes** by Frank McCourt
- Angels & Demons** by Dan Brown
- Avenger Series by various authors
- Babe by Dick King-Smith
- Beastly* by Alex Flinn
- The Best of Me** by Nicholas Sparks
- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas** by John Boyne
- The Bourne Identity** by Robert Ludlum
- Bridget Jones Diary** by Helen Fielding
- Circle of Friends** by Maeve Binchy
- Cloud Atlas** by David Mitchell
- The DaVinci Code** by Dan Brown
- Dead Poets Society** N.H. Kleinbaum
- The Devil Wears Prada** by Lauren Weisenberg
- Eat, Pray, Love** by Elizabeth Gilbert
- Ender's Game* by Orson Scott Card
- Everything is Illuminated** by Jonathan Safran Foer
- Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close** by Jonathan Safran Foer
- Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
- The Five People You Meet in Heaven** by Mitch Albom
- Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers
- Game of Thrones** by George R.R. Martin
- Girl with a Dragon Tattoo** by Stieg Larsson
- Gone Girl** by Gillian Flynn
- Gossip Girl Series by Cecily Von Ziegesar
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy** by Douglas Adams
- The Host** by Stephenie Meyer
- Howl's Moving Castle* by Diana Wynne Jones
- I Am Number Four* by Pittacus Lore
- It** by Stephen King
- Jaws** by Peter Benchley
- The Kite Runner** by Khaled Hosseini
- Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
- Jurassic Park* by Michael Crichton
- It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
- The Last Song** by Nicholas Sparks
- The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
- The Life of Pi** by Yann Martel
- Marley & Me by John Grogan
- The Mortal Instruments* by Cassandra Clare
- Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard & Florence Atwater
- My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
- The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
- Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
- The Notebook** by Nicholas Sparks
- Outlander** by Diana Gabaldon
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
- Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
- Practical Magic** by Alice Hoffman
- Pretty Little Liars Series by Sara Shepard
- The Road** by Cormac McCarthy
- Sarah’s Key** by Tatiana De Rosnay
- Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand
- The Shining** by Stephen King
- Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
- Stardust** by Neil Gaiman
- Stuart Little by E.B. White
- The Time Machine by H. G. Wells
- The Time Traveler’s Wife** by Audrey Niffenegger
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
- Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
- Under the Dome** by Stephen King
- Under the Tuscan Sun** by Frances Mayes
- Vampire Academy* by Richelle Mead
- The Vampire Diaries** by L.J. Smith
- A Walk to Remember** by Nicholas Sparks
- Water for Elephants** by Sara Gruen
- Where the Heart Is** Is by Billie Letts
- Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
- The Wolf of Wall Street** by Jordan Belfort
- 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
Titles with an * are currently on order for the CMS library and will arrive soon!
Titles with ** are marketed as adult titles and may contain mature content, please read with parent permission only.
How to Complete a CMS Reader Challenge
- Get excited!
- Choose a book from the list above (If you would like to a read a book that is not included on the list please see Ms. Buckton or your LA teacher for approval)
- Read it!
- Pass an AR Quiz on the book or successfully complete an alternate project
- Complete & submit the Google Form below
- Repeat!
For every book that you read (and subsequent Google form that you submit) your name will be automatically entered into a prize drawing. The more titles your read the more likely you are to win!
Contact & Connect
Email: lisa.buckton@colchestersd.org
Website: http://colchestermslibrary.weebly.com/
Location: Colchester Middle School, Blakely Road, Colchester, VT, United States
Phone: 802-264-5800
Twitter: @queerylibrarian