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The Kid-Lit Hollywood Hasn't Grabbed Yet

by Monika Bartyzel Sep 24th 2009 // 12:15PM

Filed under: Fandom, Lists

It all started with a little Cam Jansen and Encyclopedia Brown. I chose my own adventure all the way to Nancy Drew, and then things changed. Onto the scene burst the likes of Paula Danziger, R.L. Stine, Lois Duncan, Christopher Pike, and L.J. Smith. I read fast, and I read a lot. When bored, I used to dream of making all my beloved teen books into movies, wondering who would play The Final Friends, and just what Stefan Salvatore would've looked like.

Fast-forward a decade and change, and bit by bit things are coming true. We've gotten a sweetly chaste Nancy Drew, CW's show that vaguely resembles Smith's The Vampire Diaries has capitalized on Twilight mania, and Diablo Cody is taking a stab at Sweet Valley High. So what's left?

A lot, and I wouldn't be surprised if we hear about more '80s fare coming back to life soon. And frankly, I'm all for the idea if it keeps Hollywood busy and away from cinematic remakes of films of the last twenty years. (I shudder to think what would happen if they ever tried to remake Goonies... ) That, and I must admit: I love me some good nostalgia.

Flying back to my youthful reader days, here are some books that could be next. And, as always, leave any other ideas in the comments!

Cam Jansen -- One of the most beloved parts of this year's Up was the young, spunky, and redheaded Ellie. Taking a cue from that, it's only natural to turn to Cam Jansen -- the redhead with a photographic memory who solves mysteries. She's fun, smart, and a perfect role model for the youngins. Of course, she'd also rock alongside...

Encyclopedia Brown -- He's the guy we all remember, whose name pops up over and over again, from Veronica Mars to 1408. Considering how unforgettable he is, there's a mass fan base just waiting to be tapped.

The Other Works of Lois Duncan -- We've seen Stranger In Our House/Summer of Fear, I Know What You Did Last Summer and Hotel for Dogs, so chances are more will come our way. Maybe Daughters of Eve and "A high school teacher uses the guise of feminist philosophy to manipulate the lives of a group of girls with chilling results," or Stranger with My Face and its mix of astral projection and identity theft.

The Nancy Drew Files -- Emma Roberts as Nancy Drew was sweet, but the '80s had brought a whole new level of Drew fare, and if SVH is getting the feature treatment, it's only a matter of time before the strong and assured high school Nancy comes out into the world.
The Works of Christopher Pike -- We need to give this guy a cinematic break. He was the step up from R.L. Stine, rampantly read, and all he got was the laughingly bad TV adaptation Fall Into Darkness with Jonathan Brandis. Since Hollywood loves the potential series, the best choice would be Final Friends and the search for who killed Alice McCoy.

L.J. Smith's Witches and ESP Peeps -- While her vampire series was the logical choice for fangirl reasons, perhaps Hollywood should look for romantic supernatural fare of a slightly different flavor. Published well before Stephenie Meyer, Smith's trilogies stuck to the basic female heroine and the two boys she's torn between. Alongside The Vampire Diaries, there was the witchy fervor of The Secret Circle and the evil dude hungry for mental superpowers twist with Dark Visions.

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Tags: book adaptations, BookAdaptations, Cinematical, featured, YA literature, YaLiterature

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