Many books get made into movies every year, adding fuel to the debate about whether movies based on books are ever as good as the books themselves. Despite the debate, many fans cannot resist seeing their favorite books made into movies. Here are some of the biggest movie releases based on books for 2009.
'My Sister's Keeper' by Jodi Picoult
Simon & Schuster
My Sister's Keeper is Jodi Picoult's first book to become a major motion picture. It was released in June 2009. The adaptation was not without controversy, however. The director decided to make the ending of the movie different than the book against Picoult's wishes and much to the outrage of her fans.
My Sister's Keeper is the story of a girl who was conceived after her older sister was diagnosed with leukemia. She is a perfect match for her sister, and spends her life in the hospital donating blood, marrow and whatever else her sister needs to live. As a teenager, she sues so that she will not have to give her sister a kidney.
'Julie & Julia' by Julie Powell
Little, Brown
Julie Powell first published her account of spending one year cooking every recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking on a personal blog. She gained such a following that she was offered a book deal, and published Julie and Julia in 2006. The book became a bestseller in 2009 when the movie by the same name was released.
'Where the Wild Things Are' by Maurice Sendak
HarperCollins
How do you take a children's book with very few words and turn it into a full length feature film? Spike Jones and Dave Eggers attempted to do just that with Maurice Sendak's classic children's book, Where the Wild Things Are. Eggers also released an adult novel, The Wild Things, to coincide with the movie.
'New Moon' by Stephenie Meyer
Little, Brown
New Moon is the second of the popular vampire romance Twilight series. The book as a whole has a brooding and melancholy feel to it, capturing well the angst of its teenage characters. The story focuses on a blossoming relationship between Bella and Jacob after Edward breaks Bella's heart.
- Read a Book Review of New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
- New Moon Movie Information
'Precious' by Sapphire
Knopf Doubleday
The movie Precious took home the People's Choice Prize at the Toronto Film Festival, creating buzz about the novel Push (renamed Precious as a movie tie-in), on which the movie is based. Precious tells the story of a 16 year old street girl in Harlem who is pregnant with her father's baby, but begins to find hope when a teacher pushes her to learn to read and to write a diary. The movie Precious was released in November 2009. The book was first released in June 1996.
'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy
Knopf
In 2006 Cormac McCarthy added another novel to his growing list of masterpieces. What separated The Road from his other works was McCarthy’s ability to capture moments of lyrical and emotional beauty in a father and son’s haunted relationship even as a silent cloud of death covers the world in darkness. In 2009 The Road hit the big screen.
- Read a complete review of The Road by Cormac McCarthy
- The Road Movie Information
- The Road Book Club Discussion Questions
'The Lovely Bones' by Alice Sebold
Little, Brown
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold was first published in 2002. It tells the story of 14 year old Susie Salmon, who is brutally raped and murdered on her way home from school. Susie keeps watch over her friends and family (and her killer) and narrates the book from heaven.
'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' by J.K. Rowling
Scholastic
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the sixth book in the Harry Potter series. The book was first released in July 2006. The movie was released in July 2009.
'The Time Traveler's Wife' by Audrey Niffenegger
Harcourt Trade
If you read the back of The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger you may wonder whether it is science fiction or romance. It is neither. This is not your average time travel fantasy involving a machine and scientists eagerly trying to break the space-time continuum. In fact, Henry DeTamble wishes he did not travel through time. He does so involuntarily, and when he does, he wakes up in another place and time, naked, nauseous and ravenously hungry. Henry's time travel drives the story, but is not really what the story is about. The Time Traveler's Wife was first released in 2004. The movie was released in the summer of 2009.
'Angels & Demons' by Dan Brown
Simon & Schuster
Angels & Demons> is Dan's Brown first Robert Langdon thriller. It takes place chronologically before The Da Vinci Code, although the movie version of The Da Vinci Code was released first. Both books involve conspiracies within the Catholic church, but Angels & Demons has more action within Rome and the Vatican. Angels & Demons was released in May 2009.
'Confessions of a Shopaholic' by Sophie Kinsella
Dell
Sophie Kinsella made a name for herself with her Shopaholic books. In February 2009 her bestselling 2000 novel, Confessions of a Shopaholic is available to fans on the big screen. Confessions of a Shopaholic is the story of Becky Bloomwood, a sweet, lovable young woman who loves to shop. The problem is, she does not love keeping track of bank accounts and credit card bills. Can Becky become more responsible without sacrificing style? That is the question this movie tackles.
