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VOICE OVER: Emily Brayton WRITTEN BY: Emma Schell
We read the books, now we want a movie or TV show! Our countdown includes "Throne of Glass," "Red Queen," "The Girls," and more!

#10: “Educated” (2018) Tara Westover

Adapting a memoir onto the big screen has become somewhat of a routine procedure for Hollywood studios. The deep and introspective nature of memoirs has proved to translate well to screen, with film adaptations like “The Pianist” and “Girl, Interrupted” going on to garner huge success amongst audiences and critics. Similar to the 2017 film adaptation of Jeannette Walls’ “The Glass Castle”, “Educated” tells the story of author Tara Westover's unconventional upbringing and her journey from living off-the-grid to graduating from Cambridge University. With widespread acclaim for the memoir, including glowing reviews from former President Barack Obama, ‘Educated’ would be sure to capture the attention (and tears) of audiences everywhere.

#9: “Wicked Lovely” series (2007-) Melissa Marr

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‘Wicked Lovely’ follows the main character Aislinn as she navigates her rare ability to see faeries. While the book series includes many mythical elements that are traditionally found in fairytales, Aislinn also has to deal with issues that are common to the modern world. In 2014, the book series made headlines as Vince Vaughn's production company, Wild West Picture Show Productions, was in talks to produce an adaptation. However, nothing much has been said of the project since. Despite this, we still believe the magical adventures that Aislinn finds herself in would make for a thrilling feature or television adaptation, taking fans of the series to new heights.

#8: "An Ember in the Ashes" series (2015-) Sabaa Tahir

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Unlike most movie and TV show adaptations in the young adult genre, which have predominantly featured white actors in leading roles, an adaptation of ‘An Ember in the Ashes’ would hopefully stay true to the book’s roots and feature actors who could appropriately portray the diverse world of characters created by author Sabaa Tahir. The series, which follows a variety of different characters fighting for their freedom under an oppressive Martial Empire, takes audiences on a journey of triumph, loss, and the search for humanity that would likely be enhanced through live-action performances.

#7: “Gallagher Girls” series (2006-) Ally Carter

The ‘Gallagher Girls' series follows the main character Cammie and her friends as they embark on adventures at their all-girls spy school. Along the way, Cammie and her peers encounter everything from a budding forbidden romance, juicy school gossip, and secret covert operations. With series like 'Pretty Little Liars' and ‘Orange Is the New Black’ showing just how popular female-dominated shows can be, as well as shows like 'Riverdale' and 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' garnering fans attention through the thrilling mysteries their characters aim to solve, a tv or movie adaptation of the ‘Gallagher Girls' would be sure to find success.

#6: “The Earthsea Cycle” (1964-2001) Ursula K. Le Guin

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As it’s one of the first young adult book series, creating an on-screen adaptation of the ‘Earthsea’ series at the time it was published would not have reached the extensive audience it would today. Since the high fantasy series' creation, the genre has become immensely popular with many young adult books having been turned into popular film and tv shows. While the series already has two on-screen adaptations, including a Studio Ghibli animated movie and a tv miniseries that aired on the Sci-Fi channel, there is no doubt fans wouldn’t flock back to their screens to watch Hollywood reinterpret the classic novels. In fact, to the excitement of many, it was revealed in 2019 that A24 and ‘Nightcrawler’ producer Jennifer Fox would be developing the series into a tv show - though no other concrete news has surfaced thereafter.

#5: “The Girls” (2016) Emma Cline

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In the 2016 novel ‘The Girls’, protagonist Evie Boyd’s infatuation with someone named Suzanne leads her to joining a local cult. Inspired by the Manson Family, the debut novel by author Emma Cline describes an eccentric and vibrant world of characters that’s just waiting to be portrayed by Hollywood’s most talented stars. Of course, the story of Charles Manson and the Manson family has been heavily covered and discussed in all areas of popular culture, including on the big and the small screen. From Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' to the made for tv movie 'Helter Skelter’, there is certainly an audience that would rush to the theaters to see Emma Cline's own take on the fascinating lives of the Manson Family.

#4: “Red, White & Royal Blue” (2019) Casey McQuiston

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Fans of Casey McQuiston have been calling for an on-screen adaption of her bestselling novel 'Red, White, and Royal Blue' since it first came out in 2019 - and we can understand why. The book revolves around an LGBTQ+ romance, and perfectly encapsulates the enemies-turned-lovers trope that romcom fans love so dearly. Characters Alex Claremont-Diaz and Prince Henry are just too loveable to not want to see on the big screen. With the huge success of movies like ‘The Prince & Me’, and ‘The Princess Diaries’, it’s about time that movies about royal romances started to include more diversity in their love interests. With Amazon having won its film rights in 2019, here’s hoping there will be!

#3: “Red Queen” series (2015-) Victoria Aveyard ‘Red Queen’ is one of the most popular fantasy books in the young adult genre, spending 26 weeks on The New York Times young adult best sellers list and becoming the first debut novel to ever earn the top spot during its release week. The series, which includes 3 sequels, follows main character Mare as she navigates her newfound powers and rebels against the Silver elite. It also offers audiences a uniquely YA mix between two of the most beloved live-action adaptations in recent memory - ‘The Hunger Games’ and ‘Game of Thrones’. From its strong female protagonist to the loathsome members of the Silver Court, the Red Queen series has the potential to be another on-screen sensation - so much so that both a film and television adaptation are in early development!

#2: “Throne of Glass” series (2012-18) Sarah J. Maas

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Sharing some similarities with ‘An Ember in the Ashes’, ‘Throne of Glass’ is a series that follows teenage killer Celaena as she navigates life in a tyrannical kingdom while trying to win back her liberty. Throughout the multiple book series, audiences are taken on a whirlwind journey throughout the land as Celaena and her peers try to protect their home from destruction. The series appears to have all the high fantasy action that has made book-to-television adaptations like 'Shadow and Bone' and 'Shadowhunters' so popular amongst audiences. In 2016, it was revealed that ‘Throne of Glass’ was being developed into a TV series for Hulu. However, much to the disappointment of fans, nothing has been announced since.

#1: “The Selection” series (2012-16) Kiera Cass

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With the series' premise being likened to ABC's hit reality tv show 'The Bachelor' and Suzanne Collins’ groundbreaking young adult series 'The Hunger Games’, it's safe to say author Kiera Cass is sitting on an entertainment goldmine. The series takes place in a dystopian world where prestigious princes hold competitions to find love, and where women compete to be the wife of a prince with the prospect of moving up the caste system. The series has already had multiple failed attempts at being developed on-screen, with two CW pilots being passed on and Warner Brothers failing to make anything of the series while they had the rights. But a potential adaptation is currently in the early stages of development at Netflix with 'The Society' director Haifaa Al-Mansour set to direct as of 2020.

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