Best YA Adaptations of 2013

This has been a tough week for us to post. It was Diana’s 25th anniversary on Tuesday, so she spent two days celebrating with her husband, and I’ve been parenting solo while my husband is on a work trip for 11 DAYS (we’re only on day 5, so I’m a bit of a mess). On top of that, it’s one of the busiest times in an entertainment journalist’s calendar, because everyone is voting for their regional critics’ groups (here is the Washington Area Film Critics Association’s picks, since I’m a member) and rounding up their list of personal favorites. Because we so often hear about the YA adaptations that tank (sorry, Cassie Clare), I’m going to share my favorite YA adaptations of the year — unranked in alpha order, because they’re all worth seeing. I’m including critical blurbs next to each film, so you can see what others think about it as well.

These movies prove that many YA novels translate well on to the screen, even if they’re never going to (nor should they be expected to) be page-for-page adaptations some readers might want!

“The Book Thief”: Emotional and faithful without being maudlin.

“The Book Thief has been brought to the screen with quiet effectiveness and scrupulous taste by director Brian Percival and writer Michael Petroni.” –Variety

Watch the trailer:

 

“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”: Amazing visuals, extraordinary acting.

“Very few people will take in this spectacle of a society amusing itself to death, of “reality games” and the vapid media hysteria that surrounds them, and not draw a parallel to our own televised bread and circuses. At its best, “Catching Fire” is a blockbuster that bites the culture that made it.” –Ty Burr, Boston Globe

“Lawrence steps up. And her character’s fierce independence provides a welcome alternative to certain vampire-fixated young-adult heroines who define themselves entirely through the attention of much-much-older men.” –M.E. Russell, Portland Oregonian

Watch the trailer:

 

“How I Live Now”: War + love in the very near future.

“Tender, humane, and searing, How I Live Now stands as something all too rare: a movie about young people that young people may love — but not one that lies to them, and not one built for them alone.” –Village Voice

Watch the trailer:

 

“The Spectacular Now”: So beautifully adapted, you simply must see it!

“The focus in James Ponsoldt’s affecting, intelligent drama is a pair of teenagers, and in them is so much complexity and heart that this casually paced gem feels rich in scope. They’re two of the most carefully created figures on screen this year, and yet their normalness takes us by surprise.” –Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

“Has an honesty few movies seek or achieve these days.” –Lawrence Toppman, Charlotte Observer

Watch the trailer:

What were your favorite YA adaptations of the year? I didn’t include “Ender’s Game in my list, because I haven’t read the book, so I couldn’t really judge how I felt about it as an actual adaptation.

 

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