YA Novels That Should Be TV Shows

Last time, I wrote about TV shows that were inspired by and adapted from books and afterwards I realised that there are many books out there that deserve the same; I can’t count the times I’ve finished a book and thought about how perfect it would be to sit and watch as these characters lived out their lives on screen too. This list isn’t particularly long, nor is it up to date, as I can’t even remember the last time I picked up a book to read for pleasure, but here is a list of novels that I think would make excellent television shows, and why…

1.       The Fallen Series by Lauren Kate

17 year old Lucinda “Luce” Price is sent to Sword & Cross reform school, a fate she receives after being accused of murdering a boy. Missing her best friend, her parents, and her mobile phone, Luce doesn’t have the best start to her new school; she is surrounded by new people, doesn’t know who to trust and feels a deep connection with Daniel, a gorgeous, mysterious boy at school. Throw in Daniel’s fallen angel status, that they have spent lifetimes finding and losing each other over and over and friends and foes vying for Daniel to make a decision (God or Satan?) and the story becomes much more interesting. Kate makes these characters intriguing and daunting, and creates an aura of tension that lies over Sword & Cross. While there is a movie in the works, set to be released later this year, I think that the Fallen series would make a brilliant TV show; we would get to delve deeper in to the characters, something I feel is important in this case as the back story to Luce and Daniel’s love, their fall, and their struggles since, is something that can be developed beautifully. 

2.     The Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard

Red or Silver? Set in a world where humans are divided based on the colour of their blood, this question is very important. “Ordinary” people have red blood, while those with “abilities” have silver, and when a series events results in the discovery of Mare, a 17 year old “Red” with abilities, the truth of her lineage is hidden. When oppression leads to a rebellion, the Silvers and the Reds clash, with Mare caught in between, both sides wanting to use her to their advantage. Mare battles with what she believes is right, and changing who she is completely.  While only the first book of the trilogy has been published, the second only days away from release, Mare’s story could be made beautifully, and faithfully, on television. With characters and land to be explored, Red Queen could make for a chilling, suspense-filled, action-packed show. 

3.   The Magisterium series by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black

Most kids would do anything to live in a world full of magic, but not 12 year old Callum Hunt. Raised to distrust magic, Callum is determined to fail the entrance exam to the Magisterium, a school where Mages, just like those who killed his mother, are trained, but his attempts do not go to plan. He is chosen as an apprentice to Master Rufus, along with Aaron and Tamara. As they embark on their studies, Call and his friends are faced with more trials, dark ties to the past and menacing prophesies that create tension within the school. I think it would be interesting for a show to deal with main characters that are still children, rather than teenagers, and the heavy issues they deal with during their time at the Magisterium, instead of the usual, cheesy teen comedy we’ve become used to cringing away from. This series, with magic centred on the elements, has the ability to become a beautiful show, visually and emotionally; one that focuses on the darker themes of the book, bringing magic to life and the intriguing characters created by Clare and Black. 

4.       Percy Jackson & the Olympians by Rick Riordan

This 5-book series centres on Percy, a young boy with dyslexia and ADHD, who after being attacked by a monster, finds himself at Camp Half-Blood, a training camp for demigods. Percy discovers that he is the son of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea, and that he himself is a demigod. While trying to deal with this new learning curve, Percy finds that his friend Grover is in fact a satyr, and has been protecting him since they met, and meets new friends, Annabeth, daughter of Athena, and Luke, son of Hermes. The series follows Percy, Grover and Annabeth as they deal with the crazy world of demigods, parents they never see, and ominous prophesies. While there are already films (and not great ones), I think television could do Percy Jackson justice; the depth of character would definitely be improved, and the ability to include even the minor characters we love, would already be an improvement on the films. A television series would mean that storylines could be prolonged and enable the intricacies of Riordan’s characters and plots to shine through. 

5.       The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

When 11 year old Harry Potter is told that he’s a wizard, he couldn’t even begin to think it was true, let alone be thrown in to a world full of wonder and magic. The series follows Harry, and his friends Ron and Hermione, as they study at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry’s struggle against Lord Voldemort, the dark wizard with aims to become immortal and segregate people with magic from those without, is at the centre of Rowling’s series. Each book chronicles a year in Harry’s life and with this comes a fast paced, dramatic and emotional series, with characters that audiences around the world connect with, and plots that grip you and never let you go. This magical story is infused with emotions, drama, and angst; Harry Potter would make the perfect TV show in many ways, with an already (incredibly) strong fan base, and more content being revealed through Pottermore, a show could bring the series to another level. While the films were magnificent, a change in platform (no pun intended) could mean that fans would get a more in depth look at life at Hogwarts, to see life brought to characters that were not included in the films, and maybe even a look in to the life of The Marauders.