Read the Book First | Jackson Free Press | Jackson, MS

Read the Book First

Although “The Hobbit” is taking over the movies for the next couple holiday seasons, it will always be first and foremost a great family-friendly book.

Although “The Hobbit” is taking over the movies for the next couple holiday seasons, it will always be first and foremost a great family-friendly book. Photo by Courtesy New Line Cinema

My husband and I have struck a deal with our 11-year-old son, Mateo, regarding the "Harry Potter" series: To see the movie, he has to read the book. So far he has read the first five books and has two to go. We did this because we felt strongly that he needed to experience the beauty of the books first before getting swept up in the movies.

Due to the success of "Harry Potter" and "Twilight," turning books geared toward young adults into movies has become a big trend.

During the 2013-2014 school year, a slew of movies spanning various genres com out. Use this as an opportunity to get your pre-teens and teens excited about reading again.

"Tiger Eyes" by Judy Blume (Delacorte Books for Young Readers, reprint edition, 2013, $8.99)

Movie Premiere: June 7, 2013

Starring: Willa Holland, Amy Jo Johnson and Tatanka Means

"R.I.P.D." (Book 1, graphic novel) by Peter Lenkov (Dark Horse, second edition, 2013, $12.99)

Movie Release Dave: July 19

Starring: Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges

"City of Bones" (The Mortal Instruments, Book 1) by Cassandra Clare (Margaret K. McElderry Books, reprint edition, 2008, $12.99)

Movie Premiere: Aug. 23

Starring: Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower and Jonathan Rhys Meyers

"The Sea of Monsters" (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 2) by Rick Riordan (Disney-Hyperion, reprint edition, 2007, $7.99)

Movie Premiere: Aug. 16

Starring: Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario and Jake Abel

"The Spectacular Now" by Tim Tharp (Ember, reprint edition, 2013, $8.99)

Movie Premiere: Aug. 2

Starring: Shailene Woodley, Miles Teller and Jennifer Jason Leigh

"Romeo and Juliet" (Shakespeare Made Easy, Modern English Language Side-by-Side with Full Original Text) by William Shakespeare (Barron's Educational Series, 1985, $6.99)

Movie Premiere: Oct. 25

Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Paul Giamatti and Damien Lewis

"Catching Fire" (Hunger Games, Book 2) by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic Press, reprint edition, 2013, $12.99)

Movie Premiere: Nov. 22

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci and Philip Seymour Hoffman

"Ender's Game" (Ender, Book 1) by Orson Scott Card (Tor Science Fiction, 1994, $7.99)

Movie Premiere: Nov. 1

Starring: Harrison Ford, Abigail Breslin and Hailee Steinfeld

"The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, reprint edition, 2012, $13.99)

Movie Premiere: Dec. 13, 2013 and Dec. 17, 2014

Starring: Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans and Orlando Bloom

"The Maze Runner" by James Dashner (Delacorte Press, reprint edition, 2010, $9.99)

Movie Premiere: Feb. 14, 2014

Starring: Dylan O'Brien and Thomas Brodie-Sangster

"Divergent" by Veronica Roth (Katherine Tegen Books, 2012, $9.99)

Movie Premiere: March 21, 2014

Starring: Shailene Woodley, Kate Winslet and Ashley Judd

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