Taking a Page out a YA book

Lately, I've been noticing a lot of projects being launched recently are movie adaptations of Young Adult (YA) books from all genres.  There's the hyped interest in Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games, the current release in theaters now, Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole based on the series of novels Guardians of Ga'Hoole by Kathryn Lasky and of course, I don't need to tell anyone about Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series.  FYI, I still have not read these books.   I know, I know, I'm getting to it.  Eventually.


So, the fact remains that Hollywood is getting mighty impressed with the audience these books bring to the table already and turning these very popular books into movies.  Proof?  Recently, Disney is going to adapt Allyson Condie's Matched, a dystopian tale of society where everyone is matched up by their 18th birthdays.  Condie's debut novel is getting lots of rave reviews and it will be interesting to see how this turns out.  

Universal Pictures is adapting the first book of Melissa Marr's urban/fantasy series Wicked Lovely about a young girl, Aislinn, who gets caught up in the faerie world.  Kimberly Pierce (Boys Don't Cry) is attached to direct. 

Personally, I think this is great.  I myself have been reading some YA novels lately and while they might be labeled YA, they deal with issues and emotions that are quite real and grown-up.  My recent reads include Simone Elkeles' Leaving Paradise about a young man who completes a year in prison for running over his neighbor (and classmate) while drunk and now has to face her when he gets out and Gayle Forman's If I Stay about a girl who the lone survivor of a horrific car crash that takes her whole family.  The novel is told from Mia's viewpoint as she fights to live.  This is long been rumored to be turned into a film as well.  I have no doubt that these stories will translate well onscreen.