10 YOUNG ADULT Books Being Made Into Movies

1. 'THE 5TH WAVE'

Written By: Rick YanceyOn the Page: Booklist described Yancey's series starter (available May 13) as "part 'War of the Worlds,' part 'Starship Troopers,' part 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers,' and part 'The Stand.'"

That's good enough for us, but if you want to know more, the "waves" refer to five "plagues" that wipe out billions of humans after an alien invasion. The story mostly chronicles how one teen, Cassie, manages to survive against unthinkable odds.Get the book hereOn the Screen: Tobey Maguire and Oscar-winner Graham King ("The Departed") are producing the doomsday thriller, which stars Chloe Moretz as the lead character, Cassie, Liev Schreiber, Ron Livingston, and Tony Revolori ("Grand Budapest Hotel"). January 29, 2016

2. 'MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN'

Written By: Ransom RiggsOn the Page: "Entertainment Weekly" applauded the book's "X-Men: First Class-meets-time-travel story line, David Lynchian imagery, and rich, eerie detail." The thriller follows 16-year-old Jacob Portman, who travels to Wales after the death of his grandfather and meets a time-traveling girl who takes him back to 1940 to meet Miss Peregrine, who lives with a group of mysterious orphans with supernatural abilities. Get the book hereOn the Screen: Director Tim Burton has teamed up with "X-Men: First Class" scribe Jane Goldman to adapt the creeptastic fantasy, renamed "Peregrine's Home for Peculiars" and starring Eva Green, Samuel L. Jackson, and Asa Butterfield ("Ender's Game") as Jacob. March 4, 2016.

3. 'DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE'

Written By: Laini TaylorOn the Page: Taylor's lyrical fantasy trilogy has everything a YA fan could ask for -- a fierce and brilliant heroine, exotic locales around the world, witty humor, gripping action sequences, and, of course, a swoon-worthy forbidden love story between the blue-haired protagonist Karou and a sexy, brooding angel Akiva. Unfortunately for them, Karou's godfather is a chimaera "demon" whose natural born enemy is Akiva's kind. Get the book hereOn the Screen: Taylor told the press last fall that she had re-written a draft of the script and was waiting for the studio (Universal) to go from there: "If a version of this screenplay does get made, I feel like it'll still feel like the same story, but there will obviously be a lot of differences, just things that you can't fit into an hour and a half movie."

5. 'IMMORTAL RULES'

Written by: Julie KagawaOn the Page: In a future ravaged by the Red Lung virus, the only creatures to survive are vampires, who come out of hiding to rule society and use any remaining humans as food whom they bloodlet in exchange for shelter and meager provisions. Allie is taught to hate and avoid vampires, but when faced with certain death she chooses to become an immortal, but one who still loves humans. Get the book hereOn the Screen: The film project is referred to as the trilogy's series name, "Blood of Eden," and so far there's a script but no director attached. The movie's producer is Sigurjon Sighvatsson, who also produced the post-apocalyptic drama "Z for Zacharia."

6. 'LEGEND'

Written By: Marie LuOn the Page: In the future, the West Coast has turned into the Republic, a sovereign nation that's constantly at war. Fifteen-year old June is a military prodigy born to one of the Republic's most elite families, while 15-year-old Day is a parkour prodigy and petty criminal from one of its poorest neighborhoods. When Day is suspected of murdering June's brother, their high-stakes game of cat and mouse turns into the uncovering of the totalitarian government's sinister secrets. Get the book hereOn the Screen: CBS Films acquired rights to the dystopian trilogy, which USA Today called "'Les Misérables' meets 'Blade Runner.'" "Warm Bodies" helmer Jonathan Levine is attached to direct.

7. 'MONUMENT 14'

Written By: Emmy LaybourneOn the Page: Even the book's tagline sounds like a movie promo: "Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong." When natural and man-made disasters occur during a morning school bus ride, 14 Colorado students (six high schoolers, two middle schoolers, and six elementary schoolers) end up locked in a superstore without adult supervision. Meanwhile, disasters ranging from storms to biological agents wreak havoc outside. Get the book hereOn the Screen: Laybourne has a Hollywood background -- she's an actress, screenwriter, lyricist, and screenwriter -- but she's not adapting her own book. The movie is currently in development with Andrew Adamson ("The Chronicles of Narnia") producing and script by writer-director Brad Peyton ("Journey 2: The Mysterious Island").

8. 'RED RISING'

Written By: Pierce BrownOn the Page: Although "Red Rising" wasn't published strictly as a young adult novel, its protagonist Darrow is 16 when the story starts, so the "crossover" bestseller is popular with teens and adults who don't regularly read YA. The futuristic fantasy is set in a highly stratified world were humans terraform and inhabit other planets. To maintain order, a strict color caste system rules society, with the Golds on top and the Reds at the bottom. After a personal tragedy, Darrow, a Red miner, joins a secret uprising to infiltrate and overthrow the Golds. Get the book hereOn the Screen: Considering Publishers Weekly hailed it as "The next Hunger Games ... a Hollywood-ready story with plenty of action and thrills," it's not a surprise "Red Rising" was optioned with Marc Forster ("World War Z") committed to direct.

9. 'SHADOW AND BONE'

Written By: Leigh BardugoOn the Page: Bardugo's fascinating and unputdownable novel is a vivid fantasy set in the fictional Ravka, which bears a striking resemblance to Tsarist Russia, only with supernatural figures. The story's Tris-like heroine is Alina Starkov, who goes from mousy, quiet orphan to a force as bright and powerful as the sun. It doesn't hurt that there's a fascinating (and sexy) antagonist called the Darkling and a loving hottie of a best friend, Mal. Get the book hereOn the Screen: Any book worthy of a "Harry Potter" producer to option is worth reading. The Potter franchise's producer, David Heyman, optioned the book and will bring the story of Alina, Mal, and the Darkling to the big screen.

10. 'AN EMBER IN THE ASHES'

Written By: Sabaa TahirOn the Page: There has been a lot of buzz about Sahir's debut novel, and the hype is well deserved. The story is set in a brutal fantasy universe that, like "Red Rising," resembles ancient Rome. It blends politics, revolution, and romance to explore prejudice, injustice, and, naturally, love. Tahir's book is told from two points of view: Laia, a scholar who poses as a slave girl to help a rebel group save her brother; and Elias, an elite warrior bound for glory.On the Screen: Tahir's fantasy series isn't even available yet (it comes out April 28) but Paramount already optioned it in a seven-figure-deal with producers Mark Johnson and Haroon Saleem ("Chronicles of Narnia").

SOURCE-MOVIEFONE