This summer Amanda started reading the Lorien Legacies series. The book I Am Number Four was only released last summer, and I think that the movie was already in production, which probably has helped increase interest in the books.
The second book The Power of Six just came out (linked to Amanda’s review).
There are hopes that all six books will be made into movies. Regardless, I guess the good news for all the fans (Amanda says that “everyone” is reading it at school right now) is that there are least 4 more books to come, and possibly another movie or two.
I haven’t read either book, but Amanda and I did watch I Am Number Four: The Movie on DVD. The movie was pretty good, and I think told the story pretty well. Amanda kept saying “It didn’t happen that way!” or “He didn’t find that out until later!” but the story and most of the details seem to be the same.
The movie is rated PG-13, probably for intensity and cursing (As always, Plugged In gives a great review for parents who want to know exactly what content is there). There is a fair amount of cursing, more than I would like Amanda to be exposed to in theory, but in reality she hears it ALL day at school (and that’s another soap box). Amanda said that the movie was scarier than the book. Music was used quite effectively to heighten the suspense and scariness. There were also some fighting scenes and sort of creepy (more than scary) aliens. Most of the fighting scenes were very dark, so that more was left to the imagination (which could be good or bad).
I didn’t know this, but Alex Pettyfer, who stars as Number Four/John Smith in the movie, also starred in Beastly, which I recently listened to and watched. Dianna Argon (Glee) is also another teen favorite (and she did a fantastic job playing a different type in this movie), so I can see an easy built-in following for these movies. I hope they encourage tweens and teens to pick up the books as well!
Have you and/or your kids seen the movie or read the book? Do you look forward to more of either?
Jennifer Donovan loves a good story, whether she gets lost in the pages or in her media room. She enjoys sharing her love of these things with her kids, and here at 5 Minutes for Books and at her Snapshot blog.
Thank you for this review and for the link to Amanda’s review. I have not heard of these books but I really like reading this type story. I read the Hunger Games which are written for youth and really enjoyed them. My question would be, would an adult enjoy reading these? Also, I wondered if Amanda thought boys her age would enjoy them as I have a grandson in the 8th grade and I’m always looking for something he might enjoy reading….
Also, the conflicts Amanda was having between the movie and the book is one I have when I read a book and then see the movie…Its best to remember that when we read a book, our imagination and life experience comes in to play…its hard to capture that in a movie in 2 hours….I am often disappointed but occasionally I’m pleasantly surprised.
I totally agree about books that get turned into movies. I realize that there’s only so much they can do, and that telling a story visually is different than writing it, so I give them a break and am usually pleasantly surprised.
I haven’t read the books, but I also enjoyed Hunger Games. Amanda says that they are just as enjoyable, but some of the amazon reviews I read said that they were kind of simple.
And she said that definitely boys would like it. It’s told from the POV of a boy.
I’m a bit late to the party, but I’m an adult who loves YA SF/dystopian books. I saw I am Number Four on a bookstore shelf and downloaded the audiobook knowing nothing about it. I was drawn in by the cover. I tried to listen, but could not get past the first few chapters. If they’re on the run, why does he go to school? It might be easier to read than to listen to. When you’re reading a boring book you can skim, but listening you have to slog through. I got The Ask and the Answer on audio at the same time and liked that one much better. They both have young male main characters who are on the run, but Ask really held my attention. The paper version of Ask is also neet with the words forming pictures on the page that contribute to the story.
Oops, the first book in the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness is The Knife of Never Letting Go. The Ask and the Answer is book two.