Stream Some YA During Steamy Season: YA Book Talk and News, July 18, 2024
Hey, YA Readers!
The dog days of summer are just around the corner, meaning that for many of us already blanketed with heat, we’ll experience some of the hottest, steamiest days of the year so far. As much as I am a fan of summer and heat, I also recognize my limit of being outside and my love for the ability to be inside in the cooler air. One of the ways I’ve kept myself entertained during these long hot stretches is by perusing the offerings on several streaming services. I’ll be honest: I’ve got no attention span for shows more than 30 minutes long (that 22 mark is kind of my ideal) and frankly, I’m more of a re-watch bad reality TV person than a check-out-a-new-streamer person. I wish I weren’t this way because there is so much good stuff out there, and there is a boatload of great YA adaptation options streaming right now.
Let’s take a look at several options for streaming YA adaptations, both movies and television series, that you can enjoy to beat the heat. This list is far from comprehensive, as finding anything moderately comprehensive across all streaming providers is Sisyphean. Instead, I’ve pulled some of the most interesting, best-rated, and genre-ranging for you to poke around in; there are new adaptations here right alongside older ones, as well as adaptations that you’ll know and some that may be entirely new to you. These come from four streamers, Netflix, Hulu, Prime, and Disney+, and because this list is lengthy, I’ve utilized the descriptions from the streamers themselves. I’ve noted where the names of the adaptation differ from the original YA book.
Though this list is more diverse than it was even a year ago, what’s streaming is not necessarily representative of how YA adaptations have grown in their inclusivity over the last several years. The good news is the casting of many of these adaptations is more diverse than they’ve historically been.
Information is current as of mid-July 2024.
YA Adaptations to Stream, Summer 2024
Netflix
Along for the Ride (by Sarah Dessen)
The summer before college, studious Auden meets mysterious Eli, and — on nightly quests — he helps her experience the carefree teen life she was missing.
Concrete Cowboy (based on the graphic novel Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri)
Sent to live with his estranged father for the summer, a rebellious teen finds kinship in a tight-knit Philadelphia community of Black cowboys.
Devil In Ohio (by Daria Polatin)
Determined to protect a young patient who escaped a mysterious cult, a psychiatrist takes the girl in, putting her own family — and life — in danger.
Dumplin‘ (based on the book by Julie Murphy)
To prove a point about measuring up and fitting in, Texas teen Willowdean Dickson enters a local pageant run by her ex-beauty queen mom.
First Kill (based on the Victoria Schwab short story of the same name in the Vampires Never Get Old anthology)
Falling in love is tricky for teens Juliette and Calliope: One’s a vampire, the other’s a vampire hunter — and both are ready to make their first kill.
Geek Girl (by Holly Smale)
Awkward teen Harriet has always wanted to fit in. Until she gets scouted by a top London model agent and learns that some people are meant to stand out.
Half Bad: The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself (based on the book Half Bad by Sally Green)
Caught between two warring clans, the son of a notorious witch responsible for a deadly massacre tries to find his place in the world — and his powers.
Heartstopper (by Alice Oseman)
Teens Charlie and Nick discover their unlikely friendship might be something more as they navigate school and young love in this coming-of-age series.
My Life With the Walter Boys (by Ali Novak)
When a tragedy disrupts her life, a teen moves in with her guardian’s big family in a small town and learns new lessons about love, hope, and friendship.
Love at First Sight (based on the book The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith)
Two strangers connect on a flight to London, only to be separated by a twist of fate. A reunion seems improbable — but love has a way of defying the odds.
The Midnight Club (by Christopher Pike)
Inside a hospice for terminally ill teens, members of an exclusive club make a chilling pact: The first to die must send a sign from beyond the grave.
Monster (based on the book by Walter Dean Myers)
A talented teen implicated in a robbery-turned-murder fights for his innocence and integrity against a criminal justice system that’s already judged him.
One Piece (based on the manga by Eiichiro Oda)
With his straw hat and ragtag crew, young pirate Monkey D. Luffy goes on an epic voyage for treasure in this live-action adaptation of the popular manga.
Rebel Cheer Squad (based on the Don’t Get Mad series by Gretchen McNeil)
A trio of cheerleaders at a posh private school revive their former classmates’ anti-bullying club and team up to fight injustice in this teen thriller.
Shadow and Bone (based on the series by Leigh Bardugo)
Dark forces conspire against orphan mapmaker Alina Starkov when she unleashes an extraordinary power that could change the fate of her war-torn world.
There’s Someone Inside Your House (based on the book by Stephanie Perkins)
Makani and her friends at Osborne High School try to identify and stop a masked killer who’s targeting students and exposing their biggest secrets.
Tiny Pretty Things (by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra)
When an attack brings down the star student at an elite ballet school, her replacement enters a world of lies, betrayal — and cutthroat competition.
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (by Jenny Han)
When her secret love letters somehow get mailed to each of her five crushes, Lara Jean finds her quiet high school existence turned upside down.
Wednesday (Note: this is a little bit of a cheat—you can catch the novelization of Wednesday by Tehlor Kay Mejia on September 1)
Smart, sarcastic, and a little dead inside, Wednesday Addams investigates a murder spree while making new friends — and foes — at Nevermore Academy.
Hulu
Love, Victor (a spinoff from the novel Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli)
Set in the world of the original 2018 film “Love, Simon,” the series follows Victor, a new student at Creekwood High School on his own journey of self-discovery, facing challenges at home, adjusting to a new city, and struggling with his sexual orientation. When it all seems too much, he reaches out to Simon to help him navigate the ups and downs of high school.
Note: this is also available to stream on Disney+.
Pretty Little Liars (based on the series by Sara Shepard)
Four estranged best friends are reunited one year after the queen bee of the group, Alison, goes missing. When they begin to receive disturbing messages from someone named “A”, how far will they go to bury their secrets?
Shadowhunters (based on the series by Cassandra Clare)
Clary Fray finds out on her 18th birthday that she is not who she thinks she is but rather comes from a long line of Shadowhunters–human-angel hybrids who hunt down demons. When her mother Jocelyn is kidnapped, Clary is thrown into the world of demon hunting with mysterious Shadowhunter Jace and her best friend, Simon. Now living among faeries, warlocks, vampires and werewolves, Clary begins a journey of self-discovery as she learns more about her past and what her future may hold.
Prime
Chemical Hearts (from the novel Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland)
When a hopelessly romantic high school senior (Austin Abrams) falls for a mysterious new classmate (Lili Reinhart), it sets them both on an unexpected journey that teaches them about love, loss, and, most importantly, themselves.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (based on the book by Lois Duncan)
In a town full of secrets, a group of teenagers are stalked by a mysterious killer a year after a fatal accident on their graduation night.
My Lady Jane (based on the book series by Cynthia Hand, Brody Ashton, and Jodi Meadows)
Are you ready for an epic tale of true love, high adventure, regicidal maniacs, deadpan heroism, devious intrigues, swashbuckling swordfights, a soupçon of fabulism, and oodles of yearning, banter and undeniable chemistry? Of course you are. Welcome to My Lady Jane.
Panic (based on the book by Lauren Oliver)
In the forgotten town of Carp, Texas, Panic is the only way out. Every summer the graduating seniors risk their lives competing in a series of challenges for the chance to win life-changing money. After the death of two players the stakes – and danger—have never been higher. This summer twenty-three players will enter the game. All of them will be changed. Only one will win. Let the games begin.
Shelter (based on the series by Harlan Coben)
Based on the bestselling series by Harlan Coben, Shelter follows the story of Mickey Bolitar after the death of his father leads him to start a new life in suburban New Jersey. When another new student disappears, Mickey finds himself tangled in a web of secrets. With the help of two new friends, Spoon and Ema, they reveal a dark underground that may hold the answers to decades of disappearances.
The Summer I Turned Pretty (based on the series by Jenny Han)
Belly Conklin is about to turn 16, and she’s headed to her favorite place in the world, Cousins Beach, to spend the summer with her family and the Fishers. Belly’s grown up a lot over the past year, and she has a feeling that this summer is going to be different than all the summers before.
Disney+
American Born Chinese (by Gene Luen Yang)
A regular American teenager’s life is changed when he befriends the son of a mythological god.
The Crossover (by Kwame Alexander)
Twin basketball phenoms struggle with growing up, growing apart, and learning to put family first.
The Fault in Our Stars (by John Green)
Hazel and Gus share a love that sweeps them on an unforgettable journey.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (by Ransom Riggs)
A wildly imaginative fantasy-adventure about a secret world for children with unusual powers.
YA Book News
Of course, there’s still YA news to share this week, too.
- All of the YA science fiction and fantasy hitting shelves in July.
- The adaptation of Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies has an official release date on Netflix. Y’all, this has been in the works for almost 20 years.
- Brian Selznick will have a YA novel hitting shelves in April 2025.
Thanks as always for hanging out.
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See you again on Monday with your new releases for the week. Until then, happy reading!
