Do you like to see the movie or read the book it’s based on first?
I prefer to read the book before I see the movie. When I read a book or a series such as the “Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins, I am able to imagine myself in that world.
I get to know the characters and the details of the setting and worlds created in the books, and they all come to life in my mind. Then when I see the movie, I compare the world that I envisioned with the world created in the films and the images of the characters I imagined with the actors who play those characters.
It’s fascinating to see the words that I have read in a book being brought to life in a film. I often find that the movie isn’t as detailed as the book but I still enjoy seeing the interpretation.
Sometimes I watch a movie and find out later that it was based on a book. In that case, I borrow that book from the library, read it and compare it with the movie. The look and mannerisms of the characters in the movie may influence how I see the book but the book also helps me understand the backstories of the characters and other details that may not have been shown in the movie.
If you ever wondered where the ideas for those awesome movies that you see at the theater or streaming on your devices at home come from, look no further than the pages of the books at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh!
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Told in alternating voices, when Theodore Finch and Violet Markey meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school–both teetering on the edge–it’s the beginning of an unlikely relationship, a journey to discover the “natural wonders” of the state of Indiana, and two teens’ desperate desire to heal and save one another. You can also check out this title as eBook on OverDrive/Libby or as eAudio on OverDrive/Libby.
In 1941, fifteen-year-old Lina, her mother, and brother are pulled from their Lithuanian home by Soviet guards and sent to Siberia, where her father is sentenced to death in a prison camp while she fights for her life, vowing to honor her family and the thousands like hers by burying her story in a jar on Lithuanian soil. Based on the author’s family, includes a historical note. You can also check out this title as eBook on OverDrive/Libby or as eAudio on OverDrive/Libby.
An artistic sixteen-year-old is forcefully separated from her family by Soviet soldiers and sent to one of Stalin’s work camps in Siberia. Despite suffering through cruel and harsh conditions, Lina finds refuge in the connections she makes with other deportees and in the art she continues to create to document her experiences. Based on the novel “Between Shades of Gray” written by Ruta Sepetys. You can also check out this title as video on Hoopla.
Seventeen-year-olds Stella and Will, both suffering from cystic fibrosis, realize the only way to stay alive is to stay apart, but their love for each other is slowly pushing the boundaries of physical and emotional safety. You can also check out this title as eBook on OverDrive/Libby or as eAudio on OverDrive/Libby.
Stella is a vibrant, fun-loving seventeen-year-old, who, unlike most teenagers, has to spend much of her time living at a hospital as a cystic fibrosis patient. When Stella meets Will, a charming and rebellious fellow patient, she feels a powerful connection, but the risk of life-threatening infection dictate that she and Will maintain a safe distance between them. As their feelings grow, Stella and Will face a life-changing question: How does love feel when even a single touch is off-limits?
After witnessing her friend’s death at the hands of a police officer, Starr Carter’s life is complicated when the police and a local drug lord try to intimidate her in an effort to learn what happened the night Kahlil died. You can also check out this title as eBook on OverDrive/Libby, as eAudio on OverDrive/Libby, as eBook on Hoopla or as eAudio on Hoopla.
Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressures from all sides of the community, Starr tries to find her voice in order to stand up for what’s right.
In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the twelve districts against one another, sixteen-year-old Katniss’s skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister’s place. You can also check out this title as eBook on OverDrive/Libby, as eAudio on OverDrive/Libby or as eAudio on Hoopla.
Set in a future where the Capitol of the nation of Panem selects a boy and girl from the twelve districts to compete in the Hunger Games. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen volunteers take her younger sister’s place for the latest match. She must rely upon her sharp instincts when she’s pitted against highly trained Tributes who have prepared their entire lives. If Katniss is ever to return to District 12, she must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
In the distant future, when cities move about and consume smaller towns, a fifteen-year-old apprentice is pushed out of London by the man he most admires and must seek answers in the perilous Out-Country, aided by one girl and the memory of another. You can also check out this title as eBook on OverDrive/Libby, as eAudio on OverDrive/Libby or as eAudio on Hoopla.
Hundreds of years after our civilization was destroyed, a new world has emerged. A mysterious young woman named Hester Shaw leads a band of outcasts in the fight to stop London, now a giant predator city on wheels, from devouring everything in its path.
A darkly funny and spectacularly original exploration of friendship, goodbyes–and spontaneous combustion. You can also check out this title as eBook on OverDrive/Libby or as eAudio on OverDrive/Libby.
Get ready for the outrageous coming-of-age love story about growing up…and blowing up. When students in their school begin exploding (literally), seniors Mara and Dylan struggle to survive in a world where each moment may be their last.
In this story about the perils of popularity, the courage of nonconformity, and the thrill of first love, an eccentric student named Stargirl changes Mica High School forever. You can also check out this title as eBook on OverDrive/Libby or as eAudio on OverDrive/Libby.
Natasha is a girl who believes in science and facts. Daniel has always been a good son and good student. But when he sees Natasha he forgets all that and believes there is something extraordinary in store for both of them. You can also check out this title as eBook on OverDrive/Libby or as eAudio on OverDrive/Libby.
College-bound romantic Daniel Bae and Jamaica-born pragmatist Natasha Kingsley meet, and fall for each other, over one magical day amidst the fervor and flurry of New York City. Sparks immediately fly between these two strangers, who might never have met had fate not given them a little push. But will fate be enough to take these teens from star-crossed to lucky in love?
The story of a schizophrenic teen who is starting an experimental drug trial. You can also check out this title as eBook on OverDrive/Libby or as eAudio on OverDrive/Libby.
Diagnosed with a mental illness halfway through his senior year of high school, a witty introspective teen struggles to keep it a secret while falling in love with a brilliant classmate who inspires him to open his heart and not be defined by his condition.