Books vs Movies

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Recommended Reading Age: 7+

Rating and Info: PG 2010 ‧ Family/Comedy ‧ 1h 34m

A Diary of a Wimpy Kid, written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney, was turned into a popular kid's movie franchise. The story follows Greg Heffley, an 11-year-old boy about to start middle school (years 7-10). However, his attempts to become popular don't always go to plan.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid was originally published in 2007 and quickly became a fan favourite. The series is not finished - with book #19 ‘Hot Mess’ to be published on 22 October 2024! An animated movie also came out on Disney + in 2021. 

I believe that while the movies are great, the book's illustrations add to the story and make them more interesting than the movies. They each have original and creative storylines accompanied by funny illustrations making them popular books for kids wanting to get into, or developing a love of reading. 

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is a great and highly enjoyable book and film series. 

Check out the Wimpy Kid Website for fun activities, games and printable activity sheets.

The Chronicles of Narnia Series

Recommended Reading Age: 7+

Rating and Info: PG 2010 ‧ Family/Comedy ‧ 1h 34m

The Chronicles of Narnia, written by C. S Lewis, is a children's fantasy book series. It was originally published in the 1950s and has become a classic.  

While it is rated as a children's book series, their early publishing period sometimes makes these stories quite hard to follow. I believe that the reader must have good reading skills and be able to understand the different, older styles of writing and language used. I found the first book in chronological order ‘The Magician's Nephew’, which is a story about the creation of Narnia, a hard book to follow and not very interesting.  

Three of ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ books have been made into movies - ‘The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, ‘Prince Caspian’ and ‘The Voyage of the Dawn Treader’.  

These movies focus on the Pevensie children's journey into the magical world of Narnia, a land of talking animals and dancing trees. I think these were the best choices for movie adaptations as they are interesting stories and great watches. I love all of the Narnia movies and highly recommend you to watch them.

The Giver

Recommended Reading Age: 14+

Rating and Info: PG-13 2014 ‧ Sci-fi/Thriller ‧ 1h 37m

The Giver, a book written by Lois Lowry and a film directed by Phillip Noyce, is about a society that can't remember their past, sees in black and white and doesn't feel emotions. That is, for everyone except the Receiver of Memory, also known as ‘the Giver’. Everything in this society is chosen for its participants including their parents, partner, occupation and time of death. When Jonas is chosen to be the next Receiver of Memory, he uncovers truths he didn't know existed and fights to free others from their oppression.

This award-winning book and film have sold millions of copies worldwide. 

There are quite large differences between both texts. In the first few seconds of the film in terms of character development and setting, almost a third of the book is explained. The start of the book is slower-paced so the introduction to the film makes it faster-paced for viewers. Jonas is twelve in the books but sixteen in the film which slightly alters his character's personality and actions. The film has a huge cast of popular actors and people including Meryl Streep and Taylor Swift.

Both the film and novel are excellent to watch and read and I would definitely recommend them. However, I would recommend reading the book first, as it goes into more detail than the film with more character and plot development.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Recommended Reading Age: Mature 12+

Rating and Info: M 2008 ‧ War/Thriller ‧ 1h 34m

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, written by John Boyne and the movie directed by Mark Herman, is a historical fiction told through the perspective of Bruno, the son of a Nazi commander during WW2. Bruno, an innocent eight-year-old, lives down the road from Auschwitz, a concentration and extermination camp,  unaware of the tragedies occurring close by. 

But when he discovers a boy in striped pyjamas trapped behind a fence he becomes curious about his new friend's situation. However, his oblivion to his surroundings leads to grave consequences. 

Both texts have won many awards and were very similar to each other, but certain scenes were cut or changed without too much impact. The ending of the film however, I found to be better than the book as it adds more emotional and detailed scenes which were briefer in the book and have a bigger impact on the film's conclusion. The texts are impactful, informative and heart-wrenching, but as they are based on historical events, they allow the audience to become familiar with and learn about the historical tragedy.