Watching a movie about a book can be really fun and motivating, even if they don’t always stick to the original storyline. I also like watching different versions of movies made in different years, comparing and contrasting. For example, The Great Gatsby 1974 version and the 2013 version. It’s a great activity to do with students too. I’ve created a list of books for students in 2nd through 12th grade that have movies or TV shows based on them. There are links to the shows, sometimes several if there are more than one version.
Please comment any titles I missed! I will add them, and this list can continue to grow for years to come!
Two book titles, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and Small Steps by Peeg Kehret are not in the list, but I noticed in IMDB that they’re in development now, so I’ll add them whenever they’re available to watch.
| Level (approximate) | Title | Link to Media | Link to Media | Link to Media |
| ELEMENTARY | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl | Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (Gene Wilder – 1971) | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Johnny Depp) | Wonka (Timothy Chalamet – 2023) |
| HIGH SCHOOL | 1984 | 1984 | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court | A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court | ||
| ELEMENTARY | A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett | A Little Princess | ||
| ELEMENTARY | A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicker | A Series of Unfortunate Events | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | A Tale of Two Cities | A Tale of Two Cities | ||
| ELEMENTARY | A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle | A Wrinkle in Time | A Wrinkle in Time | |
| ELEMENTARY | Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Louis Carroll | Alice in Wonderland (Johnny Depp) | Alice in Wonderland (1951 Disney cartoon) | Alicia en el país de las maravillas |
| HIGH SCHOOL | All the President’s Men | All the President’s Men | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | And Then There Were None | And Then There were None (1945) | And Then There Were None (2015 miniseries) | |
| HIGH SCHOOL | Animal Farm | Animal Farm | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | Anna Karenina | Anna Karenina | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery | Anne with an E (Netflix series) | Anne of Green Gables | Anne of Avonlea |
| ELEMENTARY | Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume | Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | Around the World in 80 Days | Around the World in 80 Days | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | Bambi | Bambi | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | Because of Winn-Dixie | Because of Winn-Dixie | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | Big Fish | Big Fish | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | Black Beauty | Black Beauty | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | Brave New World | Brave New World (1998) | Brave New World (1980) | |
| ELEMENTARY | Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson | Bridge to Terabithia | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Bunnicula by James Howe and Deborah Howe | Bunnicula | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Call of the Wild by Jack London | Call of the Wild | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey | Lots of Captain Underpants movies & shows | Dreamworks The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants | The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants |
| ELEMENTARY | Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman | Catherine Called Birdy | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White | Charlotte’s Web | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Chitty Chitty Bang Bang | Chitty Chitty Bang Bang | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Cinderella | Cinderella | Disney Cinderella | |
| HIGH SCHOOL | Clockwork Orange | |||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | David Copperfield | David Copperfield | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | Death on the Nile | Death on the Nile | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | Divergent by Veronica Roth | Divergent | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | Doctor Dolittle | Doctor Dolittle | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine | Ella Enchanted | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | Eloise | Eloise | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Enola Holmes by Nancy Springer | Enola Holmes on Netflix | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Eragon | Eragon | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon | The Sun is Also a Star | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl | Fantastic Mr. Fox | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Flora & Ulysses | Flora & Ulysses | ||
| ELEMENTARY | From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler | From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | Great Expectations | Great Expectations | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Guardians of Ga’Hoole by Kathryn Lasky | Legends of the Guardians | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | Gulliver’s Travels | Gulliver’s Travels | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh | Harriet the Spy | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling | Harry Potter | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Hatchet by Gary Paulsen | A Cry in the Wild | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | Heidi | Heidi | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Holes by Louise Sachar | Holes | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Hoot by Carl Hiaasen | Hoot | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Hotel for Dogs by Lois Duncan | Hotel for Dogs | ||
| ELEMENTARY | How to Eat Fried Worms | How to Eat Fried Worms | ||
| ELEMENTARY | How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell | Dragons: The Nine Realms | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | Huckleberry Finn | Huckleberry Finn (1974) | The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939) | |
| ELEMENTARY | Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks | Indian in the Cupboard | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Inkheart by Cornelia Funke | Inkheart | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | Island of the Blue Dolphins | Island of the Blue Dolphins | ||
| ELEMENTARY | James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl | James and the Giant Peach (1996) | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | Jane Austen – Northanger Abbey | |||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | Johnny Tremain | Johnny Tremain | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne | Journey to the Center of the Earth | Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) | |
| ELEMENTARY | Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg | Jumanji | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | Little Lord Fauntleroy | Little Lord Fauntleroy | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Little Women by Louise May Alcott | Little Women (2019) | Little Women (1994) | |
| Lockwood & Co. by Jonathan Stroud | Lockwood & Co. (Netflix series) | |||
| HIGH SCHOOL | Lord of the Flies | Lord of the Flies | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Magic School Bus by Joanna Cole | The Magic School Bus Rides Again | Magic School Bus (1994-1997) | |
| ELEMENTARY | Matilda by Roald Dahl | Matilda (1996) | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater, Florence Atwater | Mr. Popper’s Penguins | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien | The Secret of NIMH (1982) | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | Murder on the Orient Express | Murder on the Orient Express | ||
| ELEMENTARY | My Side of the Mountain | My Side of the Mountain (1969) | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr | Nim’s Island | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | Of Mice and Men | Of Mice and Men | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | Old Yeller | Old Yeller | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | Oliver Twist | Twist | Oliver Twist | |
| ELEMENTARY | Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan | Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (2010) | Percy Jackson and the Olympians TV Series (2023- ) | |
| ELEMENTARY | Persuasion | Persuasion | Persuasion | |
| ELEMENTARY | Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie | Peter Pan Disney cartoon | Peter Pan | |
| ELEMENTARY | Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren | Pippi Longstocking (1969) | Pippi Longstocking cartoon (1997) | |
| ELEMENTARY | Pride & Prejudice | Pride and Prejudice (1980) | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Ramona by Beverly Cleary | Ramona and Beezus | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm | Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | Robinson Crusoe | Robinson Crusoe | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | Romeo & Juliet | Romeo & Juliet (1968) | Romeo & Juliet (1996) | |
| HIGH SCHOOL | Roots | Roots (2016) | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Sarah Plain and Tall | Sarah Plain and Tall | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark | Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Sense and Sensibility | Sense and Sensibility | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | Sherlock Holmes – The Hound of Baskerville | The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: The Hound of the Baskervilles | The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) | |
| ELEMENTARY | Sounder | Sounder | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Stuart Little by E. B. White | Stuart Little | ||
| ELEMENTARY | The Adventures of Robin Hood | The Adventures of Robin Hood | ||
| ELEMENTARY | The Baby Sitter’s Club by Ann M. Martin | Baby Sitter’s Club | ||
| ELEMENTARY | The BFG by Roald Dahl | The BFG | ||
| ELEMENTARY | The Black Stallion by Walter Farley | The Black Stallion | ||
| ELEMENTARY | The Book Thief by Markus Zusak | The Book Thief | ||
| ELEMENTARY | The Borrowers by Mary Norton | The Borrowers | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | The Call of the Wild | The Call of the Wild | ||
| ELEMENTARY | The Chicken Squad by Doreen Cronin | The Chicken Squad | ||
| ELEMENTARY | The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis | The Chronicles of Narnia | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau | The City of Ember (2008) | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | The Color Purple | The Color Purple | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | The Count of Monte Cristo | The Count of Monte Cristo | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | The Day of the Jackal | The Day of the Jackal | ||
| ELEMENTARY | The Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney | The Diary of a Wimpy Kid | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | The Diary of Anne Frank | The Diary of Anne Frank | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | The Fault in Our Stars by John Green | The Fault in Our Stars | ||
| ELEMENTARY | The Giver by Lois Lowry | The Giver | ||
| ELEMENTARY | The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman | The Golden Compass | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | The Grapes of Wrath | The Grapes of Wrath | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | The Great Gatsby | The Great Gatsby (2013) | The Great Gatsby (1974) | |
| HIGH SCHOOL | The Hate U Give | The Hate U Give | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien | The Hobbit | ||
| ELEMENTARY | The Hunchback of Notre Dame | The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins | The Hunger Games | ||
| ELEMENTARY | The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick | Hugo | ||
| ELEMENTARY | The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling | The Jungle Book (Live action – 2016) | The Jungle Book (Disney Cartoon) | |
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | The Little Prince | The Little Prince | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien | The Lord of the Rings | ||
| ELEMENTARY | The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo | The Magician’s Elephant on Netflix | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | The Manchurian Candidate | The Manchurian Candidate | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | The Maze Runner by James Dasher | The Maze Runner | ||
| ELEMENTARY | The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary | The Mouse and the Motorcycle | ||
| ELEMENTARY | The One and Only Ivan | The One and Only Ivan | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | The Outsiders | The Outsiders (1990) | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky | The Perks of Being a Wallflower | ||
| ELEMENTARY | The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot | Princess Diaries | ||
| ELEMENTARY | The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett | The Secret Garden (2020) | The Secret Garden (1993) | The Secret Garden (1949) |
| HIGH SCHOOL | The Shawshank Redemption | The Shawshank Redemption | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares | The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares | ||
| ELEMENTARY | The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black | The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008 | ||
| ELEMENTARY | The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss | Disney – The Swiss Family Robinson (1960) | ||
| ELEMENTARY | The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo | The Tale of Despereaux (2008) | The Tale of Despereaux (2025) | |
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | The Three Musketeers | The Three Musketeers | ||
| ELEMENTARY | The Trumpet of the Swan | The Trumpet of the Swan | ||
| ELEMENTARY | The Wild Robot by Peter Brown | The Wild Robot | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | The Wind in the Willows | The Wind in the Willows | ||
| ELEMENTARY | The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum | The Wizard of Oz | Oz The Great and Powerful | Wicked |
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | The Yearling | The Yearling | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | To Kill a Mockingbird | To Kill a Mockingbird | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | Tom Sawyer | Tom Sawyer | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | Treasure Island | Treasure Island | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt | Tuck Everlasting | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | Uglies | Uglies | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Watership Down by Richard Adams | Watership Down (1978) | ||
| MIDDLE SCHOOL | Where the Red Fern Grows | Where the Red Fern Grows | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | White Fang | White Fang | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Wonder | Wonder | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | Wuthering Heights | Wuthering Heights (2012) | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library | Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Malala | He Named Me Malala | ||
| ELEMENTARY | Swindle | Swindle | ||
| ELEMENTARY | What is Ellis Island | Ellis Island | ||
| HIGH SCHOOL | Red Rising by Pierce Brown | Red Rising |