My Rec: Look to Books for the Next Movie Musical

If you read our account of our HSM3 viewing night, then you know that we're kind of a teeny weeny little bit OBSESSED with the East High gang. You don't even wanna know how many Zac Efron pics we have up in our office right now. (I'll give you a hint: it's somewhere in the neighborhood of exactly 13.)

But apparently, we at The Splot are not the only ones who love HSM — hence the creation of other teen movie musicals: Camp Rock, The American Mall, and Spectacular. Obviously, I watched all three. But none of them quite captured my heart like my beloved HSM franchise (maybe it's just that I only have eyes for Zac).

With tomorrow's upcoming live chat about book-to-film adaptations, I started contemplating which books I think would make good tween/teen movie musicals, and here's what I came up with:

Romeo and Juliet, Together (and ALIVE!) At Last by Avi
This is my #1 pick; it's practically made to order! There's already a school play, a not-yet couple who are crazy about each other but too shy to do anything about it, and an ensemble cast of friends determined to give them a shove in the right direction — not to mention into the spotlight. I mean, why hasn't this been made into a movie already? You're welcome, Kenny Ortega!

And here's a runner-up:
Buffalo Brenda by Jill Pinkwater
An outrageous ninth-grader leads a motley group of misfits in stunts that turn the school upside-down. Scandalous newspaper expose: check. Prank involving a large mammal: check. This book is missing the big, dramatic star-crossed lovers angle that's usually a fixture in a movie musical, but I think the quirky characters, hilarious dialogue, and wacky plot still make it an excellent candidate.

So that's my memo to Hollywood. Which books do you think would make good movie musicals? Leave a comment, or better yet — join us for our chat about book-based movies: tomorrow (3/14), 4-5 p.m. ET. See you then!

— Karen, STACKS Staffer

Comments

[Comment #1]

I think if I can find those books i'll read them ! They sound like good books!

[Comment #2]

I LOVE all these things you do! But, time to get down to business:
The Joey Pigza series (or at least the first one): It would be a good choice becauae it would reflect the problems this kid goes through.
Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie: It would be a good drama/musical filled with powerful songs.

[Comment #3]

@Gabbie: Those are both awesome ideas! Now that you mention it, I can't believe I didn't think of Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie! You're totally right that it really lends itself to a musical.