Books into Movies

Lots of children's and YA books have been picked up by Hollywood and made into movies. Here's a look at what's coming in the next few months:

• Where the Wild Things Are is out Oct. 16. Based on Maurice Sendak's classic children's book, it's got plenty of hipster cred, with Spike Jonze directing, and starring all kinds of your favorite indie-film stars.
• The Vampire's Assistant comes out Oct. 23. Based on a book from the enormously popular Cirque du Freak YA horror series, it is rated PG-13. 
• New Moon, the second in the Twilight series, is already creating a huge buzz. Out Nov. 20.
• The Lightning Thief, the first book in the Percy Jackson saga, is due for a Feb. 12 release. It's got some of the same cool folks who are in Where the Wild Things Are - well, OK, Catherine Keener anyway. Plus bigwigs Pierce Brosnan and Uman Thurman, and Chris Columbus directs.
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid is out in April. This will be live-action - will it lose the charm of it's hand-drawn inspiration?

Then there are the inevitable classics that have been trotted onto the silver screen for yet another turn. Does the world need Disney's A Christmas Carol, due in November? Hard to believe the evil empire - er, the maker of American dreams - hasn't tackled this one yet. Jim Carrey stars, along with Gary Oldman (MUST be the ghost of Christmas Past), Colin Firth, and other names you may recognize. Tim Burton tries his hand at Alice in Wonderland in March with Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, and Alan Rickman playing the Caterpillar. Then Ridley Scott tackles Robin Hood with Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett in starring roles, due out in April.