Young Adult books turn into instant movies.

I'm researching YA books while I work at my regular 9-5 gig. Luckily for me, I can listen to audiobooks all day, so I'm easily burning through them. Before I started listening to We're Alive, I had finished Carrie Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy. I'm so glad I did too, because it left me in a great mindset to start listening to W-A, which was at my local library. My town rocks.

In typical Young Adult lit, another example is The Hunger Games, there is a standard formula. Teenage girl living in hash, typically Post Apocalyptic setting, forced into survival mode. She'll be chased by monsters, soldiers who fight for the ruling government, and while dodging fireballs, she's torn between two love interests. Yup..that's all it takes to get a movie option! Just take the whole Michael and Pegs story line add in a few more misunderstandings and fireballs, YES FIREBALLS, and viola, Scholastic Books will pimp your series to every Middle School in America, then Hollywood.

Seriously, The Forest of Hands and Teeth deals with a teenage female heroine that's living in a land full of flesh eating zombies. They're called "Unconsecrated" because once they've been infected they come back from the dead and hunger for live, human flesh. How cool is that premise? Way cool. I couldn't stop listening to them. Much like We're Alive, we're never told fully told how the zombies happened, we're just in the NOW of the story, watching the characters have to deal with their unsafe environment as well as trying to keep a connection between their fellow survivors. The more the story unfolds, the more we learn. I like that sort of thing, keeps the reader/listener focused and involved.

If you haven't read this series, I recommend. Don't expect epic literary genius because it is a Young Adult book and geared towards the 12-17 age range.

Now that I've finished Season 3 of W-A and am current with everyone else, I'm going to start listening to the Mortal Instrument series, which , oh gee, look at that, is now a movie.

I've got my fingers crossed that W-A can be live action one day....please? huh?