Little Women (2019)
Book: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.
Compare how chapters and screen scenes arrange the sisters’ ambitions and relationships.
Movies based on books: 12 book and film pairings
Explore 12 verified book-to-film adaptations, with authors, movie details and practical prompts for comparing the page with the screen.
These are selected adaptations with an identified book and author, rather than automatic matches to a genre tag. Each card links to the exact film year and an adaptation source. The selection is not an age rating; check the book and film’s themes and local classification when choosing for children or a group.
Use the book-and-film comparison worksheet to collect evidence as you read and watch.
The Great Gatsby (2013)
Book: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Track what the narrator knows, what he guesses and what a film can show directly.
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Book: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
Compare a child’s perspective with the information a camera gives the audience.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Book: The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien.
Follow one stage of the journey and note which descriptions become images or dialogue.
Adaptation reference for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Matilda (1996)
Book: Matilda by Roald Dahl.
Compare how the book and film establish Matilda’s curiosity and the adults around her.
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Book: Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl.
Look at how a short book becomes a feature-length story with additional scenes.
The Secret Garden (1993)
Book: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
Consider how a setting can carry meaning through descriptions, colours and sound.
A Little Princess (1995)
Book: A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
Choose one scene and compare the circumstances and storytelling choices in each version.
The Princess Bride (1987)
Book: The Princess Bride by William Goldman.
Discuss what happens when a story includes another person telling or reading it.
Jane Eyre (2011)
Book: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.
Compare a first-person voice with a screen performance: what remains unspoken?
Sense and Sensibility (1995)
Book: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen.
Follow a conversation and distinguish spoken words from feelings inferred by the reader.
Great Expectations (1946)
Book: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.
Trace how an early encounter shapes expectations without summarising the whole ending.
Plan your reading and viewing
Choose a book you want to read, then note the film version before arranging a movie night. Compare one scene at a time and give everyone a chance to distinguish book evidence from film choices. RocketReader’s book-club movie-night plan provides a discussion agenda.
Explore another story activity
Cinema Hound, SpeedReading and RocketReader are related projects by Simon Ronald.