As a kid I always loved being assigned a book to read in school that had a movie. I knew that meant we’d spend at least a day or two of that class watching the movie. Sometimes the movies were good, more often they were bad, but they always lead to great discussions afterwards. I have patterned our homeschool reading lessons after the same model, a book and a movie (you’ll see that hashtag all over my Instagram feed). I assign my kids books, wediscuss them, and then watch the movie. It has become a cherished family tradition.
As I go through the books we’ve read and the movies we’ve watched I’ve realized it might be helpful to everyone else reading my posts if they had a general idea of the reading level of these possible book and a movie combos. I am ranking these solely by reading level, not content. So, for instance, Twilight is listed as a fourth-grade reading level because of the difficulty of the words. The content is clearly intended for older kids, and probably wouldn’t be of great interest to fourth graders. I’ve changed it to closer to intended audience levels because it bothered me so much.
I’ll also never assign Twilight to my kids as a book and a movie because I personally believe vampires are evil and should be staked. Not portrayed as creatures to be pitied.
But that’s a different discussion
So here goes broken down by grade level. I’ve linked to our relevant movie nights if we’ve already read those books. I’m also updating as I think of/learn of more movies (I’m updating it for the first time 8 months later and it’s doubling in size). When you get to the bottom, I’ve got a special printable for subscribers! I put it up at the top. These bookmarks are FREE for subscribers (with a coupon code) or you can buy it for $2.99.
Also, all these Amazon links are going to be affiliate links, so I don’t have to keep marking it.
Picture books made into movies
These the reading level is usually more difficult than the intended audience.
- Jumangi book movie
- Zathura (Jumanji’s lesser-known sequel) movie
- How Grinch Who Stole Christmas cartoon and live action
- Shrek (though the book is even less like the movie than usual)
- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs movie
- Pickles to Pittsburgh (the sequel) movie
- Cat in the Hat movie
- The Lorax movie
- Where the Wild Things Are movie
- Polar Express movie
- Horton Hatches the Egg movie
- Madeline movie cartoon series
- Babar (wow the hardback $163, paperback $16) movie cartoon series
- Eloise (I always was amused as a kid by how naughty she was) movie
- Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day movie
- A Day with Wilbur Robinson movie (I think this movie got a bum rap, and I love it a lot)
- Curious George movie
- Night at the Museum movie
- Clifford movie
I start our book and a movie nights after the kids were mostly done with picture books, we’ve started doing some with their cousins, but I haven’t written about it yet.
3rd Grade Chapter books made into movies
I was quite surprised to learn a number of books I read in 3rd grade were actually 4th-grade books.
- Ramona books– This was one of our favorite movie adaptations it kept the feel of the books quite well
- Judy Moody movie
- Stuart Little movie
- Doctor Dolittle movie with Rex Harrison movie with Eddie Murphy (my kids are reading this one right now, yes it’s too easy)
- Paddington movie (I read this book a lot as a kid)
- Nim’s Island movie
- Mr. Popper’s Penguins I loved this book, the movie had some of the same heart
- Secret Garden* (I did not expect that reading level) movie (or get the double feature with Little Princess) BBC version
- Wind in the Willows* claymation movie (my kids did not like this version) Disney movie
- Winnie the Pooh* movie
*I included these in 3rd grade as read alouds. The topics are perfect for this age (Secret Garden might be harder, but still a good one, and this is a great way to introduce classic books).
That’s 29 book and a movie combos.
4th Grade books made into movies
- James and the Giant Peach– I loved the surrealness of this book as a kid, my kids did not love the James and the Giant Peach movie
- Best Christmas Pageant Ever– Every year now we have a Best Christmas Pageant Ever movie
- Because of Winn-Dixie– I love this book so much and our Because of Winn Dixie movie night was awesome
- Fantastic Mr. Fox– I personally would rate this a solid third-grade book and will probably move it in a soon update movie
- Twilight*- I’m not even going to link to it, and it’s obviously not for 4th grade
- Charlotte’s Web live-action movie cartoon
- Holes– we just finished reading/watching this in February of 2017 and it was a huge hit, our Holes Movie night was popular.
- Tale of Despereaux– I could just sit and read Kate DiCamillo all day long, so I loved The Tale of Despereaux movie night
- The Witches– I remember reading this book in 4th grade, and it was awesome, we had many discussions about The Witches movie night
- Bunnicula (I remember reading it in 3rd grade)- Our Bunnicula movie night is the standard for horrible book adaptations, I just found out there’s a TV series
- Inkheart– Cornelia Funke is another of the authors who I love her world-building movie
- How to Eat Fried Worms– a book my kids will probably never read because I find the idea gross movie
- Sarah, Plain and Tall movie
- Spiderwick Chronicles movie (I particularly love this because it’s twin boys and a girl)
- Pippi Longstocking movie Swedish movie
- Matilda movie
- How to Train Your Dragon movie
- Trumpet of the Swan movie
- Harriet the Spy movie
- 101 Dalmations movie
- The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe– One of my absolute favorite movie nights was our movie night
That’s 50 book and a movie combos. I’m getting up there.
5th Grade books made into movies
- Tuck Everlasting– I read this in 6th grade, but it can work in 5th movie
- Ella Enchanted– This movie is second to Bunnicula in being brought up as a terrible movie night
- Book Thief movie
- Justin Morgan Had a Horse– I read this book so many times as a kid movie
- Johnny Tremain– great movie for an American Revolution unit (and our Johnny Tremain movie night was a huge hit)
- Howl’s Moving Castle– I wish more of her books were adapted, but it made for a great movie night
- Old Yeller (this and Johnny Tremain are on the verge of too mature for 5th grade) movie
- Misty of Chincoteague– my childhood copy of the book is well-worn movie
- Pollyanna movie
- Black Cauldron– I happen to dislike the Black Cauldron movie because it so messed up the book
- Indian in the Cupboard– This was our very first book and a movie night
- The Giver– I was a few years too old for this to be on my required reading, but my friends three years younger than me rave about it movie
- Alice in Wonderland I read this book so much and watched the movie so much I quoted it when we watched it recently
- Nancy Drew I read these books so much in 5th grade, and Jeff recently showed them the movie he found on Netflix
- My Friend Flicka movie
- BFG– Confession, I don’t really like the book, and I didn’t like the movie
- Lassie movie
- Heidi movie
That gets us up to 68 book and a movie combos.
6th Grade books made into movies
- Jungle Book– I love both the animated movie and the live action that just came out
- Bridge to Terabithia movie
- Peter Pan– I personally own about 5 copies of this book and the cartoon, and live action movie, oh and the musical
- Black Stallion– I read the entire series as a kid, and it made for a decent movie
- Percy Jackson– the movie made me so mad I’m not even going to link to it
- Hunger Games movie
- Maze Runner movie
- Divergent Series movie
- The Hobbit– We basically redid our Lord of the Ring snacks when we did the movie marathon
- Dracula– oddly enough I read it in high school in Spanish, though most movies are n0t something you’re going to show your 6th grader…..
- My Side of the Mountain– my kids love this book, but the movie……
- Harry Potter– I love this book series, and we also had a Harry Potter movie marathon one year
- Treasure Island movie Muppet movie
- Redwall movie
- To Kill a Mockingbird movie
- Where the Red Fern Grows movie
- Wizard of Oz Wizard of Oz
That’s 85 book and a movie combos.
7th grade books made into movies
- Around the World in 80 Days movie Jackie Chan movie
- Dark is Rising– This movie stinks, it’s absolutely terrible, and yet I watched it because I wanted to torture my kids, okay I have no clue why I did this to myself, but the book series is awesome
- Princess Bride– It is inconceivable that you have not read this book. Also, I love this movie. It’s one of the rare times I broke my rule about reading the book before seeing the movie.
- A Christmas Carol– there are more versions of this book made into a movie than I can count, but I’m partial to the Muppet Christmas Carol
- Little Princess movie
- Mary Poppins– This would be the only other book I broke my rule on and let the kids watch the movie (oh wait, I also did for Bedknobs and Broomsticks, but that book is so different from the movie and very weird)
- Tom Sawyer movie
- Anne of Green Gables movie
- Watership Down movie
- Journey to the Center of the Earth movie
That’s 95 books made into a movie combos. I’m almost to 100 books made into movies, and I haven’t reached high school…..
8th Grade books made into movies
- Miss Peregrine’s School for Peculiar Children– I took Batman to see this movie as a special date and then found out it was a book
- Huckleberry Finn I read this as a junior during our American literature year movie
- Gulliver’s Travels movie
- The Fault in Our Stars movie
- Little Women– I searched awhile to find one I liked the cover picture, I’ll be honest, and then cheated and used the one from my Mom’s book I read growing up. movie
- Swiss Family Robinson– Okay, it must be this grade range because my kids have also seen this movie. But, I’ve stayed strong on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea…..
- Diary of Anne Frank movie
- The Lord of the Rings– we did this as a Lord of the Rings Movie Marathon, complete with meals and everything
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea movie
- Prince and the Pauper I read this in 9th-grade movie
- Ender’s Game movie
Again haven’t really read and watched these book and movie combos…..
And that gets us up to 106 book and a movie combos.
9th-grade books made into a movie
I’m going to fully confess the high school books can be moved around, and some of these are more pop culture, but have fun conversations to have. I also left out vast scores of John Grisham movies and other popular authors, though I could have padded my numbers with those……
(Some of these may have lower reading levels, but are traditionally assigned during high school)
- Sense and Sensibility– watching this movie addicted me to Jane Austen
- Great Expectations (Complete honesty, I hate this book, it’s the only required reading book I threatened to burn) movie
- Three Musketeers– my husband is looking forward to the kids reading it so they can watch the 1970s movie, I like the 90s Disney movie
- Scarlet Letter movie
- Jurassic Park– the movie changed modern cinema and there’s great ethical questions to discuss
- Jane Eyre– I have tried several times to read this book movie
- Grapes of Wrath– I read this as a junior because that is when we read American Literature movie
- Animal Farm– I loved reading this book so much that I only vaguely remember the movie
- Horatio Hornblower– we are listening to the audiobooks movies
- Zookeeper’s Wife movie
And now I’m up to 116 movies. Each high school grade is going to add 10 because I kept it just to 10, though I could probably add more.
10th-grade books made into movies
- Pride and Prejudice– I would recommend reading something like Bridget Jones Diary or Lizzie Bennet Diaries to compare a modern remake (I personally like Lizzie Bennet DiariesLizzie Bennet Diaries better, YouTube playlist) mini-series that I love
- 1984 movie
- The Man in the Iron Mask movie
- All Quiet on the Western Front movie
- Scarlet Pimpernel movie
- Phantom of the Opera movie
- Tale of Two Cities movie
- Importance of Being Earnest movie
- War of the Worlds movie
- War and Peace movie
That is 126 book and a movie combos.
11th-grade books made into movies
At my high school, junior year was American literature, so it was a very different reading list from what I’m recommending, I opted to spread American literature throughout the grade levels.
- Emma movie
- Les Miserables movie
- Catch-22 movie
- Anna Karenina movie
- The Great Gatsby movie DiCaprio version
- Gone With the Wind movie
- Last of the Mohicans movie
- Count of Monte Cristo movie
- Of Mice and Men movie
- David Copperfield movie
And 136 book and a movies combos.
(These may have lower reading levels but are traditionally assigned as reading for high school, so I didn’t check the reading level, just being honest)
12th-grade books made into movies
- Mansfield Park– I might like Jane Austen books movie
- The Color Purple movie
- The Age of Innocence movie
- DaVinci Code (I almost didn’t include it because I think the writing is THAT bad, but it also has some great conversations to have) movie
- One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest movie
- Oliver Twist movie
- Wuthering Heights movie
- Beowulf movie
- Time Machine movie
- Lord of the Flies movie
We’re up to 146 book and a movie combos. Now I’ve got some bonus books.
More high school books made into movies
- Frankenstein movie
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde movie
- The Green Mile movie
- Hunt for Red October movie
- The Godfather movie
- The Outsiders movie
- Gump and Co. movie
- Roots movie
- Sherlock Holmes (it could easily be read in junior high) movie
- The Pelican Brief movie
- Silence movie
- Unbroken movie
- War Horse movie
- Seabiscuit movie
- The Help movie
- James Bond books movie
- Schindler’s List movie
- Ten Little Indians (now renamed And Then There Were None) movie
- Memoirs of a Geisha movie
I am not up to over 150 movies. It’s almost midnight and my brain doesn’t want to process math.
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Check out more great reading lists over at iHomeschool Network Must Read books and 100 Things Link Up (there are so many great ideas on there)
Twilight? 4th grade?
Dracula always seemed a higher reading level (or at least ability to plow thru a very slow novel).
There are a number of Dumas books that could be added (Three Musketters, The Man in the Iron Mask at the 7/8 level).
I know, it kind of amazed me the reading levels of so many of these. And oops, this wasn’t supposed to publish today.
I don’t necessarily agree with you on ages, but you picked some great recommendations! I just wish my daughter wanted to watch movies 😀
All of the grade levels I recorded are straight the reading levels, which I found interesting. I asterisked a few I thought the materials was aimed more for an older audience (so Twilight is not written for 4th graders, and I don’t think most will have the emotional maturity to get what’s going on).
I’m curious which would you disagree with me on? I totally forgot to include the Percy Jackson books, but I’m really trying to block out those movies.
Glancing back I’m guessing the Dystopian YA novels which are rated 5th grade according to reading level, I’d put them at 7th grade for most kids (your daughter does an amazing job handling books for older kids).
This list is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. Thanks so much I was just thinking that we needed a list of books with movies!
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Thank you so much. I wanted to teach a 7th – 8th grade class next year at our homeschool co-op called Books & Movies. You have some excellent suggestions.
You’re welcome. There’s a lot of great stuff you can talk about for that age range with these books.
I really enjoyed your recommendations.
I’m in 5th grade but am a 9th grade level. I would be glad to enjoy these books. (except Great Expectations.) There is a real good book that is a ninth grade level that was made into a movie I think you should add. Miss Peregrine’s home for peculiar children. And for third or fourth or even fifth, you could add. A series of Unfortunate Events.
I have Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children as an 8th grade book.
I could have sworn I’d put in A Series of Unfortunate Events in for 4th or 5th (it’s on one of the bookmarks), but I don’t see it. I’ll have to add it in, when I update the lists again in a week or two.