Books that are movies and shows: 'The Mysterious Benedict Society,' 'Shrill' & more this month!
Jason Boog
The Mysterious Benedict Society on Disney+
How would you respond to a newspaper ad that read: "Are you a gifted person looking for special opportunities?" That’s the question at the heart of “The Mysterious Benedict Society,” a beloved YA series following dozens of kids who answer that call to adventure. Four of those kids pass a series of mind-bending tests, and then earn the challenge of a lifetime: to go undercover at the “Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened,” a school without rules that is filled with secrets and underground tunnels. That book has inspired a new Disney+ show starring Kristen Schaal, Tony Hale, and Ryan Hurst. The Guardian raved about the new show:“Mr Benedict, a kind of trustworthy Willy Wonka figure … is played with perfectly blended verve and compassion by Tony Hale ... And Kristen Schaal’s innate and idiosyncratic quirkiness fits her role as Number Two in this off-kilter show with its Wes Anderson-lite beats and aesthetic"
Read The Mysterious Benedict Society on Fable and watch the trailer for the adventure serieshttps://youtu.be/MUpFzScK7P8Top 5 Books Made into Movies and TV Shows This Month
If secret societies aren't your style, there are lots of new shows and movies adapted from great books—streaming across platforms, from Hulu to Apple TV to Netflix to Amazon.The Underground Railroad (Amazon)
Imagine that the Underground Railroad you learned about in your history classes was actually underground. Imagine that, instead of surreptitious travel between above-ground safe-havens, the Underground Railroad consisted of subterranean stations and dark tunnels transporting enslaved Americans towards greater freedom. Read The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead on Fable and then watch the trailer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Pq5Usc_JDA
Sex/Life (Netflix)
One woman's secret journal completely changes her marriage in this hilarious and biting memoir—the inspiration for a Netflix Original Series. The author of this memoir begins to write about her youthful escapades in a secret journal, just for fun, but then her husband starts to act out the words on the pages. Read 44 Chapters About 4 Men on Fable and then watch the trailer for Sex/Life on Netflix.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x580mowu5Gs
The Woman in the Window (Netflix)
A twisty, powerful Hitchcockian thriller about an agoraphobic woman who believes she witnessed a crime in a neighboring house. But it isn’t paranoia if it’s really happening!Read The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn on Fable and watch the trailer for this thriller.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_0GJg_Jnlo
Shrill (Hulu)
This show has run for three seasons on Hulu, all based on Lindy West's heartfelt memoir that covered her painfully shy childhood in which she tried, unsuccessfully, to hide her big body and even bigger opinions; to her public war with stand-up comedians over rape jokes; to her struggle to convince herself, and then the world, that fat people have value. Read Shrill by Lindy West on Fable and watch the trailer for the final season!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2091t8zCvE
Panic (Amazon Prime Video)
Panic is a legendary game played by graduating seniors in a small town. A group of high schoolers play the game and discover that everybody in the game has a secret. Everyone has something to play for.Read Panic by Lauren Oliver on Fable and then watch the Amazon series.https://youtu.be/uci9ZDTL7zQRead more books that are movies and shows on Fable
Once you've explored this month's picks, go back through the Fable archives to find more streaming content adapted from great books.Movies and shows adapted from books by AAPI authorsShadow and Bone on Netflix - Read Along with GrishaCastRiot Grrrls Unite with MoxieFirefly Lane, Nomadland, and more books on screens
Jason Boog