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You're a film now, Harry: The top five young adult novel adaptations

Dylan O'Brien and Kaya Scodelario are going back into the maze this weekend in Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials. Though there are many young adult adaptations based on popular books, several have been successful enough to spawn a strong series. With Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials out this week, here are our five favorite adaptations.

The Hunger Games

In a rare case for a young adult franchise, The Hunger Games doesn't skimp on the brutality or adult themes of its story. Director Francis Lawrence does an excellent job selling both the satire of the media-centric story and the legitimate struggles the characters face. Jennifer Lawrence is strong as the film's lead, and it's great to see her character continue to grow in new situations. The final film in the series, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, hits theaters on November 20.

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The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner is an intriguing and surprisingly good science fiction film that does a great job building tension, setting up characters and utilizing its environments. Director Wes Ball finds a fine balance between engaging mystery and strong character developments. While the dystopian setting has been overused (often ineffectively) in the past, The Maze Runner takes the route of a traditional sci-fi film with a strong element of mystery. Like all good adaptations, The Maze Runner does a great job at bringing the necessary elements out of the book while making improvements, including less exposition, more fleshed out supporting characters and a more comprehensible finale.

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Alex Rider

Spy films have been returning to popularity over the last decade, and Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker is a good example of a unique spy film told from the point of view of a teenage boy, played by an excellent Alex Pettyfyer. The film's supporting cast, which includes Ewan McGregor, Mickey Rourke, Stephen Fry and Damien Lewis, all give strong performances, and the film benefits from the A-list cast taking the material seriously. It's an exciting and engaging adventure film that is both a story of a young boy finding his place in the world and an international conspiracy adventure.

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Ender's Game

Much of Ender's Game's success lies in its keen sense to avoid clichés. A story about a boy who is recruited to fight aliens is about as generic as you can get, but the film's direction has a breath of fresh air that is unique from many of summer's forgettable films. Exposition is minimal, allowing the audience to explore the world instead of having a thirty minute introduction explaining and setting up the film. The translation from Orson Scott Card's novel is well-done and faithful, although the characters Peter and Valentine (Ender's siblings) are underused and undeveloped. Ender himself is portrayed in a way that makes him relatable, but avoids the plague of becoming generic as the film shows his struggle to distinguish victory from homicide.

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Harry Potter

Harry Potter isn't just the greatest young adult franchise, it's one of the best film franchises overall. Not only does the series offer an interesting window into a world of magic, conflict and mythical creatures, it also offers a great look at the themes of friendship, love, betrayal and growing up. Daniel Radcliffe grows up on screen, giving an incredibly relatable performance as the titular character, accompanied by a wealth of supporting actors across the eight-film saga. Though the original franchise is now over, the first Harry Potter spin-off film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, is set for release in November 2016.