6 Perfect Pairings of YAs with Classic Teen Movies
As a young adult in the nineties, my YA options weren’t anything like they are now. I read every Sweet Valley book a million times (the Senior Year series was totally underrated, by the way; it actually still holds up pretty well), devoured every Judy Blume book I could get my hands on, and…that was pretty much it for teen lit. There wasn’t much else to get terribly excited about.
Movies, though…man, movies we did well. Teen movies were something the eighties and nineties got so, so right. And as great as the newest crop of YA-based movies are, they’ve been almost unilaterally dramatic, leaving me craving the plethora of rom-coms of yore. (The DUFF is a major exception to this, and totally stands up to the old favorites. Highly recommend.) If you’re missing those teen classics as much as I am, here’s how to get your fix, YA-style. Better yet, pair a book with a rewatch!
We All Looked Up
Hardcover
$17.09
$17.99
We All Looked Up
Hardcover
$17.09
$17.99
Love The Breakfast Club? If you’re a YA fan, how could you not? The movie version’s got you covered on the contemporary realistic front, but you haven’t quite seen seeming opposites come together until you’ve seen how they handle an approaching apocalypse. Assess who you’d spend the end of your days with in Tommy Wallach’s We All Looked Up, or consider the all-important zombie takeover scenario with your new friends, courtesy of This is Not a Test, by Courtney Summers.
Love The Breakfast Club? If you’re a YA fan, how could you not? The movie version’s got you covered on the contemporary realistic front, but you haven’t quite seen seeming opposites come together until you’ve seen how they handle an approaching apocalypse. Assess who you’d spend the end of your days with in Tommy Wallach’s We All Looked Up, or consider the all-important zombie takeover scenario with your new friends, courtesy of This is Not a Test, by Courtney Summers.
fml
Hardcover $17.99
fml
Hardcover $17.99
Preston. Amanda Beckett. Seth Green being utterly ridiculous. Can’t Hardly Wait was a total nineties favorite of mine, about a high school graduation party serving as the backdrop for a guy’s last chance with the girl of his dreams. There’s no question how to pair this movie: with fml, by Shaun David Hutchinson, which alternates between two possible paths (a la another movie, Sliding Doors) newly graduated Simon can take in his attempt to kiss the finally single Cassie.
Preston. Amanda Beckett. Seth Green being utterly ridiculous. Can’t Hardly Wait was a total nineties favorite of mine, about a high school graduation party serving as the backdrop for a guy’s last chance with the girl of his dreams. There’s no question how to pair this movie: with fml, by Shaun David Hutchinson, which alternates between two possible paths (a la another movie, Sliding Doors) newly graduated Simon can take in his attempt to kiss the finally single Cassie.
Top Ten Clues You're Clueless
Paperback $9.99
Top Ten Clues You're Clueless
By Liz Czukas
Paperback $9.99
One of my absolute favorite cult classics? The absolutely fabulous Empire Records, featuring a very young Liv Tyler, a pre–Jerry Maguire Renee Zellweger, and some of the most quotable lines ever. To meet your modern YA Sinead O’Rebellion, check out Chloe and the other employees of Top Ten Clues You’re Clueless, by Liz Czukas, who are stuck spending the day together when a robbery leaves them all trapped at the GoodFoods market during the investigation.
One of my absolute favorite cult classics? The absolutely fabulous Empire Records, featuring a very young Liv Tyler, a pre–Jerry Maguire Renee Zellweger, and some of the most quotable lines ever. To meet your modern YA Sinead O’Rebellion, check out Chloe and the other employees of Top Ten Clues You’re Clueless, by Liz Czukas, who are stuck spending the day together when a robbery leaves them all trapped at the GoodFoods market during the investigation.
Hexed
Hardcover $17.99
Hexed
Hardcover $17.99
Hot high school witches with attitude and some serious flexibility: if you loved The Craft and Bring it On, check out Hexed, by Michelle Krys (and the upcoming sequel, Charmed). Indie Blackwood is a cheerleader with popular friends and a hot boyfriend. She’s also just learned that she’s a witch and basically responsible for saving witchkind by recovering a stolen Witch Hunters’ Bible. Thankfully, there’s a hot warlock handy to show her the ropes…
Hot high school witches with attitude and some serious flexibility: if you loved The Craft and Bring it On, check out Hexed, by Michelle Krys (and the upcoming sequel, Charmed). Indie Blackwood is a cheerleader with popular friends and a hot boyfriend. She’s also just learned that she’s a witch and basically responsible for saving witchkind by recovering a stolen Witch Hunters’ Bible. Thankfully, there’s a hot warlock handy to show her the ropes…
The Summer I Wasn't Me
Paperback $13.99
The Summer I Wasn't Me
Paperback $13.99
The nineties comedy But I’m a Cheerleader took Natasha Lyonne to rehabilitation camp when her parents suspected she was a lesbian. Jessica Verdi’s The Summer I Wasn’t Me is a little heavier on the tears, but it’s definitely got the setting, the adorable budding romance, and the main character going through a period of self-exploration when it comes to her sexual identity.
The nineties comedy But I’m a Cheerleader took Natasha Lyonne to rehabilitation camp when her parents suspected she was a lesbian. Jessica Verdi’s The Summer I Wasn’t Me is a little heavier on the tears, but it’s definitely got the setting, the adorable budding romance, and the main character going through a period of self-exploration when it comes to her sexual identity.
Being Sloane Jacobs
Hardcover $17.99
Being Sloane Jacobs
Hardcover $17.99
Whether your preferred version of The Parent Trap stars Hayley Mills or Lindsay Lohan (or you never saw either one but did love the Olsen twins vehicle It Takes Two) the YA to match is Being Sloane Jacobs, by Lauren Morrill. Sloane Emily Jacobs is a figure skater. Sloane Devon Jacobs is an ice hockey player. Both are headed to specialty camps for the summer, and neither wants to arrive at her intended destination. Finding each other by chance leads to the perfect opportunity to swap, and each learns that every environment comes with both its challenges and rewards. Doubles as a great pairing for The Cutting Edge, too!
Whether your preferred version of The Parent Trap stars Hayley Mills or Lindsay Lohan (or you never saw either one but did love the Olsen twins vehicle It Takes Two) the YA to match is Being Sloane Jacobs, by Lauren Morrill. Sloane Emily Jacobs is a figure skater. Sloane Devon Jacobs is an ice hockey player. Both are headed to specialty camps for the summer, and neither wants to arrive at her intended destination. Finding each other by chance leads to the perfect opportunity to swap, and each learns that every environment comes with both its challenges and rewards. Doubles as a great pairing for The Cutting Edge, too!