Oscars Best Picture Nominees: Readalikes

We are in the midst of Hollywood’s award show season with what seems to be an endless variety of shows every weekend. Each show bringing new red carpet styles, Youtube-able acceptance speeches and a new list of what films to watch. In the spirit of this flurry of film festivities and movie lists, we thought a readalikes post would be the best way for us at the Hub to partake in all of this fun. So in preparation for the quintessential award show, the Oscars, we’ve come up with a list of a YA readalikes for some of this year’s most talked about films – The Academy Awards Best Picture Nominees.

Special thanks goes to Hannah Gomez, Jennifer Rummel, Erin Daly, Tara Kehoe, Sharon Rawlins, Jessica Lind and Wendy Daughdrill for helping to create these booklists.  

American Sniper  

• Ghosts of War by Ryan Smithson (2010 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Nominee)
• The Warrior’s Heart by Eric Greitens
• Sharpshooter by Chris Lynch
• The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
• In the Shadow of the Lamp by Susanne Emily Dunlap
•  Veterans Day post by Emily Calkins

 

The Imitation Game  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5CjKEFb-sM

• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (2007 Printz Honor Book)
• The Nazi Hunters by Neal Bascomb (2014 Nonfiction Award)
• Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac (Best Books for Young Adults 2006)
• Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (2013 Printz Honor Book)
• Women Heroes of WWII by Kathryn J Atwood
• Victory Day post by Jessica Lind

Boyhood

• Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley (2012 Printz Award Winner & 2012 Morris Winner)
• Looking for Alaska by John Green (2006 Printz Award Winner)
• Winter Town by Stephen Emond
• Winger by Andrew Smith

Birdman 

• Battling Boy by Paul Pope
• Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea M Campbell
• Cloak Society by Jeramey Kraatz
• Illusive by Emily Lloyd-Jones
• Hero by Perry Moore (Best Books for Young Adults 2008)

Selma 

• March: Book One by John Lewis
• Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine
• Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
• Fire from the Rock by Sharon M. Draper
• Lies we tell ourselves by Robin Talley                             

Whiplash 

• The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour
• Diva by Alex Flinn
• Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (2007 Top Ten Quick Picks & 2008 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults)
• Open Road Summer by Emery Lord
• The Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley
• The Scar Boys by Len Vlahos
• This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales (2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults)

The Grand Budapest Hotel 

•  Starry Nights by Daisy Whitney
• Vidalia in Paris by Sasha Watson
• Heist Society by Ally Carter (2011 Amazing Audiobooks)
• Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett
• Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson (2009 Best Books for Young Adults)

The Theory of Everything

• You can check out our post from Gretchen Kolderup about recent YA biographies from last spring.

Any books that you would like to add to our Oscar readalikes list? Let us know in the comments below!

-Katie Shanahan Yu, currently reading Dead of Winter by Kresley Cole