2026 Reading Challenge: May Adaptations

As May rolls on around, we turn our sights to books that captured our hearts and minds so much they got an adaptation to the screen!

No matter whether you plan to watch the adaptation following reading the book or whether it was the adaptation that put you on to the book, be prepared to be asked… Which did you prefer?

Check out this books that have recently received adaptations to the screen.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

This blockbuster book from the bestselling author of The Martian is finding a new bout of popularity as earlier this year the film adaptation starring Ryan Gosling hit the big screens.

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company. His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it's up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery-and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he's got to do it all alone. Or does he?

H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald

A stunning true story, Helen Macdonald's memoir of grief and discovery is set to hit screens later this month starring Helen Foy and Brendan Gleeson.

As a child, Helen Macdonald was determined to become a falconer. Years later, when her father died, she became obsessed with the idea of training her own goshawk. She bought Mabel for  £800 on a Scottish quayside and took her home to Cambridge, ready to embark on the long, strange business of trying to train this wildest of animals. Her story is an unflinchingly honest account of Macdonald's struggle with grief during the difficult process of the hawk's taming and her own untaming.

The Magic Faraway Tree inspired by Enid Blyton

The film adaptation of the beloved children's fantasy adventure by Enid Blyton hit screens earlier this year featuring an all star cast that included the likes of Andrew Garfield, Nicola Coughlan, Rebecca Ferguson and Claire Foy. You can either enjoy the classic Enid Blyton books or knuckle down with the book of the film which sees the story slightly updated for the modern audience.

When Fran's mum loses her job, her family has to move to a ramshackle barn on the edge of a wood. It's bad enough that they've had to downsize, but now their phones have no signal and they actually have to interact with nature! But then they stumble across the Faraway Tree, meet all those who live there, including Silky the fairy, Moonface and Saucepan Man, and discover magical worlds. Are you ready to visit the Land of Goodies and the Land of Birthdays with them?

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

Last year, the film adaptatoin of Ruth Ware's thriller mystery hit screens starring Keira Knightly and Guy Pearce.

What was meant to be the perfect trip - the Northern Lights, a luxury press launch on a boutique cruise ship, a chance for travel journalist Lo Blacklock to recover from a traumatic break-in that has left her on the verge of collapse - goes spectactularly wrong when Lo is woken in the night by screams.

Lo rushes to her window to see a body thrown overboard from the next door cabin. But the records show that no-one ever checked into that cabin, and no passengers are missing from the boat. Exhausted and emotional, Lo has to face the fact that she may have made a mistake - either that, or she is now trapped on a boat with a murderer...

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

Emily Henry's romantic comedy People We Meet on Vacation got the screen treatment in January after Netflix decided to bring Alex and Poppy to life with actors Tom Blyth and Emily Bader.

12 SUMMERS AGO: Poppy and Alex meet. They hate each other, and are pretty confident they'll never speak again. 11 SUMMERS AGO: They're forced to share a ride home from college and by the end of it a friendship is formed. And a pact; every year, one vacation together. 10 SUMMERS AGO: Alex discovers his fear of flying on the way to Vancouver. Poppy holds his hand the whole way. 7 SUMMERS AGO: They get far too drunk and narrowly avoid getting matching tattoos in New Orleans. 2 SUMMERS AGO: It all goes wrong. THIS SUMMER: Poppy asks Alex to join her on one last trip. A trip that will determine the rest of their lives.

Invisible Boys by Holden Sheppard

Holden Sheppard took Western Australia by storm when his book about four gay teenage boys in Geraldton hit the shelves. In 2025 he took TV by storm when the adaptation hit screens on Stan starring Joseph Zada, Aydan Calafiore, Zach Blampied, Joe Klocek and Pia Miranda.

On the surface, nerd Zeke, punk Charlie and footy wannabe Hammer look like they have nothing in common. But scratch that surface and you'd find three boys in the throes of coming to terms with their homosexuality in a town where it is invisible. A raw, confronting novel that explores the complexities and trauma of rural gay identity with painful honesty, devastating consequences and, ultimately, hope. 

Whale Shark Jack by Kathryn Lefroy

Another local hit Stan's listings when WA author and screenwriter Kathryn Lefroy wrote both the script and the book of Whale Shark Jack together.

After a tragedy at sea, 12-year-old Sarah and her family move back to WA and Sarah struggles to fit in, but soon she befriends some of the local kids who help Sarah attempt to rescue her favourite whale shark - Jack - who is in danger. This story is not just about the adventure; it's about growing up, the connections between family and friends, the importance of preserving our natural world, and the courage to stand up for what you believe in.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley's classic tale of man and monster, Frankenstein, has been adapted many times in many ways but it surged into popularity again in 2025 with Netflix's adaptation starring Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Christoph Waltz and Mia Goth.

In trying to create life, the young student Victor Frankenstein unleashes forces beyond his control, setting into motion a long and tragic chain of events that brings Victor himself to the very brink. How he tries to destroy his creation, as it destroys everything Victor loves, is a powerful story of love, friendship ... and horror.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder took the YA book seen by storm and it continues to win new fans with its Netflix tv adaptation.

The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it. But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the crime, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn't so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth … ?

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Emily Bronte's novel of impossible desires, violence and transgression is a masterpiece of intense, unsettling power and it once again hit the screens in 2026 in an adaptation starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi.

It begins in a snowstorm, when Lockwood, the new tenant of Thrushcross Grange on the bleak Yorkshire moors, is forced to seek shelter at Wuthering Heights. There he discovers the history of the tempestuous events that took place years before- the intense passion between the foundling Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, her betrayal of him and the bitter vengeance he now wreaks on the innocent heirs of the past.

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

A novel inspired by the son of a famous playwright, Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet got the star treatment with the release of the movie early this year starring Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, and Zac Wishart.

On a summer's day in 1596, a young girl in Stratford-upon-Avon takes to her bed with a sudden fever. Her twin brother, Hamnet, searches everywhere for help. Why is nobody at home? Their mother, Agnes, is over a mile away, in the garden where she grows medicinal herbs. Their father is working in London. Neither parent knows that Hamnet will not survive the week. Hamnet was a boy whose life has been all but forgotten, but whose name was given to one of the most celebrated plays ever written.