Screen-worthy stories: Fall & Winter 2026

by Rick Riordan

Also available as an audiobook 🎧

Season 3 — Streaming November 20

When students are already invested in a character or fictional world, finding the book can feel like the natural next step.

The third season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians will adapt The Titan’s Curse, giving middle grade readers another reason to revisit—or finally start—the series. For students who are watching the show, try using the upcoming season as a reading challenge: Can they read The Titan’s Curse before the new episodes arrive? Or invite students who have read ahead to share what they’re looking forward to seeing on screen without giving away too much.

It’s also a reminder that adaptations can be useful for helping students discover a series, even when the screen version is what catches their attention first.

Find even more resources at our sister brand TeachingBooks.

by J. K. Rowling

Also available as an audiobook 🎧

Streaming Christmas Day

Few contemporary series have had a bigger impact on generations of young readers than Harry Potter. HBO’s new series offers another opportunity to introduce the story to students who may know the movies—or the characters and cultural references—but haven’t yet experienced the books.

Rather than treating the adaptation as a replacement for reading, use the renewed attention around the series as an invitation. Which characters are students curious about? What details from the book are they hoping to see? What might be different this time around?

For younger readers especially, a familiar pop-culture touchpoint can make a long book feel much more approachable. 

by Suzanne Collins

Also available as an audiobook 🎧

In theaters November 20 

Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games prequel follows a teenage Haymitch during the Second Quarter Quell. With the film arriving in theaters, students who already know the franchise may be especially curious to see this part of Panem’s history. 

For older students who are familiar with the series, the movie can create a natural reason to pick up the book before seeing it. Consider building a small “Read It Before You See It” display or recommendation list around the release, pairing Sunrise on the Reaping with the original Hunger Games trilogy for students who want to revisit Panem. 

As with any title, be mindful of age appropriateness and the series' violence when recommending it to students.

by Frank Herbert

Also available as an audiobook 🎧

In theaters December 18 

The Dune films have introduced a new generation of audiences to Frank Herbert’s sprawling science-fiction universe. For students who discovered Arrakis through the movies, that interest can be a bridge into the original books—or into other science fiction. 

Students don't have to be ready to tackle the entire Dune series to benefit from the connection. Ask what they liked about the films, then use those interests to recommend books featuring expansive worlds, political intrigue, complex heroes, or futuristic societies. 

The goal isn't necessarily to turn every movie fan into a Herbert reader. It's to use what already interests students as a starting point for their next book. 

by Charles Dickens

Also available as an audiobook 🎧

Streaming weekly through October 

Charles Dickens isn't always the easiest sell to a modern classroom. A new adaptation, however, gives students a current cultural connection to a story they might otherwise encounter only as an assigned text. 

As new episodes arrive, consider using them as a jumping-off point for discussion: What makes a story written centuries ago still resonate? How does seeing a character on screen change the way students imagine them on the page? 

by John Steinbeck

Streaming October 1 

John Steinbeck's East of Eden is another ambitious classic getting a high-profile adaptation, starring Florence Pugh. For students working through the novel, the series could offer another way to visualize its sprawling family story and explore its themes. 

The same approach can work with other classics: don't position the adaptation as an easier alternative to the book. Use it to give students another lens through which to think about what they're reading. 

by Jane Austen

Also available as an audiobook 🎧

In theaters October 16 

Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility follows the Dashwood sisters through love, money, family, and social expectations. For students encountering Austen's writing for the first time, a new adaptation can make those themes feel considerably less distant. 

It can also open the door to conversations about adaptation itself. What gets changed when a narrator's words become dialogue? What does a filmmaker emphasize? What disappears?