R. L. Stedman

Writer

Children's Literature

Great Books for Brainy Boys

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Great Books for Brainy Boys

Do you have a bright boy in your life? Lucky you!

teenager - school visit

BUT it’s hard to keep a bright boy fed with books. So many MG and YA books have pink covers, or touchy-feely romance, or feature bearded manly-men: my boys just couldn’t relate to these stories.

You know how kids can be fussy eaters? (“I don’t like broccoli/tomatoes/mushrooms?”) They’re exactly the same with books.

But it’s really important that kids learn to love reading. If nothing else, a book is a battery-free boredom-killer. A book can be carried anywhere and shoved under your little darling’s nose the moment he becomes restless.

But books are more than entertainment; they’re education. Books teach without even trying. From stories, kids learn facts, coping strategies and how to see the world through another’s eyes. In today’s techno-focussed society, words are super important; if you’re unable to communicate ideas, its pretty hard to hold down any well-paid job. Today, being brain-fit is more important than being physically-fit.

Here’s a list that might help.

Full disclosure: my boys are in their late teens. In their middle grade years (ages 8 – 10) they were competent, not voracious readers. I had to work real hard to find stories they liked. One son likes character-focussed novels; the other is (still) crazy about science, and for the longest time he’d only read ‘how to’ manuals. (I remember reading him the dishwasher plumbing manual for bed time reading!)

But now they’re both advanced readers, in the top streams at their university/schools and while they still have strong preferences, they’ll read across genres. I compiled this list of books with their help.

I’ve put in links to the Amazon pages of all the titles, so you can read a bit more about them.

Please note: this list is by no means complete. I’ve left out most of the mega hits, like The Hobbit, The Maze Runner, The Hunger Games and Harry Potter, as I’m sure you’re already aware of them. Plus, of course there are plenty of other wonderful stories I’ve left out, or just haven’t discovered yet. This list is mostly speculative fiction (horror, sci-fi and fantasy) as I found my science-focussed son engaged best with this genre.

If you’re looking for further ideas, try Zac Harding’s blog: https://bestfriendsarebooks.com – or ask a librarian

Younger Readers (8 – 10)

Animorphs – KA Applegate

Goosebumps – R. L. Stine

  • These are science-fiction/horror-lite series, and both have an enormous number of titles. One son insisted on reading them in order, which I found real stressful, because do you think the library had them all available at the right time?

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory & Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator  – Roald Dahl

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar   – Roald Dahl

“What keeps the elevator up?” asked Charlie.

“Skyhooks, of course,” said Mr Willy Wonka.

When Our Jack Went to War – Sandy McKay.

Based on the true story of Sandy’s great-uncle in WW1. This book is really good for kids with shorter attention spans, as it’s interspersed with cuttings from newspapers, so the formatting helps retain the interest.

The Prankster and the Ghost – R. L. Stedman

This is my book, so I guess this could be shameless self-promotion, but I wrote this with my kids in mind. The idea came about from my son’s school camp: within the first hour, one kid had their arm run over by the bus, another had a trip to ED, and my son was convinced the camp was haunted.

The Horse and His Boy – C. S. Lewis

The story of Shasta, runaway slave and his talking horse. A stand-alone adventure set in the Narnia world, this was the only one in the series my kids warmed to, but they both loved it.

Middle Grade (10 – 13)

Horowitz Horror – Anthony Horowitz

These are really good horror stories for kids, but be aware that they may induce delicious terror in the child-reader. So I don’t recommend these for binge- or late-night reading (unless you want to be woken by a kid with nightmares). Horowitz also wrote the Alex Rider series for older kids, about a spy academy for teens. TBH my kids didn’t really relate to the Rider series, “they’re too predictable”, but others may enjoy.

The Cherub Series – Robert Muchamore

Another series about teen spies for MG – YA readers. These stories are the ultimate in formulaic, binge-reading, so once a kid is hooked they’ll be gagging for the next in series. One of my sons hated these books, but the other devoured them, so again, worth a try. There are heaps of titles in this series – definitely a bonus when you’ve got a holiday planned. Just be aware that Muchamore writes about real-life issues, like trafficking. Younger children may not be ready for this type of content, so I do suggest caution.

The City of Ember (3 book series) – Jeanne DuPrau

A story about a civilisation surviving underground. This was made into a neat little movie, starring Bill Murray and Tim Robbins, and is a well-written exciting science-fiction dystopia for younger readers.

A Wrinkle in Time – Madeline L’Engle

An absolute, must-read classic for intelligent MG and YA readers: time travel, space travel, a brain-box kid and his older sister. This is part of a series, but you don’t need to have the entire series to enjoy this outstanding adventure.

When You Reach Me – Rebecca Stead

An award-winning adventure about time travel. Miranda receives anonymous letters that seem to be able to predict the future. This story is full of puzzles and plot twists. It’s based on an idea in A Wrinkle in Time, so its good to read them together.

Cosmic – Frank Cottrell-Boyce.

The story of an unusually tall 12-year-old who’s mistaken for an adult, and how he pranks his way into becoming an astronaut. This isn’t a simplistic read, but if you’ve a kid with a good attention span, they’ll love this story. Cosmic (and Cottrell-Boyce’s other works) make very good audio books, great for long car journeys.

Johnny Maxwell Series – Terry Pratchett

More information in this blog post.

Only You Can Save Mankind

Under the Mountain – Maurice Gee

See this blog post here. Fantastic story, disappointing movie.

Chrestomanci Series – Diana Wynne Jones.

This was the series that got me hooked on reading, when I was only 9! My favourite in the series is still Charmed Life, about orphan Cat and the mysterious enchanter Chrestomanci, but Witch Week is also great, and even now I laugh out loud when I read it. This series introduces the concept of multiple worlds and discusses causality, so it’s a thought-provoking read for science-fiends.

Older Readers (13 +)

I think my kids enjoyed the books here precisely because they are NOT written for kids – most were written before YA was a ‘proper’ genre.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams

Great fun to read aloud and surprisingly accessible; we laughed our way through this book.

The Invisible Man – HG Wells

A classic, and still a fantastic story. A man walks into a bar, his face wrapped in bandages …

The Day of The Triffids – John Wyndham

Wyndham’s novels are written in a rather dry, reportage style, which my son loved.  If your child enjoyed the Triffids, they’ll be happy, because there are others to try: The Kraken Wakes, Chocky, The Midwich Cuckoos. (My son also loved The Trouble With Lichen, but I couldn’t stand it!)

The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown

I know, right? But my 13 year old totally loved this book, the idea of the puzzles and the fast-paced story-telling kept him hooked.

The Raven Boys – Maggie Stiefvater

My boys weren’t massively into this series, but it will certainly appeal to some boy readers. More info in this blog post here.

The Foundation Series – Isaac Asimov

My son devoured this series when he was 14, and it’s still one of his favourites. The combination of science and world-building in Asimov’s books makes these books deeply appealing to young people. Apologies to all Asimov fans, but I find reading his books as exciting as watching paint dry. The ideas are great, but it’s hard work to reach them (plus he’s as sexist as hell), so I wouldn’t expose a teen to Foundation until he or she is a truly competent reader.

And then …

Well, once a kid is says he’s enjoying Asimov, they’re on their own, and good luck keeping up with them!

Rights in Space


photographs from pixabay and deposit photos – used under license

Book Review: Local Books – When Our Jack Went To War

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Local Books – Book Review

A post shared by RL Stedman (@rlstedman) on

When Our Jack Went To War

A Rare, 5 Star Review

Sandy Mckay’s gorgeous ‘When Our Jack Went To War’ is a story that deals with small life events set against world-changing wars. The book is told as letters between Tom, a young boy in Dunedin, and Jack, his older brother – because in 1916, as The Great War begins, Jack volunteers for the army.

In turns funny and sad, the book is a great read for any kid (or adult) who wants to know more about WW1. Longacre, the publisher, has formatted it beautifully: the story contains excerpts from papers, reproduced in their original typesetting, and the letters between the two boys are set out like photographs of real letters. This breaks the text into manageable chunks, making it particularly useful for school reads.

McKay is a tutor in English Literacy, and the syntax of this book is noticeably accessible. I don’t know if she did this on purpose, but When Our Jack Went To War is written in a way that allows less able readers to be drawn into the story. It’s a great choice especially for boys who want to read a chapter book, but don’t feel like sitting down for too long!

More Information

I’ve also popped this review on my Goodreads page – and above is from my Instagram feed.

The photo is taken of When Our Jack Went To War against the Dunedin cenotaph. The flowers are Armistice Day wreaths.

Jack, by the way, was a real person.

Write What You Know: The Story of a Story

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Write What You Know —

Write what you know
Image Source

What if You Know Less Than You Thought?

I began working in healthcare when I was a student, before graduating into physiotherapy and, more latterly, working for ACC, Ministry of Health and a number of District Health Boards. That’s thirty-something years in total. Scary, how time flies. So, given my working life has been in healthcare, I suppose it was inevitable that at least one book would be set in the world of a hospital. After all: write what you know.

This is the story of that book, and how I discovered that, despite a lifetime in the sector, I knew next to nothing about healthcare.

The Story of a Story

In 2011 I began a story about Tayla, a nine-year-old with a love of practical jokes. I wanted to explore how intensive care might feel to a child: the machines, the busy-ness, hushed voices, IV lines and intubation. The working title was Practically Joking.

Practically Joking began with Tayla’s admission to ICU after a car crash. I thought this was a great opening; dramatic and sad, but I was able to use practical jokes to provide a leavening of humour. Unfortunately, the story refused to evolve as planned. Within the first chapter of Practically Joking, Tayla, scared and in pain, decided to leave his body and float about the ICU as a small-but-irritating ghost. And just like that, Practically Joking became a ghost story.

Which goes to show, you can’t always control what you write. Sometimes the subconscious takes over.

Haunted Hospitals

A bit of background: I trained as a physiotherapist in the 1980s, when Christchurch Hospital still had nightingale wards. These wards were seriously spooky at night: long, dimly lit corridors, wards of white-sheeted patients, full of echoes and draughts.

And the stories told in hospital tearooms! If you’ve worked in a hospital you’ll know what I mean: cold spots, unexplained happenings, figures at the ends of beds. Every hospital I’ve ever worked at has one or two ghost stories.

spooky stories
image source

I suppose my subconscious remembered them and wove them into the Tayla’s story.

Anyway, having begun Tayla’s story and finding it morphing into a ghost adventure, I decided to go with it. The title changed to Ghost School. Ghost School took me to strange places: an intimidating inspector, a coffee-holic doctor and a school for ghosts (because every child deserves an education, even if they’re dead).

‘Well,’ I thought, ‘it is kind of interesting.’

Away From Hospital

Then the story changed again, and I just had to follow. The narrative moved away from hospital. In ghostly form, Tayla travelled out into the world of schools and kids and annoying sisters. He met Jamie, newly arrived from Scotland. Jamie was lonely, because no one could understand his accent and, worse still, all his practical jokes were going wrong. The title became The Prankster and the Ghost.

Fortunately, this title stuck! I even added a competition, and a list of practical jokes at the end of the book.

In an earlier incarnation The Prankster and the Ghost was shortlisted for the Tom Fitzgibbon Award, and was finally published in 2015.

And how does the story end? Without giving too much away, you’ll be pleased to know that Tayla recovered. He’s made new friends (and possibly enemies, because he really is totally addicted to practical jokes).

the prankster and the ghost
The Prankster and The Ghost

Writing and The Subconscious

Reading a book I’ve written is an amazing experience. Frequently the language and characters are surprising, and quite often I wonder how I came up with the ideas. Re-reading Prankster for the final time was both humbling and profound, because while I had planned a book about a child’s encounter with Intensive Care, what emerged was a story about resilience. In retrospect I’m pleased that I followed my subconscious’ directions.

Because, a patient’s journey is not a pathway through the health system. It’s not even about recovery from illness. A patient’s journey, at the most fundamental level, is about learning to live. Because just as my fictional Tayla experienced, while a life may begin and end inside the hospital walls a life is lived outside, in the real world.

Credits

Note: This blog post first appeared in Corpus: Conversations about Medicine and Life on March 27, 2017. Thanks to Sue Wootten for permission to repost here. Corpus, an interdisciplinary discussion forum,  is administered by the University of Otago 

How to Write a Picture Book

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Picture Book
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Want To Write A Picture Book?

There’s so few words in a picture book, surely it should be easy? Well, NO. Fewer words = every word counts. You cannot pad in a picture book.

Picture Books are Important Books

Picture books introduce kids to words and rhyme and the idea of sitting still. Often they become classics, enjoyed through generations.

Picture Books are fun for adults, too. I loved reading stories to my kids; it was fascinating to see what they noticed in the pictures and to hear their commentary on the story.

My boys are teenagers now, but they still remember some of the books we’d read together, and they can still recite the rhymes!

How to Write A Picture Book

I’ve never written a picture book, so I’ve no idea where to start. But I’m writing this post because I’m off to give a series of talks shortly in Taranaki* . As part of my preparation I reached out to Chrissy Metge, picture book writer at Duckling Publishing.

Chrissy has an intriguing background in screen animation, and has worked on major projects like The Jungle Book and Fast and Furious 7. She definitely understands words and visuals. She’s written four picture books now, about Max and His Big Imagination, and they’re fun, beautifully illustrated stories.

* I’m judging the Ronald Hugh Morrison Literary Awards in 2017. Want to know more about these awards? Click here
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Chrissy Metge’s Big Imagination

Chrissy Metge and her picture books

Tell me a bit about you. What made you want to begin to write?
I did creative writing at school and loved it! Because of the movie and animation industry I work in, I am always around great ideas and creative people so have had many ideas of my own.

I always wanted to write my own kids books and when my son was born six weeks early I had time at the beginning — so I began to write them down! 🙂

Are the stories about Max’s adventure based on real-life events?
They are inspired from true events. My nephew Max inspired the first two books and my son inspired the latest one.

How does Max feel about being in a book?
He thinks its pretty cool!

What things did you have to consider when writing a picture book?
It’s a huge learning curve! When I did the first book I had FIVE print proofs done before I was happy. Looking at it on the screen is not the same when you hold the printed copy in your hands 🙂

You have to think of composition, make sure it’s not too busy. You don’t want things too close to the top or bottom of the page. Everything has to be easy to see and read.

You’ve got an amazing background in film and TV. What’s the most exciting project you’ve worked on in your Day Job?
Oh that’s a hard one! I think to this day it is still Dawn of the Planet of the Apes — I had the most beautiful dedicated team. Also the Fast and Furious 7 — they were just blown away by what we achieved.

How does your Day Job help with your writing – what skills and/or qualifications have you found useful in your writing career?
I can see the images in my head and can convey to people what I see. For my day job it’s all about helping the director and artist’s vision become a reality. That’s helped so much in getting what I see to paper :).

You published your own picture books through Duckling Publishing. Why did you decide to run the process yourself?
I think the publishing industry in New Zealand is limited. They may only see a few books a year and you may not hear anything for six months. I believe in my books and I didn’t want to wait. I wanted to get them out there for the public to decide.

What’s been the highs of managing the process for yourself?
So immensely satisfying to see the books you have published in the hands of kids and in book shops and that they are loved! Plus, I have compete control of the whole process.

What have you learned?
Face-to-face is always best, I love going to markets to get feedback listening to kids and adults.

What advice would you give to other people thinking of writing a picture book?
Go for it! You never know until you try! Make sure you get an editor.

What advice would you give to people thinking of publishing their own work?
Do lots of research, sign up to Indie groups on Facebook and listen to lots of podcasts, also don’t give up!

What do you think Max will do next?
I have written books 4 and 5, I am so excited about book 4! Lots of adventure and imagination — that’s for sure!

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Want to know more about Chrissy? Check out this interview on TV’s The Cafe or read more at Duckling Publishing.

Fairytales are Fun: Cinderella and A Tremendous Fart

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Fairytales are Fun

I love fairytales. Based on folk legends, they’re retellings of the oldest stories in the world.

5 Books I Fell in Love With

Paulo Coelho says there are only three stories: love between two people, love between three people and a struggle for power. Fairy tales contain all three.

My favourite tale is Cinderella. Why? Because she rescues herself. She’s told she’s ugly and she’s not to go to the ball – but she goes anyway. And she puts on the slipper and wins the Prince.

There are different versions of Cinderella. In some, the stepsisters cut off their own toes, so as to fit the shoe. In another, a tree provides her ball dress. (Yep. That’s fairy tales for you.) In a Native American version the stepsisters burn her face. You can read these stories on-line here.

In Welcome to Faery, I’ve written three versions of the Cinderella story: Cinderella as assassin, working to a tight deadline. Cynders as (male) chimney sweep. But my favourite is the Charming Brands story, where Ash is an assistant in a shoe store.

 

That’s the great thing about fairy stories, you can take one part of the fable and change it up, but provided you stick to the core truth of the tale it still has meaning and readers can still relate.

Fairy stories are often funny; they’re over-the-top and rarely believable. I mean, pumpkins turning into coaches? Please. But that doesn’t matter. We don’t need to believe a tale is true to enjoy it.

Fairytales can contain themes that aren’t popular today. A prince has more rights than a commoner; men have more status than women. Fairy tales are frequently sexist – think of One Thousand and One Nights, where Scheherazade has to keep retelling stories to avoid beheading.

That’s something we often forget: fairytales have sex and blood and vengeance. Which brings me to the purpose of this blog post. Fairytales are often bawdy.

Set out below is my retelling of a story from One Thousand and One Nights.

(I’ve quite freely copied this story from A Continued Sense of Wonder night at the Dunedin Library (more about that programme here). Since the retelling was copied it from a much older work, I’ve taken the liberty of  adding a few small embellishments.

Warning! Don’t read on if you don’t like reading about farts.

The story of Abu-Hassan and the Tremendous Fart.

fairytale book
Image source

Once upon a time in a great city lived a young man named Abu-Hassan. Though of humble origins, Abu-Hassan was a godly man. Now it came to pass that the King of the land took a new wife. This Queen was more beautiful than the moon and sun and greatly loved, for she was truly kind and gentle.

The King and his new wife began a journey throughout their kingdom, and they came to the city of Abu-Hassan.

Now everyone in the city wanted to see this new queen, but it was feared that the throng of people would be too much for the royal couple. The mayor decreed that they would cast lots for the privilege of attending the Royal reception, and that every right-thinking citizen might cast in their lot.

And thus it came to pass that Abu-Hassan was invited to a banquet at the mayoral palace to be held in the honour of the King and Queen.

Abu-Hassan felt very nervous, for he was a humble man and uncertain of how to act in the presence of Royalty. But his mother told him to be mindful of his duty to God and his host. He should partake of his food without complaint and offer sincere dutiful obescience to the King.

Abu-Hassan followed this wise counsel and the evening passed uneventfully. Despite his nerves, he ate heartily for the meal was rich and flavoursome.

After the meal came lengthy, florid speeches as each official tried to outdo his peers in eloquence. But finally the speeches came to an end. A slave banged a gong for silence.
‘The Royal Audience will begin!’ announced the mayor.

With a flurry of anticipation, the citizens filed through to the Audience Chamber, where the King and his new, beautiful Queen were waiting to receive the guests.

The room was magnificent! Candlelight gleamed on gold walls, lapis lazuli and precious stones glistened. Musicians played; jugglers threw flaming torches; contortionists formed strange shapes. There was a long wait until the presentations began, but Abu-Hassan was not at all bored. The Queen was even more beautiful than the tales; it was a pleasure to stand in one corner and watch her.

Then, finally, came the great moment.

‘Abu-Hassan!’ boomed the vizier.

Abu-Hassan came forward, made obeisance to the throne. The King appeared almost unaware of his presence, and barely glanced his way. Abu-Hassan felt concerned; perhaps he had offended his monarch. So, when bowing to the Queen, he dropped onto one knee, and made the deepest obeisance he could manage.

Unfortunately, in so doing, he had forgotten about his elaborate meal.

And as he bent forward, he let out the most tremendous, enormous fart!

The silk canopy above the throne shook. Candles blew out.

All conversation stopped. A juggler dropped his torch and a tambourine player dropped his instrument. It fell, crashing to the floor.

The King looked first annoyed, then surprised. And the beautiful Queen, who Abu-Hassan had longed to meet? She began laughing. Quietly at first, and then louder and louder, until nearly doubled up with mirth.

After a surprised pause, the entire throne room began laughing.

And Abu-Hassan, overcome with embarrassment, backed from of the room. The laughter continued, as the rumours of the tremendous fart spread. Waves of hilarity followed as he ran from the palace.

News of the fart circulated quickly. Beggars in the gutter laughed; merchants in the marketplace could hardly contain their glee. The guards on the walls laughed so hard they nearly fell.
Abu-Hassan left the city.

***

He came at last to a far town. He worked hard, and said little about where he had come from, and why he had left. He grew older, and was respected in business. He married, had three children. He told no one about his tremendous fart.

Time passed. Abu-Hassan grew old and longed to look once more on the city of his ancestors. He said farewell to his children and grandchildren and took ship to his homeland.

Drawing near to his old home, he said to himself, “I will wander about the outskirts and listen to what people are saying. Perhaps they will not remember me, or why I left.”

And as he entered the city he heard a young man asking: “Mother, when were you born?”

“My son,” said his mother, “I know exactly when I was born. It was on the eighteenth of March; the very night of Abu-Hassan’s tremendous fart.”

When Abu-Hassan heard these words than he rose up from the bench. “My fart has become a date!”

And he realised that such a fart will be always be remembered from now until eternity.

Abu-Hassan returned no more to the city of his birth. Instead he returned to his children and his grandchildren, and remained in self-imposed exile until he died.

May God’s mercy be upon him.

5 Books That Were Better as the Movie

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Can a Movie be Better Than the Book?

Usually there’s no contest between the book and the movie, but this list suggests that sometimes, just sometimes, the movie might actually be better…

In order of Movie Greatness, here’s my list of 5 movies that were better than the book. Yes, really. Some are new, some are classics and some may surprise you.

Sit back, grab some popcorn and enjoy!

5 Books and 5 Great Movies

5. The Birds

The Birds
While the basis of this short story by du Maurier was similar to the book – birds start attacking humans –  unlike the movie, the book is set in the UK and (spoiler alert!) does not end happily. It’s a long short story and not particularly scary, or (I think) that riveting, unlike some of her other works, which really are page-turners.

The movie is way better – even today, when it seems pretty dated, especially this obvious green screen – because Hitchcock develops the tension amazingly effectively, much more so than du Maurier. After reading The Birds, I wondered why he decided to even use it for the movie, although I’m glad he did.

 

4. Howard’s End

Howard's End
The movie was an Academy Award-winning Merchant Ivory production, starring Emma Thompson, Anthony Hopkins and Helena Bonham-Carter. Like its more famous cousin, A Room with A View, Howard’s End is an adaptation of an EM Forster novel, and deals with class and relationships in Edwardian England. Personally, I find this production not as amazing as Room (it doesn’t have the incredible music score) but the great actors alone make it worth watching.

Unfortunately, the book is not as entertaining as the movie. It grinds on and on and is, frankly, dull. (Unlike A Room With a View, which is just as much fun as the movie). And when reading the book you can’t even become distracted by the gorgeous costumes.

 

3. The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games
I loved the book; really fast-paced, page-turning with epic battle scenes. However…I liked the movie more. Why? Because of the styling. The gorgeous sets of the Capitol, the Louis XIV vibe to the costumes, the colours – so cool. Plus, the movie has Jennifer Lawrence!

2. A Scanner Darkly

A Scanner Darkly
A Scanner Darkly, like Minority Report and Blade Runner, is based on stories by Philip K Dick. Unlike the other movies, Scanner sticks fairly closely to the book’s narrative about a totalitarian police state and an undercover cop. Scanner is a grim read, full psychosis, drug dealing and a bleak future-view. The book is slow going in places and, although it’s got some interesting elements – like the main character’s coat, made up of images of people – I didn’t find it the easiest read.

The movie isn’t the easiest to watch, either, and it does help if you’ve read the book. But there are three things the movie has that the book doesn’t. These are: Keanu Reeves; a tighter script; and AMAZING rendering. If you’re into weird-but-interesting movie productions, A Scanner Darkly is a must-watch.

1. Howl’s Moving Castle

Howl's Moving Castle
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones is a great read; the story of Sophie Hatter and Howl, the wizard without a heart. BUT, although the book is good, the movie by Hayao Miyasaki is gorgeous! The beautiful anime alone makes it worth watching, but Billy Crystal as Calcifer the Fire Demon is fantastic. (Apparently Diana Wynne Jones wasn’t overly impressed by the movie, but I think she was way too picky. If someone wanted to set one of my books into a landscape as wonderful as this film, I’d be delighted!)

Bonus Runner-Up:

Death on the Nile

Death on the Nile
If you like period dramas and murder mysteries, this is definitely a must-see. The book, by Agatha Christie, is a good read. Christie’s husband was an Egyptologist, and she spent a great deal of time on and about the Nile, so who better to write about a group of affluent tourists on a Nile river boat? Confusion abounds when one is murdered. Fortunately, the world-famous detective, Hercule Poirot is among the guests.

I’m not entirely sure this movie is better than the book (which is why it’s a runner-up). But it has four things that just might make it superior:

  1. The sets – the movie was shot on location in Egyptian, so the scenes in the ancient temples feels just wonderful.
  2. The cast is an all-star roundup of the seventies movie industry: Peter Ustinov as Poirot, Bette Davis, Mia Farrow, David Niven, Maggie Smith.
  3. The costumes – they won an Oscar.
  4. The movie is way less racist than the book.

This trailer is so dated its retro! Don’t you just love the music…

Note: if you enjoyed A Death on the Nile, try Murder on the Orient Express.

Conclusion

Usually there’s no contest between the book and the movie, but this list suggests that sometimes it’s possible to expand on a good story, and make it even better.