Etc., Etc.

This is part 6 of my Based on the Book series. First I talked about 4 books that I thought were superior to their movie counterparts.  The following week it was 2 movies that I liked better than the original books.  I also shared a few choices that were too close to call, wrote a book review, and discussed 3 books that will be made into movies this year.

Today I'm talking about 2 books that don't fit neatly into any category so far.  {All book and movie titles are Amazon affiliate links.}

*****

I loved the Ramona series when I was in elementary school.  Ramona Quimby, Age 8was the very first chapter book I read on my own, in the summer between kindergarten and first grade. Except Ramona's Worldwhich wasn't published until 1999, I read the entire series more than once!  As a parent, I've shared the series with my kids.  We've read all the book out loud together and Owen is currently reading one by himself. 

The movie version, Ramona and Beezus, is very different from the books.  A few plot points are the same, but much of the content is new or rearranged and yet I love the movie, too.  It's one of only a handful of movies that I enjoy re-watching and it's clean enough to watch with my kids.

*****

Until a couple of months ago, I had never read To Kill a Mockingbirdby Harper Lee.  It was on my to-read list for probably ten years, but I didn't get around to starting it until my dad told me that it was one of the best books he's ever read.  So I read it.  And loved it.  But I've never seen the movie!

Is it worth watching?  Or will it ruin an excellent book for me?

*****

Next up in the series:  The Best of Your Comments and Tying Up Some Loose Ends