With John Green’s latest novel, The Fault in Our Stars, getting the Hollywood treatment, we decided to play casting director for his previous books.
Check out more from the Indy author in our June 2014 cover feature.
LOOKING FOR ALASKA (2005)
The Gist
Miles Halter, a precocious teenager whose odd fascinations include famous people’s last words, heads to boarding school. There he meets Alaska Young, as alluring as she is unpredictable. Drinking, make-outs, and tragedy ensue.
Excerpt
“I’d never been religious, but he told us that religion is important whether or not we believed in one, in the same way that historical events are important whether or not you personally lived through them.”
Who Would Play the Leads 
Definitely a pair from Wes Anderson’s troupe. The kids from Moonrise Kingdom (Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward) had chemistry.
An Abundance of Katherines (2006)
The Gist
The mathematically inclined Colin Singleton has dated 19 Katherines—and all of them have subtracted him from their lives. He develops a theory of relationships that predicts who will dump whom based on a few factors.
Excerpt
“Dating, after all, only ends one way: poorly. If you think about it, and Colin often did, all romantic relationships end in either (1) breakup, (2) divorce, or (3) death.”
Who Would Play the Lead
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network). Injured and brooding.
Paper Towns (2008)
The Gist
Childhood friends Quentin Jacobsen and Margo Spiegelman seek revenge on all the people who slighted her in high school. When she disappears from their sleepy Florida subdivision, “Q” embarks on a journey to find her.
Excerpt
“Margo always loved mysteries. And in everything that came afterward, I could never stop thinking that maybe she loved mysteries so much that she became one.”
Who Would Play the Leads 
Fox 2000 already has optioned this, snagging TFIOS’s Nat Wolff for the role of Q. Our suggestion for Margo: Emma Watson (the Harry Potter series).
Will Grayson, Will Grayson (2010)
The Gist
Co-written with David Levithan, the story follows two boys named Will Grayson—one reserved, one emotionally volatile—whose lives come crashing together.
Excerpt
“I’m gay, not blind. Her hair’s all poofy, and she’s got a great nose. I mean, a great nose. And, what? What do you people like? Boobs? She seems to have boobs. They seem to be of approximately normal boob size. What else do you want?”
Who Would Play the Leads 
Michael Cera (the sultan of shy in Arrested Development) and Jack Gleeson (bonkers in Game of Thrones).
This article appeared in the June 2014 issue.
