Teen Movies Based on a Book

The Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library has many described videos for teens. These movies, rated PG and PG-13, are based on a book. Recorded cassette (RC), braille (BR), and large print (LT) versions of the books are listed below each movie. Contact the Library to order these books and movies, or any other books and movies.

DV 53
A Christmas carol - 1984 PG
VIDEO. George C. Scott portrays Ebenezer Scrooge, a miser whose sole pursuit of financial success has left him a bitter and lonely old man. He discovers the true meaning of Christmas after visits from ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Filmed in Shrewsbury, England, this version of Dickens' beloved classic is considered by many to be the best. All the performances are excellent, but George C. Scott makes the often-played Ebenezer Scrooge his very own. With George C. Scott, Nigel Davenport, Edward Woodward, Frank Finlay, Lucy Gutteridge. Directed by Clive Donner.

• BR 3328
• RC 43546
• LT 4379

DV 03
Beaches - 1988 PG13
VIDEO. They met on a beach when they were very young, brassy C.C. Bloom (Bette Midler) and classy Hillary Whitney (Barbara Hershey). Through good times and bad times, through broken marriages and budding careers, they still had each other. And together they would face their greatest challenge...as only best friends could. With Bette Midler, Barbara Hershey, John Heard, Lainie Kazan. Directed by Garry Marshall. 123 min.

• RC 25015

DV 522
Cheaper by the dozen - 2003 PG
VIDEO. The Bakers, a family of 12, move from small-town Illinois to the big city after Tom Baker (Steve Martin) gets his dream job to coach his alma mater's football team. Meanwhile, his wife (Bonnie Hunt) also gets her dream of getting her book published. While she's away promoting the book, Tom has a hard time keeping the house in order while at the same time coaching his football team, as the once happy family starts falling apart. Directed by Shawn Levy. MPAA RATING - PG. 98 min. 2003.

• BR 353
• RC 23282
• LT 6673

DV 07
Clear and present danger - 1994 PG13
VIDEO. Harrison Ford returns as intrepid CIA agent Jack Ryan. When his mentor Admiral James Greer becomes gravely ill, Ryan is appointed acting CIA Deputy Director of Intelligence. His first assignment: investigate the murder of one of the President's friends, a prominent US businessman with secret ties to Colombian drug cartels. Unbeknownst to Ryan, the CIA has already dispatched a deadly field operative to lead a para-military force against the Colombian drug lords. Caught in the crossfire, Ryan takes matters into his own hands, risking his career and life for the only cause he still believes in - the truth. With Harrison Ford, Anne Archer, James Earl Jones, Willem Dafoe, Joaquim de Almeida. Directed by Phillip Noyce. 141 min.

• RC 30954

DV 435
Divine secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood - 2002 PG13
VIDEO. Like mother, like daughter. Neither a hard-as-nails New York playwright nor her flaky Louisiana mother will take the necessary steps to mend their long-time rift. No, this is a job for the Sisterhood, sworn life-long friends who stage an outlandish "intervention" to bring daughter and mother back together again. Stars Sandra Bullock, Ellen Burstyn and Ashley Judd. Directed by Callie Khouri. MPAA Rating. PG13. 116 min.

• BR 14189
• RC 45768
• LT 1022

DV 419
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch stole Christmas - 2000 PG
VIDEO. Why is the Grinch such a grouch? No one seems to know, until little Cindy Lou Who takes matters into her own hands and turns both Whoville and the Grinch's world upside down, inside out... and funny side up in her search for the true meaning of Christmas. Starring Jim Carrey, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, and Molly Shannon. Directed by Ron Howard. MPAA Rating-PG. 105 min.

• BR 12020
• RC 47536

DV 229
Driving Miss Daisy - 1989 PG
VIDEO. They couldn't agree. They wouldn't give in. They thought they had nothing in common. But in the years they spent together they built the friendship of a lifetime. Morgan Freeman, Jessica Tandy and Dan Aykroyd star in the joyous comedy about a headstrong Southern lady and her ever-patient chauffeur. Starring Jessica Tandy, Morgan Freeman, Dan Aykroyd, Patti Lupone and Esther Rolle. Directed by Bruce Beresford. MPAA Rating-PG. 99 min.

• RC 32827

DV 11
Forrest Gump - 1994 PG13
VIDEO. Tom Hanks stars as Forrest Gump. Through three turbulent decades, Forrest rides a tide of events that whisks him from physical disability to football stardom, from Vietnam hero to Shrimp tycoon, from White House honors to the arms of his one true love. Forrest is the embodiment of an era, an innocent at large in an America that is losing its innocence. With Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, Sally Field, David Brisbin. Directed by Robert Zemeckis. 142 min.

• BRM00984
• RC 38876

DV 57
Fried green tomatoes - 1991 PG13
VIDEO. A chance encounter in a nursing home between dowdy housewife Evelyn Couch and spry octogenarian Ninny Threadgoode leads to an unexpected friendship. Ninny tells Evelyn an absorbing story of two women, the fiercely independent Idgie and the gentle Ruth, who lived half a century ago in the town of Whistle Stop. Idgie stands up to the Klan, Ruth's abusive husband and a charge of murder in a time when a woman's place was considered the kitchen. Idgie's courage in the face of adversity inspires Evelyn to take a look at her own life and make drastic changes, often with hilarious results. With Jessica Tandy, Kathy Bates, Mary Stuart Masterson, Mary-Louise Parker, Cicely Tyson.

• RC 26698
• LT 3674

DV 880
Girl with a pearl earring - 2003 PG13
VIDEO. Delft, Holland; 1665. Griet becomes a maid in the household of Johannes Vermeer. The young girl's beauty and intuitive understanding of art lead the master painter to make her the subject of his most famous portrait. This riveting film earned 3 Oscar and 2 Golden Globe nominations. Directed by Peter Webber. With Scarlett Joansson, Colin Firth. Tom Wilkinson and Judy Parfitt. MPAA Rating - PG13. Parents cautioned.

• BR 13360
• RC 50258

DV 474
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. RJHAP:2 - 2003 PG
VIDEO. Finds young wizard Harry and his friends Ron and Hermoine facing new challenges during their second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as they try to uncover a dark force that is terrorizing the school. Stars Kenneth Branagh, John Cleese, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Richard Griffiths, Richard Harris, Jason Isaacs, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Maggie Smith, Julie Walters. Directed by Chris Columbus. MPAA Rating PG.

• BR 12276
• RC 48437
• LT 0619

DV 908
Harry Potter and the goblet of fire - 2006 PG13
VIDEO. Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts is marked by the Quidditch World Cup and the Triwizard Tournament, in which student representatives from three different wizarding schools compete in a series of increasingly challenging contests. However, Voldemort's Death Eaters are gaining strength and create the Dark Mark - giving evidence that the Dark Lord is ready to rise again. In the unsuspecting lives of the students at Hogwarts, the competitors are selected by the goblet of fire, which this year makes a very surprising announcement: Hogwarts will have two representatives in the tournament, including Harry. Now Harry has to rise to the challenge for the Tri Wizard Tournament while keeping up with school. MPAA Rating PG - 13. Parents cautioned.

• BR 12764
• RC 50228
• LT 0620

DV 582
Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban. RJHAP:3 - 2004 PG
VIDEO. Harry, Ron and Hermione, now teenagers, return for their third year at Hogwarts. There they are forced to face escaped prisoner, Sirius Black, who poses a great threat to Harry. In addition to new experiences, Harry must overcome the threats of Dementors, outsmart a werewolf and finally deal with the truth about Sirius and his relationship with his parents. Harry and friends master advanced magic classes, cross time barriers and change the course of more than one life.

• BR 12390
• RC 48772

DV 431
Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone. RJHAP:1 - 2002 PG
VIDEO. Based on J.K. Rowlings' best-seling novel of the same name. Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School for Wizards and Witches. With Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Richard Harris, John Cleese. Directed by Chris Columbus. MPAA Rating-PG. 152 min.

• BR 11879
• RC 47260
• LT 0621

DV 562
Little men - 1984 PG
VIDEO. In 19th-century New England, two street-smart urchins are sent to a country boarding school where they test the patience and principles of their teachers, Jo and Fritz. A wonderful, heart-warming adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic sequel to Little Women. With Mariel Hemingway and Chris Sarandon. Directed by Rodney Gibbons.

• RC 23646
• BR 12486
• LT 5293

DV 514
Peter Pan - 2003 PG
VIDEO. In stifling Edwardian London, Wendy Darling mesmerizes her brothers every night with bedtime tales of swordplay, swashbucker skills and the ever fearsome Captain Hook. But the children become real heroes of an even greater story when Peter Pan flies into their nursery one night and takes them on a journey over moonlit rooftops to the lush jungles of Neverland. With Jason Isaacs, Jeremy Sumpter,Lynn Redgrave, and Richard Briers. Directed by P.J. Hogan. 2003.

• BR 15663
• RC 59430

DV 492
Seabiscuit - 2003 PG13
VIDEO. Based on a true story. A half-blind ex-prizefighter and mustang breaker team up with a millionaire and his rough-hewn, undersized horse, Seabiscuit. The men bring Seabiscuit to incredible heights, helping to turn a long shot into a legend. Eventually, Seabiscuit earns Horse of the Year honors in 1938. Starring Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper, Tobey Maguire, William H. Macy. Directed by Gary Ross. 141 minutes.

• BR 14930
• RC 51968
• LT 2434

DV 911
The chronicles of Narnia. DWDIS - 2006 PG
VIDEO. Lucy Pevenise, along with her older brothers Edmund and Peter, and her older sister, Susan, are in London during the initial bombing raids of WW II. Like many families, their parents decide to send them to the country for safer keeping. Peter, the oldest, is told to watch over the children and make sure they stay safe. This simple request will test Peter's ability to protect his siblings, especially after Lucy discovers an amazing secret. The children decide to play hide-and-seek, and during the game Lucy discovers a mysterious wardrobe. She tucks herself inside and backs to the rear of the cabinet, there she discovers herself in an entirely different world. The place is called Narnia, and it's been locked in winter for over 100 years by someone known as "The White Witch." Lucy rushes back to tell her brothers and sister, but they don't believe her. That is until they all get into the wardrobe one day and find out she's been telling the truth. Soon a prophecy is revealed. It is said that when Aslan returns, two daughters of Eve and two sons of Adam will come back and reclaim the four thrones of Narnia. MPAA Rating. PG. Parental guidance.

• BR 13945
• RC 50083

DV 478
The color purple - 1997 PG13
VIDEO. Based on Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, 'The Color Purple' is the richly-textured, decades-spanning story of Celie, an uneducated woman living in the rural American south. Forced to marry a brutal man she calls 'Mr., ' Celie turns inward and shares her grief only with God. But she is transformed by the friendship of two remarkable women, acquiring self-worth ... and the strength to forgive."--Container. Stars Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Adolph Caesar, Margaret Avery, Rae Dawn Chong. Directed by Steven Spielberg. MPAA Rating PG-13. 154 Min.

• BR 12265
• RC 58842

DV 16
The hunt for Red October - 1989 PG
VIDEO. A new, technologically-superior Soviet nuclear sub, the Red October, is heading for the U.S. coast under the command of Captain Marko Ramius. The American goverment thinks Ramius is planning to attack. A lone CIA analyst has a different idea: he thinks Ramius is planning to defect, but he has only a few hours to find him and prove it, because the entire Russian naval and air commands are also trying to find him. With Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, James Earl Jones, Sam Neill. Directed by John McTiernan.

• BR 7205
• RC 21513