Hollywood is long known for harvesting from the fertile ground of books and some of the biggest blockbusters in the whole history of film-making started out life as well-thumbed tomes on the bookshelf.

Here are five more books that would make great movies.

Alanna, the First Adventure by Tamora Pierce

Before Arya of Winterfell there was Alanna of Trebond. When her twin brother is told that he is to be sent to the palace to be a page (his worst nightmare) and that Alanna is being sent to the City of the Gods to learn magic (hers) they hatch a Twelfth Night-style gender-swap plan. Alanna soon joins young pages being trained in all the fun things (swordplay, horse-riding, bare-knuckle fighting) but how long can ‘Alan’ keep his true gender hidden from the other pages?

The Song of the Lioness Quartet (see Hollywood? You could get a whole franchise out of these!) is one of the most progressive fantasy series that I remember reading in my childhood. They didn’t just have solid storytelling and immaculate world-building, but they addressed gender politics and exhibited diversity in a way that is still rare in the fantasy genre.

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Fallen-Angel-and-Flash-Bastard Crowley, and his heavenly frenemy Aziraphale are somewhat fond of The Universe, so the looming arrival of the Anti-Christ has filled them both with a bit of trepidation. Fortunately there’s been a bit of a mix-up at the hospital and ‘The Adversary, Destroyer of Kings, Angel of the Bottomless Pit, Great Beast that is called Dragon, Prince of This World, Father of Lies, Spawn of Satan and Lord of Darkness’ has accidentally been placed in the care of a pair of regular human parents. As his powers begin to manifest Crowley and Aziraphale realise that the fate of the world is in the hands of a regular 11-year-old kid… but will he lead the world into redemption or doom?

This. Book. Is. Hilarious. It would translate so well to screen – like some weird mash-up between Constantine and The Goonies – and I’ve been mentally casting it ever since I first read it.

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

Year of Wonders is the remarkable story of a village that voluntarily quarantines itself during the Great Plague of 1666. Based on the true story of the village Eyam, this is an impeccably researched book that touches on themes of faith, sex, science, superstition, and fanaticism. The Plague itself is an amazing period from history, and one that I feel has been overlooked by Hollywood.

World War Z by Max Brooks

Yes, I know that World War Z has technically already been made into a movie, but really all that the film shared with Max Brooks’ incredibly clever and nuanced book was the title. I’d like to see a PROPER adaptation that attempted to convey the book in all its complexities. A mockumentary style might work well with the oral history style of the novel, or even better, I’d love to see different directors from around the world filming different chapters from the book. Kenji Nakanishi doing the Japan chapters, for instance, with Elia Suleiman directing the Israel story.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus is such a gorgeously descriptive book that it’s impossible to read it without visualising Le Cirque des Reves and the amazing characters inside its tents. Erin Morgenstern tells the story of two star-crossed lovers that have been pitted against one another, as part of a competition between two old rivals. The lovers vie against each other by creating incredible illusions and perform feats of magic against the backdrop of an incredible travelling carnival.

Lian Hingee