Hooked on YA books 2015 discussion

With this book, I read it in a week and watched the movie only one day after I finished reading it. Overall, I would have to say that such a direct comparison made me think that perhaps watching a movie immediately after reading the same book could be detrimental to students understanding of the text. With The Maze Runner, the movie was different enough from the book that I was almost disgusted by the adaptation. The book was well-written, the plot had enough depth to hold my interest(although the main character was a bit of a Gary Stu), and the ending made me want to keep reading. In the movie, the lack of character development in Thomas was disappointing, events rose out of thin air, and there was significantly less connectivity in the storyline. I found myself wanting to skip chunks of the movie because it was so boring compared to the book. I plan to watch the movie again in a week to see if there's any difference in my opinion. Perhaps the plot was so thin to begin with that the movie version failed to interest me? Maybe the characters were so underdeveloped in both that when adapted the story falls short? I definitely plan to talk to more students about the book and the movie, since it seems to be very popular, especially in tenth grade.

The Maze Runner is the story of Thomas, a young man who finds himself in a new place with no knowledge of who he is, where he is, where he came from, or what he is capable of. He finds himself in the company of approximately forty other boys, all of whom arrived in The Glade under the same conditions. The Glade is a section of land filled with trees and clearings, apparently running on a consistent natural schedule, and surrounded by a huge maze of tall walls that shift every night. The challenge is to survive in the glade, run the maze, and decipher the possible codes in the maze in order to escape.
The social relationships of the boys in the story are integral to the book. Without these relationships, the boys could not survive. The leader is the boy who landed in The Glade first, valued because he was able to survive for an entire month on his own. This leads the audience to the conclusion that self-sufficiency is valued in The Glade. At the same time, the power of relationships and community is recognized as being integral to survival. When Thomas arrives, he is immediately called "Greenie," the name for the newest member of the group. He is assigned to Chuck as his "ward" as Chuck moves from newest Glader to second-newest. This also reveals the significance of hierarchy within The Glade. Thomas is expected to fall in line with the role of "Greenie," one he fights with fervor.
Without the existing power structure and sense of community in The Glade, the boys would not survive.

I liked the Maze Runner, but specifically I liked how it was different from the movie. I originally was not that interested in this book, despite having it on my shelf, but one night my husband and I saw the movie on TV and decided to watch it. The movie peaked my interest enough to want to read the book. The book made me feel like one of the characters who had their memories wiped because I kept wanting answers just like them. I was surprised that I had liked Alby in the movie, but I did not like the Alby in the book. I had to keep reading to see if any answers would be given. The ending was perfect for a trilogy because it just left me with more questions. I look forward to the next book.