It’s no great mystery why Hollywood keeps looking for material in the young-adult section of Barnes & Noble. When a YA series hits, it hits big. But for every Harry Potter, Katniss Everdeen, or Bella Swan, there are five Alex Riders; not every kid- or teen-lit character makes a profitable leap from page to screen. Below, we’ve singled out 21 movies, all based on popular book series for young readers, that failed to inspire a corresponding hit movie franchise. Narnia, which made it to three films, is exempt. Percy Jackson, which somehow limped to two, is not.
