(I know that’s technically four things, but one of my cats is quite small, even for a cat.). Once she and Finch “wander” together, she gets back into it again and even thinks up a new website called “Germ Magazine”. What would your advice be to people who are struggling with this? How did the idea of wandering around Indiana come to you and are all the places you have described in the book real? Which character in the book do you most associate with and why? Our ratings are based on child development best practices. To those who went into All The Bright Places blind, there’s one scene that might have come off kind of strangely: Violet and Finch’s first kiss. It’s time to talk through the big differences made to the teen romance with its Netflix adaptation by Hearts Beat Loud director Brett Haley, starring Elle Fanning and Justice Smith. As I mentioned above, years ago, I knew and loved a boy, and that boy was bipolar. Hoosiers, although not promoted as being based on a true story, is somewhat loosely based on a true story—specifically, the 1953–54 basketball season of Milan High School in Indiana, in which the school of about 160 students won the state basketball championship, defeating a much larger city school in the final. You should take the time to get to know it before making judgments.” The same is true of people. Think about the challenges of making a two-hour (or less) movie out of a lengthy book. I do like the message it sends, 'All The Bright Places' raises awareness to suici... Heartbreaking love story is a must-see for fans of the book. He stops talking to Violet, throws down his sticky notes and ultimately commits suicide at the lake. However, one aspect about Violet that the movie misses is her passion for writing. I’m at work on my second YA novel now! How long did the book take to read? I hope that the book inspires more of that. In the movie, it makes it seem like after he has the falling out with Violet’s parents it’s all downhill from there for Finch. All the Bright Places asserts that teen romcoms, while fun and distracting, aren't the only movies that matter to young audiences. She says to herself “People like Theodore Finch don’t die. "Finch" is a charming, very literate boy from Violet's high school who has problems of his own, ones he barely manages to keep at bay. The star rating reflects overall quality. I have to add that now that I’m officially writing for young adults, I am the happiest I’ve ever been creatively. Anyone Else Hate That Last Courtroom Scene In Netflix's Trial Of The Chicago 7? Many times in my research I’ve set out to study one thing, which has led me to another. We need to make people feel safe enough to come forward and say, “I have a problem. There are lots of messages in your book, which do you think is the most important? My greatest material comes from observing the world and the people in it, and from listening, from interacting, from engaging. Compelling teen romance tackles suicide, finds hope. The last time I saw him, I was nearing the end of a series of books I’d begun writing in 2008 and was feeling depleted and ready – creatively – for something new and different. At a party, it appears that underage high school students are drinking alcohol. Let’s get into it: Netflix’s All The Bright Places opens on Theodore Finch going on a morning run when he sees Violet Markey standing on the ledge of the bridge where her sister was killed in a fatal car accident. Horror May Queen. The change made in the movie is actually a great edit to the story because its circumstances are in line with both of the characters and the story itself. He’s really intrigued by the ways in which people die and he’s constantly spewing out interesting ways in which people have committed suicide in the past. Profanity includes: "s--t," "pissed," "a--hole," and multiple uses of "f--k." Insults, including many uses of "freak.". How do you feel social media is affecting relationships we have? Browse titles with similar subject matter. I go off on tangents because there is so much to discover. Feeling bad about it, he rushes himself to the ER and gets his stomach pumped. But it should exist! The story of All The Bright Places has a lot to do with Finch helping Violet get back on her feet after the death of her older sister, Eleanor. I always had the thought in the back of my mind: Someday I’ll write a young adult book. But then he gets expelled from school for that fight with Roamer. He attempts suicide first by consuming a bunch of sleeping pills. I’d always wanted to write about it – I just wasn’t convinced I would ever be able to. However, the story takes considerable liberties with Milan's real story. So I experimented with a more straightforward, matter-of-fact speech pattern that would gradually open up and grow more vibrant as she began to live again. It’s all too easy to get lost in that screen and not engage with the people and experiences that are going on around you. One early reader wrote to tell me that as soon as she read the book, she ran downstairs and hugged her mother. I was lucky enough to grow up with a writer mom, who taught me that I could be or do anything I wanted to be or do. Parental figures are commendable, dependable, and use good judgment. How might the idea relate that to your own possibilities? For the most part, I love the way social media connects us across miles, across continents. It certainly would have made for a more brutal finale to the film that might have been too tough for many viewers to take. Compassionate and resourceful, Finch finds a way to reach Violet, then coerce her into being his partner in a two-person school project. Later when the police come, they find his body, ask her to identify him and she’s still in denial of it. A boy admits to being "high" in one school scene; underage kids drink at a party. I set All the Bright Places in Indiana, where I grew up, and it’s a landscape I know well. At first he does text Violet back about the whole thing with their parents and they are doing okay. What did the filmmakers want you to take away from that sequence? Suddenly Finch just stops the car, gets out and stares at Violet – and then they start making out. Two talented young actors bring emotional depth to a movie that seeks to enlighten audiences about an increasingly complex and fragile teen world. I witnessed up-close the highs and lows, the Awake and the Asleep, and I saw his daily struggle with the world and with himself. Common Sense and other associated names and logos are trademarks of Common Sense Media, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (FEIN: 41-2024986). Fans of the book may miss the back-and-forth of two narratives (Violet's and Finch's voices) telling the story, but director Brett Haley does a solid job of balancing the film's points of view. He told me, “Kid, whatever you write next, write it with all your heart. I became a writer because writing has always been – for all my life – the thing I love to do most. I paused to think about how her voice could differ from his, and I started playing around with the fact that she was by nature a writer, but, since Eleanor’s death, the words had dried up. The author of All the Bright Places, this month’s Teen book club read, answers questions from site member hockey_jess about turning to YA fiction, bipolar disorder, and wanderlust, Last modified on Wed 20 Sep 2017 06.54 EDT. After meeting Finch, at first Violet tries to go on a couple dates with him but she’s not feeling it. The heartbreaking conclusion to To All The Bright Places is pretty much the same. Finch dies. Life is too short to be closed off to possibility. Poignant teen drama doesn't shy away from alcohol or sex. There are painful and sad moments in which grief, depression, and other mental disorders are core elements of the story. I mean seriously, how awesome would that be? Also, of course, the story was personal and inspired by something that happened in my life. But that summer of 2013, I thought again about this boy and that experience, and I knew in my heart that it was the story I wanted to write and that I wanted to write it as YA. If you read the book All the Bright Places, do you think the filmmakers did a good job of turning it into a movie? Word webslinger. After I landed on that, it was easy to maintain the differences between the two of them. Violet Markey (Elle Fanning) hasn't recovered from the death of her older sister in ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES. This wonderful movie is heart wrenching and will leave you in tears. Finch’s father is a retired famous hockey player who has since remarried and is raising his young son (who may or may not be his). A teen admits that he's "high." Male main character is loving, smart, and compassionate toward others as he struggles with both internal and external disturbances. Finch and his father see each other often clash. He asks her when she’s going to stop acting like she is and go back to before. Searching for streaming and purchasing options ... Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Though the issues considered are familiar ones (grief, mental illness, bullying), the movie has original multidimensional characters and is both graceful and moving. I really liked this movie, although the message was a little heavy I thought it was good. We display the minimum age for which content is developmentally appropriate. What, if anything, did you take away from this one? Though the issues considered are familiar ones (grief, mental illness, bullying), the movie has original multidimensional characters and is both graceful and moving. He walks up to her and ultimately gets her to snap out of her trance. What is meant by that statement? How did you decide to take the leap into young adult books? This also applies to writing. I’m an only child, and when I was a little girl, we used to have “writing time.” From her, I learned to find the story in everything, and I learned never to limit myself or my imagination. A teen couple swims in underwear, kisses, and embraces in gentle foreplay, but there's no nudity or overt sexual activity.