The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is a perennial YA favorite. As you’ve probably heard, it’s going to be a movie, starring Harry Potter fav Emma Watson. I think this is a hard book to adapt, since so much of it is internal, but based on the casting I’m very hopeful. Another potentially good sign is that it’s gotten an R rating.

Why should that make me hopeful? Isn’t it bad for teens not to be able to actually see the movie? First of all, teens see R-rated movies all the time. It’s not that hard to get into one or buy/stream it later. Second, it’s not a fluffy book. It covers a lot of mature topics, from sex to drugs to drinking. That’s not all the book is about, but I’m kind of glad to hear that things won’t be watered down. It’s all part of a very real teenage experience. (Okay, my teenage experience wasn’t quite that rock-and-roll, but it exists.)

Are you looking forward to the Perks movie?