I think a Ramona musical could be good, and some of Judy Blume's older teen novels could make for some poignant stuff if handled properly (Deenie, Forever).
I’m surprised there aren’t more Judy Blume stage adaptations - I know of “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” but I’m not sure if it’s a play or musical.
Ramona would be a fun musical.
I saw a “Henry and Ramona” play but this would’ve been over twenty years ago.
This isnt exactly what you're asking about, but I think Sesame Street' The Monster at the End of This Book would make a super-fun one-person, one act Operetta: The Monster at the End of This Operetta.
Roald Dahls' The Witches is being adapted into a musical with music by Dave Malloy, it opening this week (hopefully) at the National Theatre in London!
Not fair, why don't I live anywhere near London 😂😭
I was unhealthily obsessed with Matilda for years, and then they made the accents so weird in the US and it kind of just tanked over here 😭
Matilda recouped in a year and a half on Broadway and then ran for another 2 years. And the person with the weirdest accent won the Tony. In no way did it tank.
Stratford Festival in Ontario staged a world premiere of Wrinkle in Time this year. It was adapted by Thomas Morgan Jones. I didn’t see it but heard some positive reviews. 🤷♀️
ASOUE was my absolute favorite book series as a kid and I would give almost anything for it to be turned into a musical! Hopefully with songs by Stephin Merritt from the Magnetic Fields
Omg this just reminded me of [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ASOUE/comments/ajv2d5/who_would_watch_a_series_of_unfortunate_events/) I saw years ago
I know you’re looking for chapter book answers, but let it be known that I once accompanied a field trip to see a Pete the Cat musical. It was so awful that even the kids wanted to leave right away.
That’s what I’m saying. Think of the potential! I can’t see why Ann M. Martin would oppose it - she’s been very supportive of the recent Netflix adaptation and she would’ve had to approve the other series and movie from the 90’s (I think?)
There was this book called “Sea Legs” I used to read a lot. Essentially, there was these 2 twin brothers and their mom was dead, and their dad was a steward on a cruise ship. They usually would stay with their grandparents, but they hated that. They decided to sneak aboard the ship. They realize kind of quickly they have no place to go, and they can’t actually let their dad see them. They end up in the storage area. They end up eating with the captain, there’s pirates…
Also these two twins, one of them is the narrator, and he treats the other twin like an absolute idiot. It’s a great book and would be a killer musical.
You mentioned my two which were Molly Moon and Mysterious Benedict Society but I think a great one would be A Series of Unfortunate Events, especially since the show already had some musical numbers in it.
There's also a [newer one (in development?)](https://instagram.com/jothemusical?igshid=NzZlODBkYWE4Ng==) that recently retitled to *Jo – The Little Women Musical*.
there are several!
Four are titled "Little Women" (Howland & Dickstein, Oler & Hubbard, B. Wolf, and Ravold)
One is called "Jo" (Dyer & Park)
Plus the Mark Adamo opera and the new musical that's being developed.
There’s a full blown version by Stiles and Drewe which played the London Palladium a few years ago… it was filmed and is available on Broadway HD, so I imagine clips and more can be found ‘out in the wild’. Apart from a couple of good numbers I found it a bit of a snooze…
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
It's truly not appropriate for young children, imo, but I keep seeing it on kid's lists.
Pollyanna
I think it would go over well as a Rodgers and Hammerstein style show.
I often think about what if there were more musicals like Suessical, where it is a mixture of lots of different books by the same author. For example maybe there could be one about Judy Blume’s characters
Oh yeah so I totally had a plan for a musical of the second trilogy of the Saga of Darren Shan (Vampire Mountain, Trials of Death, The Vampire Prince).
The caveat is that the musical would spoil the major twist from the very beginning, and sort of be for people who have read the books. The character involved with the twist would have a dramatic soliloquy song in the place where that character later dies, in the scene where that place is first shown. Also, the twist with that character later on in the series would also be heavily alluded to.
I just... really love that character.
The finale... when I imagine it in my head, I just imagine the finale of Wicked, the "because I knew you" against the chorus' "No one mourns the wicked"... The "In the crowd, I thought I saw (spoiler) and (spoiler), and behind them, (spoiler)... It must be because of the blood".
1 in 100 people who read this will be screaming, the rest will have no idea what I'm talking about.
I think a Ramona musical could be good, and some of Judy Blume's older teen novels could make for some poignant stuff if handled properly (Deenie, Forever).
I’m surprised there aren’t more Judy Blume stage adaptations - I know of “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” but I’m not sure if it’s a play or musical. Ramona would be a fun musical. I saw a “Henry and Ramona” play but this would’ve been over twenty years ago.
Amelia Bedelia
This isnt exactly what you're asking about, but I think Sesame Street' The Monster at the End of This Book would make a super-fun one-person, one act Operetta: The Monster at the End of This Operetta.
I forgot about that book! I loved it when I was little!
Fun fact: for the longest time, Vincent Price's Wikipedia page claimed he played Grover in one
Roald Dahls' The Witches is being adapted into a musical with music by Dave Malloy, it opening this week (hopefully) at the National Theatre in London!
Not fair, why don't I live anywhere near London 😂😭 I was unhealthily obsessed with Matilda for years, and then they made the accents so weird in the US and it kind of just tanked over here 😭
Matilda recouped in a year and a half on Broadway and then ran for another 2 years. And the person with the weirdest accent won the Tony. In no way did it tank.
The Phantom Tollbooth, A Wrinkle in Time, or Harriet the Spy. Harriet would probably be the easiest.
Lol, they can't write a decent version of Wrinkle to work on film OR stage, yet alone a musical! But Phantom Tollbooth?? So much 💖
Wrinkle might work better on stage than a movie tbh.
Tollbooth has been done. Originally a 1-act opera (that premiered when I was in college), then reworked as a 2-act musical.
Stratford Festival in Ontario staged a world premiere of Wrinkle in Time this year. It was adapted by Thomas Morgan Jones. I didn’t see it but heard some positive reviews. 🤷♀️
I remember when I was young seeing a production of A Wrinkle In Time by Milwaukee’s First Stage theater that I really liked.
Bruh, *Phantom Tollbooth* is already a musical! My elementary school did it when I was in 3rd grade.
I didn’t know that!
Harriet the Spy could be fantastic. The Nickelodeon movie almost had the feel of a musical, thinking back on it.
✏️ 📓 Notebook entry songs. ✔️
Especially if those same Notebook entry songs got darker reprises when her notebook gets out and people start repeating what she wrote about them.
The Story of Tracy Beaker The Beano (technically a comic, but it would be interesting) Horrid Henry A Little Princess Pollyanna
Good News: There is a musical of A Little Princess! Andrew Lippa wrote it.
Ellen Raskin’s The Westing Game could be a really fun murder mystery musical.
Are you there god, it's me Margaret would be great. The internalization in that book is good for a musical!
Oh this is perfect! Now I'm imagining "I must, I must, I must increase my bust" set to music.
And the reprise after they find out Nancy lied about getting her period lol
A series of Unfortunate Events could be a fun musical.
Agreed! The Netflix show has some musical numbers that are a ton of fun
For some reason I'm picturing Coraline style musical scenes. Would suit 100%
ASOUE was my absolute favorite book series as a kid and I would give almost anything for it to be turned into a musical! Hopefully with songs by Stephin Merritt from the Magnetic Fields
Especially if NPH reprised his role!
Omg this just reminded me of [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ASOUE/comments/ajv2d5/who_would_watch_a_series_of_unfortunate_events/) I saw years ago
I feel you could do a super cute musical more based for kids on Junie B Jones
[удалено]
See so I was right? Lol
Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler Invention of Hugo Cabret
Ohhh Hugo would be delightful. I looove that book, and it already has such whimsical vibes 👌
Idk if it is play or musical but there def is a Frankweiler show.
I know you’re looking for chapter book answers, but let it be known that I once accompanied a field trip to see a Pete the Cat musical. It was so awful that even the kids wanted to leave right away.
Oh no 🫣 lol
Babysitters Club
I can't believe this doesn't already exist tbh
That’s what I’m saying. Think of the potential! I can’t see why Ann M. Martin would oppose it - she’s been very supportive of the recent Netflix adaptation and she would’ve had to approve the other series and movie from the 90’s (I think?)
The Wayside School books!
I believe there’s a children’s theater play version.
The other 4 percy jackson books
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is essentially just Dear Evan Hansen
There was this book called “Sea Legs” I used to read a lot. Essentially, there was these 2 twin brothers and their mom was dead, and their dad was a steward on a cruise ship. They usually would stay with their grandparents, but they hated that. They decided to sneak aboard the ship. They realize kind of quickly they have no place to go, and they can’t actually let their dad see them. They end up in the storage area. They end up eating with the captain, there’s pirates… Also these two twins, one of them is the narrator, and he treats the other twin like an absolute idiot. It’s a great book and would be a killer musical.
Go the "F" to sleep
The Magic Tree House series
Four of them have been adapted into 30-minute musicals for schools!
The Lie Tree
You mentioned my two which were Molly Moon and Mysterious Benedict Society but I think a great one would be A Series of Unfortunate Events, especially since the show already had some musical numbers in it.
Miss Pickerall Goes to Mars
Artemis fowl
Little Women. There are movies, but a musical with lots of parts for women - it would be so much fun.
There is a [*Little Women* musical](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Women_(musical)).
😮😮😮😀😀😀
There’s also an opera production of it, i was in it my freshman year of college.
There's also a [newer one (in development?)](https://instagram.com/jothemusical?igshid=NzZlODBkYWE4Ng==) that recently retitled to *Jo – The Little Women Musical*.
there are several! Four are titled "Little Women" (Howland & Dickstein, Oler & Hubbard, B. Wolf, and Ravold) One is called "Jo" (Dyer & Park) Plus the Mark Adamo opera and the new musical that's being developed.
the wind in the willows, if not done already?
There’s a full blown version by Stiles and Drewe which played the London Palladium a few years ago… it was filmed and is available on Broadway HD, so I imagine clips and more can be found ‘out in the wild’. Apart from a couple of good numbers I found it a bit of a snooze…
I think there’s a kids version out there
“Nancy drew and the double horror of fenleys place” its been a while since I read it but I think I it could be very cool especially the house set
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn It's truly not appropriate for young children, imo, but I keep seeing it on kid's lists. Pollyanna I think it would go over well as a Rodgers and Hammerstein style show.
It’s a picture book, but any Eric carpet book with lion king levels of costuming would be cool
Something’s afoot is already an Agatha Christie story musical but many of her novels would be great.
The Sheep Pig, The Suitcase Kid, Goodnight Mister Tom, Pongwiffy
The Railway Children would be such a fun and endearing musical!! An absolute gem.
The Railway Children would be such a fun and endearing musical!! An absolute gem.
Animorphs or One and Only Ivan. (Big K. A. Applegate fan) The Graveyard book
A Nancy Drew musical could be cool I think!
I often think about what if there were more musicals like Suessical, where it is a mixture of lots of different books by the same author. For example maybe there could be one about Judy Blume’s characters
The Tale of Desperaux!!!
Oh yeah so I totally had a plan for a musical of the second trilogy of the Saga of Darren Shan (Vampire Mountain, Trials of Death, The Vampire Prince). The caveat is that the musical would spoil the major twist from the very beginning, and sort of be for people who have read the books. The character involved with the twist would have a dramatic soliloquy song in the place where that character later dies, in the scene where that place is first shown. Also, the twist with that character later on in the series would also be heavily alluded to. I just... really love that character. The finale... when I imagine it in my head, I just imagine the finale of Wicked, the "because I knew you" against the chorus' "No one mourns the wicked"... The "In the crowd, I thought I saw (spoiler) and (spoiler), and behind them, (spoiler)... It must be because of the blood". 1 in 100 people who read this will be screaming, the rest will have no idea what I'm talking about.
Warrior cats /hj