The Forest of Hands and Teeth

The Next Harry Potter or Twilight?

With two hugely successful book-to-movie franchises gearing up their finales, it got us wondering what the next big series might be. One thing is clear: Young adult (YA) literature seems the place to look, with so many of these books causing quite a stir among critics, readers, and movie studios ... and making that ever-important leap to adult audiences that both Harry Potter and Twilight did. With that in mind, we picked 10 YA series that have been optioned for film and assessed their big-screen potential. We'd love to know if you agree or disagree with our conclusions, or if we missed a major title.

YA Zombies to Hit the Big Screen; Kristen Stewart Likely to Star

Carrie Ryan's young adult zombie novel The Forest of Hands and Teeth has just been sold to Seven Star Pictures, the studio behind Kristen Stewart's upcoming movie K-11.

The novel, which was published in March by Delacorte Books for Young Readers, has been an instant hit with critics and book bloggers. It tells the story of Mary, a girl living in a small village bordered by a fence to keep out the Unconsecrated -- savage zombies intent on destroying the town and everyone in it. Add a little bit of romance and a gutsy female heroin, and you've got a teen thriller to rival Twilight.

Rumor has it that an A-list actress is tipped to star in the movie (could it be Kristen Stewart?), and a first draft of the screenplay is being written as soon as possible. With the popularity of vampires, werewolves, and all things supernatural currently dominating the literary world, it seems book adaptations are the way to go. What could be next? Our money's on Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments trilogy. Somewhere, somebody will be closing a movie deal on that one soon.