TURNING PAGES into FILM For kids, teens or your inner vampire

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”

The book: As Voldemort grows stronger, more mysteries are solved and new ones revealed.

Worth reading? This penultimate novel in the seven-book series is one of the best. And if you haven’t heard about the Big Ending, hurry up and read before someone spoils it.

The movie: Warner Bros. pulled this from last fall’s lineup and saved it for summer blockbuster season. All the regulars are back, along with Jim Broadbent (the college dean in “Indiana Jones IV”) playing Professor Horace Slughorn.

Opening: Wednesday.

“Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs”

The book: Judi Barrett’s silliness about a town where the sky rains burgers, spaghetti, cheese and, yes, meatballs. With illustrations by her husband, Ron.

Worth reading? A must-read for the grade-school set. Parents will giggle, too.

The movie: Bill Hader and Anna Faris provide the voices for this 3-D animation.

Opening: Sept. 18.

“Where the Wild Things Are”

The book: Maurice Sendak’s classic about mischief-making Max who runs away to a land of monsters who roar their terrible roars.

Worth reading? This Caldecott-winning classic is a must for every kid’s home library.

The movie: Spike Jonze directs this mixture of live action and CGI.

Opening: Oct. 16.

“A Christmas Carol”

The book: Ebenezer Scrooge is, well, a scrooge, until he is visited by some persuasive ghosts.

Worth reading? It’s Charles Dickens at his most accessible. And if your kids master this one, you can have “Great Expectations” for their future reading ability.

The movie: Jim Carrey voices Scrooge and the ghosts in 3-D animation.

Opening: Nov. 6.

“Fantastic Mr. Fox”

The book: Roald Dahl’s tale of a wily fox who stays one step ahead of the bumbling farmers trying to trap him.

Worth reading? Witty, fun, typically subversive Dahl, but it’s no “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

The movie: Quirky Wes Anderson directs stop-motion adaptation, with the voices of George Clooney and Meryl Streep as Mr. and Mrs. Fox.

Opening: Nov. 13.

“New Moon”

The book: The second in Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” saga has Bella and vampire lover Edward separated, so she seeks solace with best friend/werewolf Jacob.

Worth reading? It’s the most angst-ridden of the four-book series, but the intense ending makes the slog worthwhile. (On the other hand, members of Team Jacob say it’s the best “Twilight” book ever.)

The movie: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner return, along with creepy new vampires Dakota Fanning and Michael Sheen.

Opening: Nov. 20.

“The Princess and the Frog”

The book: “The Frog Princess” is the first in E.D. Baker’s series for tweens about a princess who agrees to kiss a frog to help him turn back into a prince. But instead she turns into a frog.

Worth reading? It’s silly fun.

The movie: Disney goes old-school with a 2-D musical fairy tale, moving the story to New Orleans and creating its first black princess. With voices of Anika Noni Rose, Terrence Howard and John Goodman.

Opening: Dec. 11.

Source: The Kansas City Star