‘What If’ False Starts for Popular YA Novels

We all love the heart warming tale of love at first sight or the story of magic being introduced to our favorite characters. Their are countless awesome YA books out there that pull you into their fantastical worlds with wondrous stories, but what if things happened just a bit different?

Now image your favorite young adult stories if they didn’t happen the way you remembered.

Oh Snap! Now what?

Divergent

Tris misses the Dauntless ceremonial bowl, as her blood accidentally trickles into the Dungeons and Dragons club bowl instead. She’s thrust into a life of dark, dingy rooms with nerdy, pale-faced boys fighting for the right to become the next Dungeon Master. – David R. Bernstein

Twilight

Bella gets a paper cut during biology class on her first day at Forks High School. With one whiff of her blood, Edward loses all control, kills everyone in the classroom, and drains Bella dry. – Michelle Madow
Forks High School hosts a blood drive on Bella’s first day. Jasper goes on rampage exposing vampires to the oddly naive world. Vampires all over go into just slightly better hiding. People everywhere start noticing glimmery teens on sunny days. – David R. Bernstein
Edward is too slow to react as Bella is crushed by the van, the Cullens devour the bloody bounty and move on to a new town. – David R. Bernstein

The Selection

The first time America meets Celeste she pummels her bloody on national TV, curtsies to the cameras, and gets sent home. – Eli Larreau
America decides going on a reality show is a really lame way to meet a man. Tells mom to get a grip and storms off to hang out in her tree house instead. – Jenetta Penner

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Lucy decides to hide under the bed instead of in the wardrobe. Never finds Narnia. The White Witch still reigns. – Michelle Madow

Matched

Cassia attends her Matching Ceremony, eats a ton of food, gets matched with Xander, is happy about it, sees Ky’s face on her microcard, thinks “that’s weird”. Marries Xander. Thinks walking through the desert and poems are a waste of time. – Jenetta Penner

City of Bones

Clary gets into Pandemonium and gets drunk out of her mind. So when she witnesses Jace kill the demon and it disappears into thin air, she goes in the bathroom and sticks her head in the sink, under cold water. She sobers up quickly and goes home vowing never to drink again. – Ingrid B Seymour

The Hunger Games

Katniss doesn’t volunteer to take Prim’s spot in the Hunger Games. Prim goes to the games, and is the first killed at the cornucopia. – Michelle Madow

The Wonderful Wizard of OZ

Tornado warnings turn out to be wrong and Kansas is hit by only a mild storm. Dorothy stays on the farm and eventually marries and had children, never leaving her gray and dreary world. – Jerusha Joy Nelson

Harry Potter

Dark lord is successful in recruiting brilliant young wizard to his cause. James and his band of misfits, Remus, Sirius and Peter, soon begin to gain popularity with the followers of the dark lord and form their own faction. Many of the death eaters, including Severus, Lucius, and Bellatrix swear fealty to the young lord. His son Harry ends up burning their Alma Mater, Hogwarts, to the ground. – Jerusha Joy Nelson
Harry Potter decides not to go to Hogwarts. Meets a nice girl at the local PS. Doesn’t talk to snakes. – P. D. Workman

The Maze Runner

Thomas doesn’t feel like running. Has no desire to enter the maze. Stays in the Glade until he and Gally get in a fight. He dies. – P. D. Workman

The Giver

Jonas remembers the colour red. Prefers green. Becomes a nurturer with his dad. – P. D. Workman

The 5th Wave

Cassie’s mother dies of the pestilence. So does Cassie. – P. D. Workman

Obsidian

Katy decides that Daemon’s borderline abusive and stalkerish behavior isn’t hot, and that even though Dee is really nice, there is something off with her (her body blurs and becomes translucent, and there is nothing normal about that). Katy talks to her mom about their new neighbors, and because her mom wants her to be comfortable, they decide to move. A hospital in a small town on the Olympic peninsula of Washington is hiring nurses, so they move to Forks. – Raye Wagner