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It’s one of my favorite shows of the year! Last week the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival stomped its way through Tacoma, Washington with a crowded screening at their historic Blue Mouse Theatre. We got so many great movies from Tacoma this year, and the show was a dream! That’s all due to the hard work of the Tacoma Public Library’s most valuable player, Sara Sunshine Holloway:

And almost every time I’ve done the film festival in Tacoma, it’s been with the hilarious and talented Doug Mackey, who always brings his great energy to every performance. I love working with this guy.

Special thanks to Ellaina, who helped with the opening skit as the Sergeant-at-Arms of the HIGH NEWBERY COUNCIL! Unfortunately, the camera that we had recording the opening skit was on the fritz, so the footage was unusable, but here’s Ellaina and me, plus a look at when the heads started exploding during the skit:

Special thanks also to John Hargis and Isaac who handled the lights and all the transitions in the tech booth! And of course thanks to all the great filmmakers who came out in force for the event:

Let’s look at the Tacoma-made movies from this year! There was an impressive batch, from many different schools and families and organizations! For instance, here’s Matt de la Pena’s 2016 Medal Winner Last Stop on Market Street as made by Avery and Nicolas of the Tukwila Library (with special thanks to Reel Grrrls):

As the judges wrote in the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “The elaborate cut-paper people, buildings, trees, and even animals were expertly crafted and beautiful to look at . . . The voiceover acting was expressive, sensitive, and true to the gentle spirit of the book . . . That kind of craftsmanship makes the whole thing seem more vivid and real!”

Fletch and Otto of Tacoma made this charming movie of the “Cookies” vignette from Arnold Lobel’s 1973 Honor Book Frog and Toad Together:

As the judges wrote in the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “Charming, beautifully shot and edited, and true to the book! This was a delightful Frog and an adorable Toad. I loved the earnest, patient way Toad explains to Frog how the cookies could be reached, and Frog’s repeated roars of frustration felt real! . . . This movie looked great, with sharp camera work and careful editing that told the story clearly and amusingly.”

Nigel and Simone made this movie of Jean Craighead George’s 1960 Honor Book My Side of the Mountain, telling this survival story to the tune of Gloria Gaynor’s 1970s disco hit “I Will Survive”:

As the judges wrote in the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “I appreciated the use of real animals and outdoor locations to make the story feel authentic . . . There was great slapstick visual comedy in how the librarian kept stacking more and more books in Sam’s hands, in the end just hurling them at him, until he loses his grip on all the books and they go tumbling! . . . This was super entertaining.”

Every year, Mr. Johnson’s 5th Grade at the Grant Center for Expressive Arts turns in some amazing movies, many of which I show nationally. For instance, check out this version of Sterling North’s 1964 Honor Book Rascal: A Memoir of a Better Era, about a boy and his raccoon:

As the judges wrote in the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “Between the old-time piano background music, the old-fashioned clothes, and the breakneck-speed narrative, this movie is super-enjoyable to watch from start to finish. The cinematography and editing were crisp and assured: I especially liked the comical jump cut when the extravagantly-mustached father slurps down his coffee and says, ‘Yup!’ The deployment of Rascal in the various scenes was very artful, from the right-behind-him point-of-view shot when he opens the door, to the part when Rascal’s fishing line catches . . . a whale?!? . . . And I loved the ending of this movie, in which we find out what Rascal REALLY did when he was released . . . Funny, resourceful, and ingenious!”

That’s not the only movie we received from Mr. Johnson’s class. We also received this movie of the short story “The Gingi” from Patricia McKissack’s 1993 Honor Book The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural, in which the cursed statue that a mother brings home to her house is here replaced by a McDonald’s Happy Meal:

As the judges wrote in the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “Funny, surprising, and refreshingly irreverent! From the start, the title cards and suitably spooky music were effective in setting the proper ghost-story mood . . . I appreciated the slow-burn feeling of this, the way it starts totally normal but then slowly and subtly deepens the spooky atmosphere . . . I laughed out loud with shock when the mother actually exploded!”

Mr. Johnson’s 5th Grade also made this great version of Erin Entrada Kelly’s 2018 Medal Winner Hello, Universe, twisting the ending so that the guinea pig who got thrown in the well exacts some revenge on the bully character:

As the judges wrote in the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “This is exactly the kind of twist I love to see in a 90-Second Newbery! This movie tells the story of Hello, Universe accurately and respectfully, carefully introducing the characters and situations with admirable economy and style . . . and then refreshingly throws it all out the window for a satisfying and ridiculous finale! . . . I laughed and gasped with delight as Gulliver grew to huge proportions and then chased the bully. A funny, irreverent adaptation of the book!”

Here’s another inventive twist on a classic book by Mr. Johnson’s 5th Grade: remaking Gary Paulsen’s 1988 Honor Book Hatchet in the style of the video game Fortnite:

As the judges wrote in the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “Unique and hilarious . . . The shots were well-framed and the editing was crisp . . . I liked the green-screened chests that keep appearing . . . and how they all seem to have the same thing, a hatchet. Cutting from ‘Seriously, another hatchet?’ to a cave full of hatchets was comic genius . . . Amazing work!”

There’s one more movie from Mr. Johnson’s 5th Grade that I’d like to highlight, and it’s of Joan W. Blos’ 1980 Medal Winner A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl’s Journal, 1830-1832:

As the judges wrote in the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “I appreciated the meticulous attention to detail: the accurate period costumes, the resourceful use of green screen, the extensive use of outdoors locations, and the emotionally appropriate music that seems to sync up to the actions onscreen. There was even a fun bird puppet! . . . My favorite parts were the irreverent touches, like one character anachronistically saying ‘Oh sure whatevsies,’ or the wedding kiss being interrupted by the director storming on set and bellowing, ‘Cut! Guys, remember we’ve gotta keep this PG!'”

Thanks for all those great movies, Mr. Johnson’s 5th Grade from the Grant School For Expressive Arts!

Let’s look at some other movies from Tacoma that we featured at the screening. For instance, there was this ambitious and exciting version of Robin McKinley’s 1985 Medal Winner The Hero and the Crown by Martin Anderson, Aunya Crow, Quinn Sukys, Vivian Sukys, Olivier Bonjour, and Josiah Anderson:

As the judges wrote in the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “The performances were suitably outsized and heroic, and yet grounded in authentic emotion. The first shot, of a grand castle-like structure, puts the viewer in the high fantasy mood, though the next scene takes care to bring the action down to earth by having Galanna rant against our hero Aerin. After Aerin gets her mission, I was amused at how she ‘rides her horse’ (a stop-motion sequence with a toy rocking horse, very resourceful!) . . . Great background music throughout, and the swordfight against Agsded was very well handled! It feels genuinely triumphant when Aerin thrusts the crown into the air, and the head of the dragon as well! ”

The 4th and 5th Grade Students from Rainier Elementary School at the Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA did this fun adaptation of Linda Sue Park’s 2002 Medal Winner A Single Shard:

As the judges wrote in the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “What a creative and resourceful reimagining of the story! I loved the stroke of brilliance of making Min a baker instead of a potter . . . and so his masterpieces aren’t vases, but cakes! I loved all the performances: the snarky, cantankerous baker Min, the supplicating and constantly bowing Tree-Ear, the sassy wife (‘Well, we’re not just going to leave her in the streets!’). Excellent cinematography and crisp editing whipped this movie along efficiently and with style.”

Browns Point Elementary did this great version of Kimberly Brubaker Bradley’s 2016 Honor Book The War That Saved My Life, in which the students provided all the music themselves:

As the judges wrote in the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “Wow! The piano playing in this movie really made it stand out! I thought it was brilliant to have the music change throughout, to match the emotion and energy of each scene. The green screen and costumes were resourceful and made the world convincing. The acting was especially engaging and believable: ‘Mam’ was satisfyingly boo-hiss mean and cruel, Ada was tragically put-upon and earnest and finally triumphant, brother Jamie was by turns defiant and authentically childish, and Susan’s arc from resisting kids to welcoming them was well-played.”

Every year the Seabury School in Tacoma submits a lot of great movies, so many that unfortunately we can’t possibly feature them all at the screening. Let’s look at two that we were able to feature this year, for instance Victoria Maeng and friends’ adaptation of Richard and Florence Atwater’s 1939 Honor Book Mr. Popper’s Penguins (which dwells amusingly on the Poppers’ dysfunctional marriage):

As the judges wrote in the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “I loved this bonkers, high-energy, irreverent take on the story! I enjoyed how Mr. Popper is here played as a naive layabout, and his wife Mrs. Popper is an over-the-top exasperated housewife, clunking around with her big stick and nagging Mr. Popper and getting frustrated with his Antarctic obsessions. It was especially funny when she snatched his newspaper, rolling it up and began battering him with it, calling him ‘a lazy one’ . . . the “penguins” obviously had a lot of fun rolling around in it! Great acting from everyone, and it told the story quickly and with enthusiasm and ingenuity!”

Also from Seabury School, we received this version of Lois Lowry’s 1994 Medal Winner The Giver from Ishaan K. and friends:

As the judges wrote in the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “This was a low-key but artfully effective adaptation. I like how it started with scenes that could’ve easily been from our own world (realistic and grounded scenes of hanging out with one’s family, walking to school with a friend), and then subtly beginning to introduce the dystopian aspects of the world of the story . . . It was a fun choice to have the camera zoom dramatically into Jonas’ face when he is shocked at the rule ‘You May Lie’ or when he discovers the truth about ‘release’ . . . A fun, accurate sprint through the book!”

Along with Victoria’s and Ishaan’s movies, we received a lot of other great movies from Seabury School this year. You can see them all here.

We also received a batch of good movies from Summit Trail Middle School in Maple Valley, WA, including this movie of Katherine Paterson’s 1978 Medal Winner A Bridge to Terabithia by Emma, Peyton, Josh, Jessica, and David:

As the judges wrote in the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “It was a smart idea to start with the footrace that sparks Leslie and Jesse’s friendship. The scene with Leslie and Jesse and the rope in the woods was well-done, revealing their different characters by their different attitudes towards the rope: I liked how it highlighted Leslie’s daredevil pushiness and Jesse’s more circumspect wariness. And their different outfits — Jesse’s drab, Leslie’s whimsical — also worked well to show their different personalities (‘Don’t let go, and just let it happen!’) . . . Fast, resourcefully shot, and faithful to the book!”

We actually got quite a few movies from Summit Trail Middle School. You can see them all here.

There are a few more movies I want to feature on this post that we showed at the screening. For instance, 7-year-old M. Hanawalt did this delightful puppet show of Patricia MacLachlan’s 1986 Medal Winner Sarah, Plain and Tall:

As the judges wrote in the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “Creative use of hand-made puppetry and hand-drawn backgrounds to tell the story! I liked the resourceful and clever use of a paintbrush to portray a broom in the puppet’s hands. The voice acting was engaging and convincing, and Sarah’s paisley dress was quite groovy! The movie sprints through the story entertainingly, and covers a surpsingly large amount of the plot. Good job!”

And finally, we also featured at the screening a movie based on a book that drew from events that happened right in Tacoma, of Katherine Applegate’s 2013 Medal Winner The One and Only Ivan:

As the judges wrote in the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “I loved that this movie used such a wonderfully elaborate, real-looking gorilla costume for Ivan (and good performance too, beating his chest and trying to peel the banana)! There was also a good use of stock photos and archival newspapers to tell Tacoma’s story of Ivan. The scenes with Ivan being fed or listening to his human supervisors were well-shot and fun to watch. The informative voiceover kept the story on track and clear. I especially liked the ‘feeding’ scene of Ivan!”

And that was the 2019 Tacoma 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! Thanks again to Sara Sunshine Holloway and everyone at the Tacoma Public Library and the good people at the Blue Mouse theatre, as well as my co-host Doug Mackey, tech wizards John Hargis and Isaac, and of course all the young filmmakers and their teachers and parents and facilitators who helped this whole thing to come together. I always have a great time in Tacoma! Here’s the final montage of all the movies, below. And please consider donating to keep us going!

Look at all those young filmmakers! And, uh, the two strange men murdering each other in their midst! This was the scene on Sunday, March 17, just after we did the Rochester, New York screening of the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival at the Rochester Museum and Science Center.

Thanks to the amazing work of Deb Ross and Carol White Llewelyn, the film festival has really flourished in Rochester! They put together the local network it takes to pull off an event like this: partners at the Rochester Museum and Science Center, KidsOutAndAbout.com, the George Eastman Museum, and Writers & Books, along with sponsors Rochester Community TV (RCTV), Delta Airlines, the Friends & Foundation of the Rochester Public Library, RIT Magic Spell Studio, and Cheshire AV. The show is always free to enter and to attend, but only because of their generous support, and yours. Please consider donating to keep us going next year, too!

I was supremely honored to get the legendary children’s author Bruce Coville as my co-host. He was funny, kind, and a real pro . . . it was great to hang out with him. Check out the video below of the opening skit, in which Bruce and I are confronted by the HIGH SUPREME NEWBERY COUNCIL of Newbery winners Kate DiCamillo, Jacqueline Woodson, E.B. White, and . . . Meindert Dejong? What, you’ve never heard of the real-life winningest Newbery author ever, Meindert Dejong? Watch the video to see how he and the rest of the HIGH SUPREME NEWBERY COUNCIL attempt to shut down our film festival, only to be thwarted with our rousing parody version of “One Day More” from Les Miserables. Special thanks to Parker for playing the Sergeant-At-Arms of the High Supreme Newbery Council!

I always have a great time in Rochester. I’m grateful to stay with my friends Arthur and Amy, whom I met through Rochester’s famous Teen Book Festival. In this trip, I joined Amy’s team of librarians for an after-hours trivia contest, emceed by my co-host from the Rochester 90-Second Newbery last year, Matt Krueger. Another night we all went bowling with Matt’s husband Jonathan. And I did virtual reality in Arthur and Amy’s basement. And I did presentations at Johanna Perrin Middle School and Leo Bernabi Elementary. And many more dinners and meetings with friends that I only get to see once a year or so, but I’m so glad when I do. A whirlwind weekend! (And our film festival as even featured on the local Rochester TV news!)

So what movies did we feature from Rochester this year? RCTV Writers & Books Summer 2018 Camp created this movie of E.L. Konigsburg’s 1968 Medal Winner From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, in the style of a black-and-white silent movie:

As the judges said on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “What a great-looking black-and-white silent movie! . . . I was impressed how judiciously and effectively you interspersed the intertitles and the action to tell the story mostly visually and wordlessly . . . Great acting all throughout, especially the waggle in Claudia’s eyebrows when she says ‘You wanna run away?’ . . . Great work overall!”

Also from RCTV Writers & Books Summer 2018 Camp, we received this inventive adaptation of Kate DiCamillo’s 2001 Honor Book Because of Winn-Dixie, in which Winn-Dixie is advertised as though she’s a kind of medicine, complete with disclaimers:

As the judges said on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “This was hilarious! I love the idea of pitching Winn-Dixie as a kind of cure-all medicine, using the format of a pharmaceutical commercial, complete with testimonials and disclaimers . . . the two best parts were at the end: the fast-talking disclaimer at the end as the camera slowly zoomed in on Winn-Dixie’s face (an almost nightmarish effect!) and the joyful, ludicrous ‘That’s my dog!’ tag at the end. So much fun, a joy to watch!”

The third and final movie that RCTV Writers & Books Summer 2018 Camp created was of Christopher Paul Curtis’ 1996 Honor Book The Watsons Go to Birmingham: 1963, with a weird twist: the old characters from the book are young in this movie, and the young characters are old:

As the judges said on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “This age-swap idea really refreshed the narrative and gave this movie its juice . . . This movie really ‘committed to the bit’ throughout—for instance, the bullies threatening to steal one’s dentures, or the ‘Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!’ reference in the whirlpool . . . This was a really good movie, with a clever premise that was admirably executed.”

Do you know Eian Sinclair? You should! And if you don’t, you soon will! He’s the young Rochester genius who has been making great 90-Second Newbery movies for years. Every year Eian Sinclair creates a masterpiece, and this year’s no exception. Here’s his animated take on William Steig’s 1983 Honor Book Doctor DeSoto:

As the judges said (full review here), “I was blown away by the painstakingly elaborate illustrations throughout . . . The fox is particularly impressively animated, with so many fun-to-watch sequences, like when he’s scooting on his knees to beg to Dr. DeSoto, or licking his chops in anticipation of a meal, or when his jaw trembles when he can’t open his mouth. The script is tight and tells the story accurately and wittily: ‘I’ve been outfoxed by a mouse!’ I was also impressed by how all of the original music was composed and played by Eian.”

As it happens, Eian drew a caricature of me, which I featured at the screening. What do you think? Pretty good likeness?

I also got a wonderful movie of Kate DiCamillo’s 2001 Honor Book Because of Winn-Dixie from Leo Bernabi Elementary School (which I visited and did a presentation in the days leading up to the screening!):

As the judges said on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here): “This movie was fantastic! I like how this movie resourcefully deployed a convincing-looking stuffed dog to portray Winn-Dixie . . . There was realistic and grounded acting from everyone (and I was amused at how Miss Franny yelped ‘Ah! A bear!’ and tumbled off her chair, and just as swiftly recovered). The part with Gloria Dump portrayed as the Wicked Witch of the West was adorable . . . Great cinematography and editing throughout, crisply moving from scene to scene and keeping the story clear at every moment. And I loved how it ended with everyone singing ‘Who Let the Dogs Out’!”

When I visited Leo Bernabi Elementary, the students of Canal View Elementary also showed up for the presentation. Canal View submitted FOUR great movies, all of which we featured at the screening. First there was this movie of Kate Dicamillo’s 2014 Medal Winner Flora & Ulysses by Sean, Jackson, Ray, and Liam:

As the judges said (full review here): “It was fun how the movie kicked off with a portentuous voice intoning, ‘IT ALL STARTED WITH A VACUUM’ while our opening shot focuses on the fateful vacuum in question. I like how you used fast-forward to simulate the vacuum romping out of control, and the use of dramatic music during Flora’s CPR on Ulysses was an inspired touch. The script was fast and funny, capturing the spirit of the book . . . The whole thing was quick and fun to watch!”

Canal View Elementary also submitted this movie of Katherine Paterson’s 1978 Medal Winner Bridge to Terabithia by Addison, Leah, Mya, Bella, and Rachael:

As the judges said on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here): “Fast, resourceful, and true to the book! It was a clever idea to start with Jesse’s voiceover thoughts, putting us right in the hero’s head and letting us know his goals and personality as he practices running in the morning. The introduction of the character of Leslie was handled swiftly and clearly, right after showing her beating everyone else at the race . . . I liked how the phone call was represented with a split screen, and I was amused how Jesse’s mom’s only reaction to his question about going to Washington was an inarticulate grunt. The editing throughout was admirably fast: going from phone call, to museum, to ‘Leslie’s dead,’ to her funeral in about 5 seconds!”

Kristian, Aaron, Bella, Kya, Brynn, Alexis, Megan, Morrigan, Ella, and Shannon of Canal View Elementary made this movie of Gary Paulsen’s 1988 Honor Book Hatchet:

As the judges said on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here): “This was super entertaining, fast, and surprisingly comprehensive! The voiceovers were a good way to set up the story and keep it on track, since so much of Brian’s journey is spent alone with nobody to speak to . . . Crisp, rapid-fire editing hurtles us through the story at a record pace—I was very impressed at how lean this movie is, proceeding from Brian crawling out of the lake, to building the shelter, to all his other challenges in double-quick time. Resourceful use of a stuffed bear in the foreground to make it look like a larger bear, and the sudden zoom on Brian’s face was classic.”

The last movie from Canal View Elementary is also Hatchet, and it’s by Molly, Lylah, Mikayla, Alyvia, Kayla, Emmaline:

As the judges said (full review here), “This was a lot of fun to watch, and it was carried by a fantastic acting performance of ‘Brian’! It was a great idea to start with the scene of Brian’s mom giving the sullen, sulky Brian the hatchet, with a voiceover giving us access to his inner thoughts (‘I don’t want a stupid hatchet!’) while he outwardly accepts it with a ‘thanks.’ . . . My favorite green screen moment is when the moose comes after Brian! The flashbacks to Brian’s mom were well-handled, and gave extra depth to the survival story . . . I like how it ends with the pilot’s body getting dragged out of the water. This was resourceful, funny, convincing, accurate, and unique!”

And that was the Rochester 2019 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! Thanks again to everyone who came together to make this happen! And if you like what we do, please donate to the film festival! The show is always free, but that means we rely on your generosity to keep going.

Please donate to the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! It’s tax-deductible. Our fiscal sponsor is Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization.

There’s no show like a hometown show! On Sunday, we put on a screening of the EIGHTH ANNUAL 90-Second Newbery Film Festival at the Harold Washington Library in Chicago. It was the day after my birthday, and we followed up the triumphant show—well, triumphant except for one gigantic blunder on my part, which I’ll get to—with a birthday party at my place.

Once again I took the stage with the hilarious and talented Keir Graff (author of The Matchstick Castle and The Phantom Tower), and we did an opening skit in which THE HIGH SUPREME NEWBERY COUNCIL—that is, Newbery-winning kidlit superstars Kate DiCamillo, Jacqueline Woodson, E.B. White, and Meindert Dejong—tried to shut down the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. This snowballed into a musical number, as per usual, this time sung to the tune of “One Day More” from Les Miserables.

Wait a second—kidlit superstar Meindert Dejong?! Sure, haven’t you heard of him? It’ll all make sense if you watch the opening skit here (and thanks to Amalia for playing the Sergeant-At-Arms of the High Newbery Council):

We also had as a special guest Mary Winn Heider, the author of the hilarious new middle-grade novel The Mortification of Fovea Munson. I read it out loud to my girls when it came out and they loved it. Mary Winn isn’t just an author, she’s a great actor too (indeed, a member of Chicaago’s famous Barrel of Monkeys troupe). Here Mary Winn shows up “late” for the film festival, slightly confused on its premise:

Okay, remember I mentioned I made a blunder at the film festival? It was a really bad one. Due to a mixup with video files, totally my fault, I nearly didn’t show at all this great movie of Louis Sachar’s 1999 Medal Winner Holes made by Norah, Jehan, Virginia, Sofia, and Clodagh of Beaubien Elementary. Luckily right as I was leaving the stage, somebody from Beaubien told me about my mistake, and I rushed back onstage to play it. Unfortunately I couldn’t make the video go full-screen, and so the experience was impaired. I’m really sorry for that. And all the more so because it’s such a great movie. Check it out:

As the judges on the 90-Second Newbery website said (full review here), “This was a tightly scripted, well-shot, full-of-personality adaptation. The green screen was used resourcefully and ingeniously throughout, with a great choice of a variety of backgrounds! The voiceover narration kept the story clear and on track. The script was well-written and so the scenes flowed in a cause-and-effect chain, making the story easy to understand even if one hadn’t read the book . . . And I loved that this movie had actual lizards in it, complete with scary music!”

Beaubien Elementary—students, teachers, families—I’m deeply sorry for the mixup. I hope this doesn’t put you off from participating in the 90-Second Newbery again next year. Beaubien actually submitted lots of great movies this year and you can see them all here.

Let’s check out some of the other movies featured at the screening. For instance, here’s Kate DiCamillo’s 2004 Newbery Medal winner Tale of Despereaux, by the Leland Street Players (I happen to know a few of the actors in this movie):

Every year Ava Levine of Highland Park submits an amazing movie for the 90-Second Newbery. Last year it was Charlotte’s Web in the style of a Michael Bay action movie (here). The year before it was Frog and Toad Together in the style of “Seinfeld” (here and here). This year? An adaptation of Richard and Florence Atwater’s 1939 Honor Book Mr. Popper’s Penguins:

Read the judges’ full review here, in which they praise the movie as “unhinged and hilarious.” And do yourself a favor and subscribe to Ava’s YouTube channel here to see all her other projects!

You want another reliably brilliant 90-Second Newbery veteran? How about Corbin Stanchfield, whose adaptation of Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s 1992 Medal Winner, the boy-and-his-dog story Shiloh with the dog replaced by a bagel, is the stuff of 90-Second Newbery legend. He has done a lot of other great movies too, but never anything as elaborate and hilarious as this adaptation of Elizabeth George Speare’s 1984 Honor Book The Sign of the Beaver:

As the judges noted in part (full review here), “a brilliant, ambitious, bonkers idea to tell the story through ‘seven decades of popular music.’ A charismatic, versatile one-man performance from Corbin carries the entire three-minute movie (and at times Corbin even multiplies himself through the magic of camera trickery). Songs by the Beatles, Elton John, Michael Jackson, Nirvana (in unplugged mode), and more are cleverly rewritten to tell the plot of Sign of the Beaver, culminating in a deliriously fun, energetic rendition of Mark Ronson’s and Bruno Mars’ ‘Uptown Funk.’ And best of all, these aren’t karaoke versions of the songs: Corbin arranged, played, recorded, and mixed the music himself.” Check out more of Corbin’s stuff at Corbin Films.

You might remember last year’s Millions of Cats in the style of stop-motion polar bears. Here’s yet another stop-mnotion movie by those filmmakers, John and Meg Alznauer, of Kate DiCamillo’s 2014 Medal Winner Flora & Ulysses:

As the judges said (full review here), “Incredible! Ingenious! . . . I loved, loved, loved this stop-motion animated version of Flora & Ulysses. The paper cut outs were beautifully drawn and impressively articulated, capable of so many movements . . . When the superheroic music swells and Ulysses begins flying, dodging and fluttering through the various plot elements as they stream across the screen, it’s truly inspiring and energizing!”

We also had some great first-time filmmakers for this year’s 90-Second Newbery. Here’s Lloyd Alexander’s 1966 Honor Book The Black Cauldron, by the Dugan Brothers from Chicago, done entirely in clay stop-motion:

As the judges said (full review here), this was “funny, enjoyable, and ambitious . . . The clay figures were impressively detailed (I particularly liked Fflewddur Fflam with his harp) and well-animated (some of my favorite moments are when the Eilonwy’s arrows hurtled through the air, or when Elidyr threw himself into the cauldron). The snarky voiceover narration gave it the just the right ironic tone . . . great work!”

Last year the young filmmakers at the Lozano branch of the Chicago Public Library did a fantastic movie of Gary Paulsen’s 1988 Honor Book Hatchet. This year they’re back with an adaptation of another 90s classic, Sharon Creech’s 1995 Medal Winner Walk Two Moons . . . in the style of an old-fashioned black-and-white noir mystery movie!

In their review, the judges said “the tone was beautifully set right at the start with the Dragnet theme song and voiceover and the blood-red title card. The black-and-white cinematography, crisp editing, and period-sounding soundtrack really gave it the feeling of an old-fashioned detective movie . . . I loved the unhinged performance of Mike Winterbottom!”

We got some inventive and impressive movies from Lincoln Hall Middle School. Here Jason Reynolds’ 2018 Honor Book is adapted with stop-motion Legos by Jonathan and Jad:

The judges said in their review, “A resourceful and at times ingenious retelling of the story through Lego stop-motion . . . Excellent voiceover performances throughout, keeping the various characters who are crowding into the elevator distinct . . . This was a well-shot, crisply edited, appropriately paced movie.”

Layla Ellis did this agreeably psychotic adaptation of Paul Fleischman’s 1989 Medal Winner Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices. If you know the book, you know it’s all poems told from the point of view of insects. But what if there’s somebody who doesn’t want to listen to insects spout poetry all day?

As the judges said (full review here), “It was such an inspired, hilarious, unhinged idea for the poetry-reciting insects of Joyful Noise to be relentlessly hunted down and killed by a bug-hating maniac—swatted and splattered by the very book they are quoting! And it’s all the better because the actual poem recitations were well-done.”

We also had some amazing hand-drawn animation from Siena L, Yaretzy M, and Tatevik A. of Edgewood Middle School, with their evocative and thematic interpretation of Jerry Spinneli’s 1991 Medal Winner Maniac Magee:

As the judges said (full review here), “Beautiful animation, very fluid and evocative! I loved the stylish minimalism of these animated black-and-white drawings, telling the story with a series of abstract actions . . . Short and sweet, this movie gives the general idea and atmosphere of the story without getting bogged down in plot details. The music worked well too, changing to suit the action when necessary. This movie was artistic, resourceful, and impressive! Bravo!”

We featured two different local movies based on Matt de la Pena’s 2016 Medal Winner Last Stop on Market Street. This first one is by Lincolnwood Public Library’s Moviemaking Program—headed up by the social media director of the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival, the indispensable Eti Berland:

As the judges said (full review here), “A colorful, exuberant, resourceful movie! I loved the many vibrant, well-drawn backdrops of cityscapes used throughout, pulling all the scenes together with a consistent and attractive visual style . . . The performances were expressive and authentic, the script lean, the cinematography and editing excellent. A great movie!”

We also got a similarly compelling movie of Last Stop on Market Street from Sophie, Luis, Estrella, Michael, Kayla, Adriana, Sophia, Tania, and Jada of the Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy:

As the judges said (full review here), “A creative retelling of the story, with great acting, cinematography, and editing! I like how some details were swapped out from the original story (a cello instead of a guitar—beautifully played, by the way!) . . . The performances were grounded and realistic and believable, and the tight editing kept everything moving quickly.”

Another great local movie was this version of Jean Fritz’s Honor Book Homesick: My Own Story by Jean Mahony’s 5th Grade class at Glen Grove Elementary School:

As the judges said, “A fast and resourceful retelling of a lesser-known Newbery Honor book! (I appreciate it when we get a book that hasn’t already had a million movies made of it) . . . Clever and entertaining!”

Maritza A., Jenna G., Genesis C., Madelyn C., Nelly S., Jailene G., and Emily O. of Ms. Pappas’ class from Gray Elementary School turned in this intriguing movie of Sharon Bell Mathis’s 1976 Honor Book The Hundred Penny Box:

As the judges said, ” A sensitive and entertaining retelling of a lesser-known but high-quality Newbery Honor book . . . well-crafted and true to the book!”

I was impressed by this adaptation of Russell Freedman’s 1988 Medal Winner Lincoln: A Photobiography by students from the Chicago Filmmakers Summer Camp, which ends with a climactic post-assassination brawl:

As the judges said in their review, “It was a great idea to give this 1800s-era story an appropriately olde-tymey feel by shooting it in black-and-white, with historical-documentary sounding music and no dialogue, making it feel like an early silent movie . . . Very resourcefully told throughout, with great costumes, green screen work, cinematography and editing, and fight choreography! Superb!”

Last but not least, check out Hazel’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s 2009 Medal Winner The Graveyard Book:

In the words of the judges, “I loved the performances, especially Scarlett’s enthusiastic friendliness, Bod’s confusion and anxiety, and Jack’s maniacal murderousness, which worked particularly well in the scene where Jack confronts Bod with the knife, and glances at the camera in a saucy way . . . a fun, brisk sprint through the book!”

There were so many other great local movies that we received for this year’s film festival, but that’s all we were able to feature at the screening!

I have a lot of people to thank. Thanks to my co-host Keir Graff, special guest Mary Winn Heider, and young actor Amalia for their performances in the opening skit, as well as Sarah (who played Kate DiCamillo), Heather (my wife! who played Jacqueline Woodson), Chris (who played E.B. White) and Alice (who played Meindert Dejong).

Thank you also to the folks at the Harold Washington Library Center—Liz McChesney, Maria Peterson, Mary Beth Mulholland, and Alexandria Trimble—for helping to organize and put on this event. And thanks to Leland and Michael for doing a great job in the tech booth, handling lights and sound. And thanks to Evanston’s Booked bookstore for handling all the bookselling at the event.

And thanks most of all to the young filmmakers, and the parents and teachers and librarians who assisted them in making their movies! Feel inspired to make your own movie for the 90-Second Newbery? Submissions for next year are due in January 2020, but really you can turn them in anytime . . . and actually, I prefer that! You can find complete information at the 90-Second Newbery website.

I will leave you with the final montage we showed at the end of the screening:

Please donate to the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! It’s tax-deductible. Our fiscal sponsor is Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization.