Whoa! It’s the SIXTEENTH YEAR of our 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! That’s the annual video contest I founded in which young readers make short movies that tell the entire stories of Newbery-winning books in just a few minutes. For instance, check out the Leland Street Players’ retelling of M.T. Anderson’s 2024 Newbery Honor Book Elf Dog & Owl Head, above!

The original book is about Clay, a boy who meets Elphinore, a magical dog who can move between our ordinary human world and the magical world of elves, monsters, and owl-headed people. Through Elphinore Clay befriends Amos, an owl-headed boy. When the elvish hunters who are Elphinore’s original masters come to reclaim her, Clay risks everything to get her back.

This is the Leland Street Players’ ninth movie, and definitely our most elaborate! My daughter Lucy designed and constructed the amazing dog puppet for Elphinore. Lucy also designed and crafted the blue dragon, the owl masks, and the rest of the costumes. A tour de force! The performances for Clay (Joy D.), Amos (Lucy D.), the elvish hunters (Ezra W., Zella W., and my other daughter Ingrid K.) were similarly outstanding, and all the puppeteers and particpants did a fantastic job. Extra thanks to Christy for choreographing the closing dance number!

Curious about other great 90-Second Newbery movies? Check out more all-time best 90-Second Newbery videos here.)

Save the dates for our 2027 season! We’ll be doing live screenings in seven cities: Brooklyn, Chicago, San Antonio, Rochester NY, Ogden UT, Tacoma WA, and Newport Beach, CA. These FREE events are raucous, bombastic affairs, co-hosted by me and other superstar children’s authors, with packed audiences of hundreds of folks!

And there’s plenty of time to make YOUR OWN movies for this year’s screenings. The general nationwide deadline for entries is January 15, 2027. (There’s a special extended deadline of March 19, 2027 for movies intended for the screenings in Rochester, San Antonio, and Tacoma.) Find complete information about the 90-Second Newbery at our website.

Love the 90-Second Newbery? Want it to continue? Please support us with a donation here. Every little bit helps!

90-Second Newbery 2027 Season
Friday, January 15, 2027
The GENERAL DEADLINE for submissions to the 16th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival.

Saturday, February 20, 2027
The BROOKLYN, NY screening of the 16th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! Hosted by me and Newbery Honor Winner Rita Williams Garcia (One Crazy Summer and more). In the Dweck Auditorium of the Brooklyn Public Library Central Library (10 Grand Army Plaza). 1 pm.

Saturday, March 6, 2027
The CHICAGO screening of the 16th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! Hosted by me and Keir Graff (author of Minerva Keen’s Detective Club and more). In the Cindy Pritzker Auditorium at the Harold Washington Library Center (400 S. State Street). 2 pm.

Saturday, March 13, 2027
The OGDEN, UTAH screening of the 16th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! Hosted by me and Keir Graff (author of Minerva Keen’s Detective Club and more). At the Treehouse Children’s Museum (347 22nd Street). 6 pm.

Friday, March 19, 2027
EXTENDED DEADLINE for submissions to ROCHESTER, SAN ANTONIO, and TACOMA screenings of the 16th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival.

Saturday, March 20, 2027
A special NEWPORT BEACH, CA screening “The Best of the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival.” Hosted by me and Newbery Honor Winner Jennifer Holm (Turtle in Paradise, Penny From Heaven, Our Only May Amelia, the Babymouse books, and more). At the Newport Beach Public Library in Witte Hall (998 Avocado Ave). 3 pm.

Sunday, April 18, 2027 (ATTENTION! This is a different date than previously announced!)
The ROCHESTER, NY screening of the 16th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! Hosted by me and Bruce Coville (author of The Unicorn Chronicles, Aliens Ate My Homework, and much more). In the Dryden Theater at the George Eastman Museum (900 East Avenue). 2 pm.

Saturday, May 8, 2027
The SAN ANTONIO, TX screening of the 16th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! Hosted by me and a co-host TBA. In the H-E-B Performance Hall at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. Made possible by our partners at the Bexar County Digital Library Bibliotech and H-E-B Read 3. 11 am.

Friday, May 21, 2027
The TACOMA, WA screening of the 16th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! Hosted by me and Tacoma’s own Doug Mackey. At Grant Center for the Expressive Arts (2510 N 11th St). 5 pm.