On March 25, 2023 the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival finally returned to Boston! Since the pandemic hit in 2020, we hadn’t done a Boston screening since 2019. It was great to be back at the beautiful Boston Public Library in Copley Square. Thanks to the BPL’s Laura Koenig for keeping our event alive, to Kate Gilbert for starting the ball rolling in the first place, and to Rebecca Mahoney for co-hosting with me!

Wait, what?! Yep, that’s beloved author Rebecca Mahoney of the excellent YA novel The Valley and the Flood and the brand-new, just-published The Memory Eater. If you want to see Rebecca and me singing, dancing, and cracking wise, check out the video above, in which we revise the “Marge vs. the Monorail” episode of The Simpsons to address the book-banning nonsense that’s going around lately.

And of course, thanks to the audience who came out . . . and most of all, the young filmmakers! I had also invited some of the filmmakers whose movies never got a proper live screening because of the pandemic. It was fun to see their older selves after only knowing them through movies they made years ago!

And how about those movies? Let’s check them out! The Benali family of Holliston, MA (full disclosure: I went to college with their mom, Jocelyn) adapted Isaac Bashevis Singer’s 1967 Honor Book Zlateh The Goat and Other Stories. It’s about a poor man whose goat, Zlateh, has grown old and can’t produce milk anymore. The town butcher offers to buy Zlateh to slaughter her for the meat. The poor man doesn’t want to part with Zlateh, but he needs the money, so he sends his son to town to sell the goat. Along the way there’s a blizzard, and the son and the goat seek shelter in a haystack and are trapped. But Zlateh eats the hay, and the son survives by drinking the milk Zlateh makes. The son and the goat become good friends, and he doesn’t have the heart to sell her! (And in this movie, the goat doesn’t want to cooperate with the plot.)

I especially liked the maniacal guy with the knife who is waiting to slaughter and eat the goat (”I’ve been waiting … THREE MINUTES!”). Check out the judges’ complete comments about the movie here.

Ira Bagga of Lexington made this great movie of Ellen Raskin’s 1979 Medal Winner The Westing Game. This is a super-complicated book and it’s hard to sum up in 90 seconds, which makes this movie even more impressive. It’s told as one-person show, with great homemade art!

Smart, stylish, and concise, with beautiful color illustrations! You can see what the judges had to say about Ira’s movie here.

Emma, Ben, Tess, and Andrew (with help from Tom, John, Laura and Amy) adapted E.L. Konigsburg’s 1968 Medal Winner From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. The book is narrated by the mysterious Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, who is telling the story to her lawyer Saxonberg. This movie follows the same strategy, with fantastic performances not only of Claudia and Jamie, but also the kids playing the old lady Frankweiler and the middle-aged Saxonberg!

I was impressed at the on-point cinematography and brisk editing, as well as the convincing performances! The judges posted their complete review here.

The year before that, the same group did an adaptation of Matt de la Pena’s 2016 Medal Winner Last Stop on Market Street. This movie makes resourceful use of a jungle gym in place of a bus. Emma, Julia, Ben, Tom, Amy, and Henry—take it away!

I liked that this group took the trouble to procure a real dog and a real guitar for the movie (complete with guitar player). But the best part was the stunning next-to-last shot, overlooking the vista of the city as Nana and C.J. head down the stairs! The judges give their complete verdict here.

And those were the local entries for the 2023 Boston 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! (We showed a lot of other movies too, from across the country.) Thanks again to Laura Koenig and everyone at the Boston Public Library for hosting us, my co-host Rebecca Mahoney for indulging my silliness, Trident Booksellers and Cafe for selling books, Morton White (via Steve White and Kate Gilbert) for the last-minute loan of a cane . . . and most of all, the young filmmakers and the teachers, librarians, and families who helped them! And it’s never to early to start making your movies for next year’s screening. They’re due January 2024, but you can turn them in anytime. See you next year!

The 90-Second Newbery relies on private donations and grants to keep going. It’s only through your generosity that we can continue bringing public screenings and book-to-movie workshops to libraries and schools nationwide. You can make your (tax-deductible!) donation here. Donations are handled through our fiscal sponsor Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization.

The 90-Second Newbery Film Festival live shows are back! I remember in 2020 how the entire country shut down only days after our Chicago show. Now it’s 2023, and we were able to get a pretty good crowd—even as outside, the Chicago river ran green for the St. Patrick’s Day parade! Thanks to Alexa, Robin, Michael, and Leland at the Chicago Public Library for making everything run smoothly, and thanks to Stephanie at City Lit for bookselling at the event.

Thanks also to my co-host, author Keir Graff. Unfortunately we weren’t able to get a good video of our singing-and-dancing opening skit, but if you want to relive that, or are curious about what it was like, it was basically the same as how we did the skit at the Ogden screening a few weeks ago (my post with the video is here). If you like snappy Music Man patter and the “Marge vs. the Monorail” episode of The Simpsons, and you hate book banning, that skit’s for you.

Okay, let’s check out some of the movies that were featured at the Chicago screening! The 90-Second Newbery house team, The Leland Street Players, are back with their adaptation of Gary Paulsen’s 1988 Honor Book Hatchet! That book is about Brian, the only survivor of a plane crash after the pilot has a heart attack. Brian must survive in the wilderness alone with only the hatchet that his mother gave him.

This movie is different: instead of a hatchet, all the kid has to survive is “Hat Chet”—that is, a dude named “Chet” who is proud of his weird hat:

Great performances by Lucy, Ingrid, Ezra, Zella, Rosie, Lucy D., and Ella! And stick around to the end for the official “Hat Chet” theme song, composed and played by Ezra, and sung by Zella. You can read the complete review on the 90-Second Newbery website here.

Here’s another version of Hatchet by Audrey, Elise, Tula, Cheryl, Nova W., and Nova C. from Chicago. This one is done in the style of a commercial that is advertising all the great features of “Paulsen’s Hatchet”:

Hilarious! I loved this “commercial”—and its surprise epilogue. Funny, smart, and very well made! Read our complete review on the 90-Second Newbery website.

Lily Manning is on a hot streak with her third stop-motion movie for the 90-Second Newbery! This one tops even her two previous stop-motion triumphs (My Father’s Dragon and Along Came A Dog). This one is based on Maia Wojciechowska’s 1965 Newbery Medal Winner Shadow of a Bull:

What fluid, gorgeous stop-motion animation! The bullfighting was especially fun to watch. And stick around for the funny post-credits sequence! Here’s our complete review on the 90-Second Newbery website.

The arts educational orgnization Play In A Book has done some great 90-Second Newberys in the past, like this instant classic adaptation of Crown: An Ode To The Fresh Cut made with the South Shore Fine Arts Academy. They teamed up South Shore again for this adaptation of Kelly Barnhill’s 2017 Medal Winner The Girl Who Drank The Moon, done in the style of a movie trailer—with the audience commenting on it and criticizing it. It’s meta!

This movie got huge laughs and big applause at the screening, and it’s easy to see why! Complete review on the 90-Second Newbery website here.

Play In A Book also worked with Armstrong Elementary in Chicago to make this video of Arnold Lobel’s 1973 Honor Book Frog and Toad Together. This movie’s twist: in every story, Frog and Toad jump from one multiverse to another, and each of those multiverses function according to the rules of a different movie genre! It’s like Everything Everywhere All At Once, Newbery-style:

A noir, a musical, a sitcom, a sword-and-sorcery epic, and more—all mixed and accelerated into an inventive movie with great performances! Here’s our complete review on the 90-Second Newbery website.

The next movie we featured on Saturday was by Chicago’s own Laurel, Frances, and Thuan. True aficionados remember their classic adaptation of Joseph Krumgold’s 1960 Medal Winner Onion John which stars an actual onion, or how they added a shark attack to the end of Matt de la Pena’s 2016 Medal Winner Last Stop on Market Street. This time they adapted Will James’s 1927 Medal Winner Smoky the Cowhorse:

Ingenious, resourceful, and funny! I love how that horse can shoot baskets and handle a gun . . . and I loved the twist ending! Read the judges’ complete review here.

The 7th Grade Drama Club at East Lake Academy in Lake Forest, Illinois entered the 90-Second Newbery the first time this year with this super-fast and goofily entertaining version of Esther Forbes’ 1944 Newbery Medal Winner Johnny Tremain:

Entertaining all the way through, in large part because of a tight script and the engaged and committed performances! The audience at the screening really went for this movie too. You can read the complete review here.

The next movie is based on a recent nonfiction book about the rescue of the Thai boys’ soccer team from a flooded cave in 2018. It’s Christina Soontornvat’s 2021 Newbery Honor Book All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team, adapted by Mac and Archer of Elk Grove Village, Illinois:

Those are some tough-looking Navy SEALs, the animations within the dark cave were cleverly done, and I loved the silly raspberries at the end! Full review on the 90-Second Newbery website here.

We received two movies from Wiesbrook Elementary in Wheaton, Illinois. The first one was another unique take on Frog and Toad Together—it’s by Cameron, Nate, Seamus, and Logan (edited by Colette), and it’s the first time I’ve ever gotten a 90-Second Newbery of Frog and Toad Together that stars actual toads (played by their pets Button and Pebble):

This was another one that really got the crowd going! I really liked the originality of this one. Complete review on the 90-Second Newbery website here.

But that’s not the only movie we received from Wiesbrook Elementary! The other one is based on Avi’s 1992 Honor Book Nothing But The Truth: A Documentary Novel, and it’s by Julia, Shyan, Hailey, Sammy, Lincoln, Emma, Collette, Isha, Ellie, and Caroline:

Bonkers, super-accelerated, and actually pretty accurate! The original book is a fictional documentary about a school where a boy is suspended for persistently humming the U.S. National Anthem, irritating his teacher. The girl who played the exasperated teacher turned in a particularly amusing performance, and I liked the comedically blase kid who just wants to go back to their phone. Read the judges’ full review here.

We also received eight movies from Elgin Academy in Elgin, Illinois! They were all great, but we couldn’t feature them all, or else the show would be way too long. (You can see all of Elgin Academy’s movies here.)

However, we were able to feature two movies from Elgin Academy! The first was another version of Hatchet, this time by Abubakr, Ash, and Landen:

Simple but effective illustrations, and good voiceover work and sound effects! Read the judges’ complete remarks here.

The other featured movie from Elgin Academy was Vicky, Ava, and David’s adaptation of Scott O’Dell’s 1961 Medal Winner Island of the Blue Dolphins:

It was a fun and original idea to retell the story in the style of a reality show, helped along by snarky onscreen words and emoji. Sassy and sarcastic, I liked it! Read the judges’ complete remarks here.

Last but absolutely not least, we also received some movies from Lincoln Hall Middle School! I’m always happy to see movies from them, they submit every year. Again, we couldn’t feature every single one, but you can see all Lincoln Hall Middle School’s movies here.

Here are two of the movies from Elgin that we did feature! The first is Leila and Simra’s adaptation of Cece Bell’s 2015 Honor Book El Deafo:

A cute and quick sprint through the story using mostly stock photos, artfully deployed emojis, and dialogue balloons. And the occasional appearance of the “Hello Neighbor” creepy mustache man was an unexpected meme delight. Complete judges’ remarks here.

The other movie from Lincoln Hall Middle School we featured was Peter Thomson’s adaptation of Ellen Raskin’s 1979 Medal Winner The Westing Game:

An arty, impressionistic zigzag through the story! It’s impossible to sum up this complicated book’s plot in 90 seconds, so this concentrates on a few truly big scenes. The commitment and enthusiasm with which the cast throws themselves into the roles is so much fun to watch! Read the judges’ complete remarks here.

And that’s it for the 2023 Chicago 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! Thanks again to the Alexa, Robin, Michael, and Leland at the Harold Washington Library, Stephanie at City Lit for bookselling after the event, my co-host Keir Graff . . . and most of all, the young filmmakers and the teachers, librarians, and families who helped them. Remember, it’s never to early to start making your movies for next year’s screening. They’re due January 2024, but you can turn them in anytime. See you next year!

The 90-Second Newbery relies on private donations and grants to keep going. It’s only through your generosity that we can continue bringing public screenings and book-to-movie workshops to libraries and schools nationwide. You can make your (tax-deductible!) donation here. Donations are handled through our fiscal sponsor Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization.

At last, we’re back to live screenings! On February 18, 2023, we kicked off the TWELFTH season of the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival at the Treehouse Museum in Ogden, Utah. (Check out our complete schedule here, with additional live screenings in Chicago, Boston, Brooklyn, Trenton, and San Antonio.) Thanks to Lynne Goodwin, Rob Goodwin, Wes Whitby, and the rest of the folks at the Treehouse who made this show run so smoothly.

And check out the opening skit above, in which co-host Keir Graff (author of The Tiny Mansion and more) and I consider all the Newbery-winning books that have been banned recently, which erupts into a “Marge vs. the Monorail” Simpsons-style song-and-dance number. (There’s always a song-and-dance number at the start of these shows. Sorry.)

We showed a mix of movies from Utah and across the country. Some of those movies from Utah were made right at the Treehouse, at a workshop I taught back in July. For instance, here’s an adaptation of “The Garden,” a short story from Arnold Lobel’s 1973 Honor Book Frog and Toad Together, by Parker, Beatrice, Crew, Max, and James:

In the original story, Toad plants some seeds and is very impatient waiting for them to grow. It’s a gentle story about learning how to wait for good things. But this group decided what the story really needed was three ruthless assassins who are out to destroy Frog and Toad! Check out my complete review here.

The next Ogden-made movie is by Georgia and James, an adaptation of E.B. White’s 1953 Honor Book Charlotte’s Web. Ingeniously, they retell the story in the style of Suzanne Collins’ book and movie The Hunger Games:

Ingenious and funny! Here’s our complete review on the 90-Second Newbery website.

The next Treehouse-made is by Wren, Lyla, Evie, Faith, and Parker, and it retells Kate DiCamillo’s 2014 Newbery Medal Winner Flora and Ulysses in the style of an action-packed movie trailer:

Outstanding performances, snappy camera work, and ace editing really made this movie come together! Complete review at the 90-Second Newbery website.

But that’s not all! On their own, Ben and Theo of Holladay, Utah made this goofily amusing adaptation of Arthur Bowie Chrisman’s 1926 Newbery Medal Winner Shen of the Sea:

Shen of the Sea is a long book of sixteen stories. Instead of trying to cram all of them into a short movie, this movie focuses on just one vignette, “That Lazy Ah Fun.” In the original story, the servant Ah Fun is ordered by Dr. Chu Ping to make a fire. Instead of using proper kindling and firewood, Ah Fun thoughtlessly throws into the fire the doctor’s medical books, cane, and various medicines . . . and the unexpected combination of ingredients leads to an explosion and the invention of gunpowder! Here, Dr. Chu Ping is hilariously reimagined as a weird dirtbag weirdo, complete with sunglasses and mullet-y hair. Entertaining and bizarre! Complete review here.

Thanks again to the staff at the Treehouse, my co-host Keir Graff, and Utah Humanities for making this show possible . . . and most of all, the young filmmakers! Remember, it’s never to early to start making your movies for next year’s screening. They’re due January 2024, but you can turn them in anytime. See you at the Treehouse next year!

(Want to bring the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival to your town? Drop me a line at james@90secondnewbery.com.)

The 90-Second Newbery relies on private donations and grants to keep going. It’s only through your generosity that we can continue bringing public screenings and book-to-movie workshops to libraries and schools nationwide. You can make your (tax-deductible!) donation here. Donations are handled through our fiscal sponsor Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization.