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This past Saturday, April 5, we screened the 14th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival in Rochester, New York! It was co-hosted by me and legendary kids’ author Bruce Coville, and we filled up the Dryden Theater at the George Eastman Museum with an enthusiastic audience of about 260 people. Here’s our opening skit, in which Bruce and I sing our own 90-Second Newbery Newbery-damaged version “The Phantom of the Opera.” And then I run out into the audience and harass some families. Fun! I always love getting on stage with Bruce!

Thanks to our sponsors, The Friends and Foundation of the Rochester Public Library, Genesee Valley BOCES, the Rochester Institute of Technology, the Irondequoit Public Library, Cheshire Audio Visual, and Animatus Studio! Thanks also to Eliza Kozlowski and Suzanne Kolodziej at the George Eastman Museum for letting us use the beautiful Dryden Theater and to Nicole Diroff and Winna Carrasco for handling projection. And special thanks to Carol White Llewellyn at CommuniVision Studio for her work promoting 90-Second Newbery, and to Deb Ross for bringing the film festival to Rochester in the first place, and to our media sponsor KidsOutAndAbout.com!

Here are all the young filmmakers onstage at the end of the show:

One of those young filmmakers was Eian-Gabriel Sinclair. I first received a 90-Second Newbery from Eian-Gabriel in 2016. Year after year since, he has consistently been making stop-motion movies for the 90-Second Newbery, with greater and greater skill and sophistication. When he was 14 he applied to the Rochester Institute of Technology, and I wrote him a letter of recommendation. Now he’s 18 years old, and has graduated from RIT summa cum laude! What an amazing achievement! Here I am with Eian-Gabriel and his family:

Let’s check out Eian-Gabriel’s movie for this year: an adaptation of Russell Freedman’s 1988 Newbery Medal Winner Lincoln: A Photobiography, but with a twist. It ably makes the case that Rochester’s own Frederick Douglass deserves his own place next to Lincoln on Mount Rushmore! And it’s done entirely in elaborate Claymation. Check it out:

Astonishing, right? As the judges said in part on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “This one is possibly his best movie yet . . . I loved the painstaking, ingenious way that this movie makes the Presidents squabble and interact—Eian-Gabriel’s clay faces are better actors than some professionals I could name! (At times they remind me of Statler and Waldorf, the two old hecklers in the balcony on The Muppet Show.) Great voiceover performances really seal the deal.”

Last year Opal and her family did an impressive stop-motion version of The Girl Who Drank the Moon. This year Opal is back with Edna and friends to do a mixed live-action / stop-motion adaptation of Kate DiCamillo’s 2004 Newbery Medal Winner The Tale of Despereaux:

A triumph! As the judges said in part on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “This movie worked so well because its admirable attention to detail, like the fussy little furnished rooms where the mice had their meetings, and the occasional well-chosen soundtrack music, and the resourceful costumes and props such as crown, food, guitar, etc.. But the best thing about this movie were the bombastic and enthusiastic performances.”

The Penfield Public Library in Penfield, NY turned in this satisfyingly clever adaptation of E.L. Konigsburg’s 1968 Newbery Medal Winner From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, in which Claudia and Jamie run away not to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but rather to a “Villains School” run by the sinister “Headmistress Frankweiler”:

As the judges wrote in part on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “From the very beginning I knew this would be good, with a snappy title card and tense spy-movie music. The voiceover did an effective job of making everything clear—the important characters, their situation, and the twist—so that the movie can concentrate on the truly fun stuff, like watching Claudia and Jamie sneak around the Villains School and foil Headmistress Frankweiler’s dastardly plans . . . A wonderfully entertaining and impressive adaptation of the book!”

I received four adaptations of Katherine Paterson’s 1978 Medal Winner Bridge to Terabithia from Rochester this year. This first one is by Hayley, Everette, Eliana, Mason, Emma, Kayden, Braxton, Zoe, Sydney, and Elijah of Bernabi Elementary School in Spencerport:

As the judges wrote in part on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “Jesse and Leslie had a believable chemistry, and I appreciated watching Jesse’s arc from skeptic to believer in Terabithia . . . The script was tight and told the story elegantly . . . I especially liked the montage when Jesse and Leslie are fighting the Terabithian monsters while rock music plays—brilliant! This movie told the story straightforwardly, clearly, and entertainingly.”

Here’s another version of Bridge to Terabithia, but this one is by Coleman, Sean, Olivia, Jackson, and Harper of Taylor Elementary School in Spencerport:

As the judges wrote in part on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “A fun and original twist: instead of Jesse and Leslie going to an imaginary realm in the woods they call ‘Terabithia,’ they go to the moon! . . . I was amused by the inclusion of the 1980s song ‘Jesse’s Girl’ (I can’t believe it, but this is the first 90-Second Newbery I’ve received that uses that iconic and appropriate song!) . . . I loved the PSA-style ending (‘Just don’t forget your space helmet, kids!’) and I’m glad that Bess the cow got her cameo at the end (complete with an assertive MOO!).”

Here’s yet another movie based on Bridge to Terabithia, also from Taylor Elementary School, this time by Marco, Chad, Todd, Ethan, and Xander:

As the judges wrote in part on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “This one had a concept and a title so funny I can’t believe nobody’s thought of it before: The Witch Under the Bridge to Terror-Bithia! There was a clever use of green screen throughout, especially how it seemed like they were walking ‘across’ the bridge while in fact only walking up the stairs where the green screen was . . . Entertaining and satisfyingly weird!”

This final version of Bridge to Terabithia is also by Taylor Elementary School, and it’s by Zoey, Joey, Nessa, Hunter, and Eli:

As the judges wrote in part on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “Funny and inventive . . . Terabithia is in fact inhabited by malicious rock-throwing ninjas, and by building a ‘bridge to Terabithia,’ Jesse has given those ninjas the ability to take over the world, eventually causing the entire planet to explode! Insane and creative . . . The best parts by far were the ebullient and hilarious performances, which made this movie particularly fun to watch!”

Also from Taylor Elementary is this version of Katherine Applegate’s 2013 Newbery Medal Winner The One and Only Ivan, by Otto, Luka, Takoda, Paulina, Sean, Olivia, Amelia, and Kennedy:

As the judges wrote in part on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “This was an ingenious twist on the original story: instead of humans keeping animals in a shoddy zoo, this is about animal jailers keeping humans in an abusive prison! And in the most significant twist, instead of Ivan being a noble, big-hearted silverback gorilla who figures out how to free his friends, he’s a petty tyrant who relishes being the merciless warden of the prison! . . . The acting was often very good, in particular the way Julia breaks down crying, or Ivan’s cruel pronouncements (‘I don’t care! They’re prisoners and they deserve to be punished for it!’).”

Canal View Elementary made this version of Tae Keller’s 2021 Newbery Medal Winner When You Trap a Tiger:

As the judges wrote in part on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “I was on board right from the start when I realized the goofy twist—instead of catching a tiger, it’s catching a cow! . . . The acting and performances were outstanding: Lily’s querulous and jumpy nature, Sam’s dismissive, screen-ager vibe, the mother’s soft-spoken kindness, Ricky’s sweet enthusiasm, the tiger’s gruff mysteriousness, and of course Halmoni, with her fun wardrobe choices: old-lady glasses, cane, and loud flowery clothes . . . Great work!”

Canal View Elementary also made an adaptation of Erin Entrada Kelly’s 2018 Newbery Medal Winner Hello Universe:

As the judges wrote in part on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “Speedy, true to the book, and heartfelt! The acting in this movie was great, and everyone had a chance to shine: Virgil’s character growth from the meek pushover at the beginning to the resolute escapee, the convincingly sadistic bully Chet, Kai’s calm confidence, Valencia’s sympathetic nature, and more . . . I was impressed by the split-screen scene, in which Virgil and Valencia, filling out the same questionnaire in different rooms, trade lines in a way that artfully demonstrates the connection between the characters.”

Jalyssa, Allison, Lily, Ryan, and Addisyn of Munn Elementary School did this movie of Kevin Henkes’s 2014 Honor Book The Year of Billy Miller:

As the judges wrote in part on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “This realistic and authentic-feeling movie worked well because of the strength of the performances . . . Billy’s performance grounded the movie and made the emotions of this story really come alive, in particular during subtle moments like the way Billy’s face changes after he says ‘the glitter in the cave is supposed to be minerals’ to his teacher . . . Fun to watch, hewed pretty close to the book, and had admirably restrained and realistic acting!”

And finally, here’s Jerry Spinelli’s 1991 Newbery Medal Winner Maniac Magee by Jack, Samson, and Blake of Honeoye Falls-Lima School:

As the judges wrote in part on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “This fast, earnest retelling of the story did a solid job of zipping through the book’s basic plot points through a combination of live action and onscreen text . . . A nimble, entertaining movie!”

And that was the Rochester 2025 90-Second Newbery! If you’re looking for the other movies we featured that day, here they are:

• Millions of Cats in the style of Jaws by the Leland Street Players
• Holes at an all-girls finishing school by the Treehouse Museum
• 26 Fairmount Avenue as a musical by Grant Center for Expressive Arts
• Doctor Desoto with a vampire by Grant Center for Expressive Arts
• Charlotte’s Web with a vengeful Charlotte by North Bergen S.T.E.A.M. Academy
• The Old Tobacco Shop with puppets and stop-motion by Portland Community Media

Thanks to all to the young filmmakers who created the movies, and the teachers, librarians, and families who helped them . . . and thanks to everyone in the great crowd who came out for the show! Here’s to next year. Remember, you can get started on your movies right now, and turn them in anytime. Deadline is January 2026!

Oh and one last thing: the 90-Second Newbery relies entirely on private donations and grants to keep going. It’s only through your generosity that we can continue bringing our free 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.

It’s a prank Chicagoans pull on out-of-towners. They’ll take you to an old-school dive and order something called “Malört,” boasting “You can only get this in Chicago.” The stone-faced bartender pours you a yellow-green shot. Your friend watches you expectantly. You raise the glass and taste—

“Pepper, then basement,” some report. “A baby aspirin wrapped in grapefruit, bound with rubber bands and soaked in cheap gin,” say others. Or even the flavor of “tonight’s the night you fight your dad.” Its terrible taste is kind of the point. Comedian John Hodgman would pass around a bottle of Malört at his live shows, inviting/daring audience members to take a swig (I was at one of those shows!). Malört suits Chicago’s reputation for cussedness—a perverse badge of civic pride.

Why do I bring this up? Well, I occasionally review books for the Wall Street Journal, and they assigned me to write a review of journalist Josh Noel’s history Malört: The Redemption of a Revered and Reviled Spirit. I really enjoyed it, concluding that “this quirky, enlightening, unexpectedly poignant book isn’t only for aficionados of the offbeat Chicago liquor, but fans of stubborn underdogs everywhere.” You can read the complete review here.

(By the way, I drank some Malört again when I was writing that review, and it’s not as godawful as it used to be. Had I grown hardier with age? No, Malört is just made by a different distiller nowadays, and apparently they’ve tweaked it so that it’s more tolerable. Too bad, in a way.)

In other news, last weekend I spoke on a bunch of panels about Bride of the Tornado and my other books at Indiana Comic Con in Indianapolis. I figured it was time for me to haul my old tornado costume out of the basement! Here I am with Elphaba from Wicked, which seemed appropriate:

I was on a bunch of fun panels, including a fun raucous debate-style smackdown thing called “Battle Of The Tropes.” It’s the brainchild of Literary Hypewoman, aka Stephanie Carr. She moderated the debate; Alana Kay and I were on one team, and Lexi Ryan and Jade Young were on the other team. It was a hoot!

I actually met Literary Hypewoman at the Chicago Entertainment and Comics Expo (C2E2) last year, and she and I did an interview. I had forgotten to post about it! Stephanie writes, “This might be the weirdest interview I’ve ever done, but considering the author wrote the weirdest book I’ve read, it fits.” You be the judge!

I had been invited to do a presentation about David Lynch at the Indianapolis Comic Con, too, but when I arrived in the room, there was no screen! This was too bad, because naturally my presentation involved a lot of clips from his movies and of course Twin Peaks. There were only about fifteen people in the room anyway, so it wasn’t such a big deal, and anyway there’s lots of other things to do at a Comic Con. If you’re curious, I wrote up some of my thoughts of David Lynch here.

I’ve arranged my schedule this year so that I get to take a little bit of a breather from the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival screenings, but I’m looking forward to the next one in Rochester on April 5. See you there!

On Sunday—my birthday, as it happens!—we had the Chicago screening of the 14th annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. My co-host was my usual partner-in-crime Keir Graff, author of The Tiny Mansion and many other great books for kids and adults. Check out the opening song above, with our own debased version of “The Phantom of the Opera,” in which Keir and I leap off the stage and harass the audience!

We did the screening at the Harold Washington Public Library Center, and we had a great crowd—about 180 in all! We called all the filmmakers onstage after the show for a picture. What a talented group!

So let’s look at the movies! The first movie is based on Wanda Gag’s 1929 Newbery Honor Book Millions of Cats, a picture book about an old man and an old woman who want a cat. The old man travels all over the countryside to find a cat, and comes back home with “millions on billions of trillions of cats.” The old couple can’t keep all of the cats, so the cats have a competition to see who is the prettiest, which turns into a giant fight, and they all devour each other until only one cat is left!

The Leland Street Players of Chicago tell the story in the style of the movie Jaws—specifically, as a shot-by-shot remake of the scene in which all the crew members are having a good time comparing their scars and tattoos, which leads to the crusty sea captain Quint’s legendary speech about the shark attack after the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis. Come for the dead-on Robert Shaw impression, stay for the crazy cat attack at the end:

Okay, full disclosure, that’s my daughter Lucy as Quint, and her friends Ella and Lucy D. as Brody and Hooper, respectively, with Joy and my other daughter Ingrid as the marauding cats. C’mon, you’ve got to let me make my own 90-Second Newbery movies while my kids are still kids! Splendid performances from everyone.

Ms. Stenger’s 3rd Grade Class from Washington Irving Elementary School in Oak Park, working with Joseph Lewis (aka “Captain Famous”), submitted this splendid adaptation of Kate DiCamillo’s 2004 Medal Winner The Tale of Despereaux:

As the judges said in part on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “I loved all the kid-drawn background illustrations that set the scenes so well: at the castle, in the dungeons, in the kitchen, and more . . . I liked how there were three Princesses Pea, which not only gave more actors a chance to shine, but also made her character more interesting to watch . . . all of the performances were strong and charismatic and full of life, from Despereaux starting meek and developing into a heroic character, to Roscuro’s finger-twiddling malevolence, to Miggery Sow’s goofy energy, to all the other rodents and royalty.”

Play In A Book worked with the The 5th, 6th, and 7th grade students from the South Shore Fine Arts Academy in this electrifying adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s 2009 Medal Winner The Graveyard Book, featuring a fantastic choreographed dance number:

As the judges said in part on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “This impressive movie really nailed the mood of the book, with a combination of spooky costumes and makeup, occasional creepy computer graphics, and scary music—from the ominous background music to the amazing choreographed dance scene of ‘Thriller,’ complete with amazing flips and cartwheels by the young dancers! . . . A stone-cold classic, well done!”

Play In A Book also worked with the fifth graders of Harold Washington Elementary to make their own adaptation of Tale of Despereaux—done in the style of YouTube!

As the judges said in part on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “Engaging, charismatic performances! . . . The various types of YouTube shows worked well to tell the story: for instance, in ‘Top Chef’ style when Roscuro the rat falls in the soup (with the king deadpanning in a YouTube-influencer way ‘Hello subscribers, as you know the queen is dead’), a ‘Get Ready With Me’ makeup video with Princess Pea, Furlough as a Tiktok gamer streamer, and a fight commentary show when Despereaux combats the cat . . . But the best thing about this movie was the acting: Despereaux’s earnest chivalry, Furlough’s amusing swagger, Princess Pea’s and Miggory Sow’s totally committed and charismatic performances, and more.”

90-Second Newbery veterans Laurel, Frances, and Thuan are back again with this glorious adaptation of Maia Wojciechowska 1964 Medal Winner Shadow of a Bull:

As the judges said in part on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “Brilliant! . . . I really enjoyed the comically over-the-top acting, such as Manolo’s reaction when his father dies. The running joke about there being two ‘Juans’ was snarky fun, as well as when Manolo’s wig comes off in his enthusiastic speech about wanting to be a doctor . . . The highlights were the ludicrous bullfighting scenes, especially since the ‘bull’ was just a red stuffed pig hilariously much smaller than any of the actors, so it is casually tossed around, punched, kicked, stomped on, and flung across the room!”

The next movie is an adaptation of Kate DiCamillo’s 2001 Honor Book Because of Winn-Dixie, but this one is done as a musical, using the songs from Wicked! It’s by Joy, Lola, Zola, Maliya, Livy, and Jimmy Moon (the dog), and it’s a doozy:

As the judges wrote in part on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “There was fantastic singing and acting throughout this movie, and a star turn by ‘Jimmy Moon’ as the dog! The lyrics to the various songs were cleverly rewritten to match the plot of the book, and there was even fun dance choreography during the party scene.”

Mack and Archie of Elk Grove are back again with another movie, this time of Marguerite Henry’s 1949 Medal Winner King of the Wind:

As the judges wrote in part on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “The performances were full of energy and charisma, with fun broad acting, like when Agba cries after the French king says ‘pee-yew!’ and sends him away, or the way the ‘King of England’ struts around after putting the medal on Sham (with some amusing difficulty, I might add) . . . This movie was made with so much elaborate artistry, clever camera trickery, and charismatic performances—fantastic work!”

The Science and Arts Academy in Des Plaines had four movies featured at the screening. This first one, by Stella and Aliya, is another adaptation of Kate DiCamillo’s Because of Winn-Dixie:

As the judges wrote in part on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “It was the sincere performances of Opal and her various friends that made this movie so entertaining. I was also impressed by the adroit cinematography and editing, which framed the shots well and kept the story moving at an efficient clip . . . Heartfelt, skillfully made, and entertaining.”

Also from the Science and Arts Academy, Ellie, Clara, Grace, Greta, Naomi, Priyanka, Sophie and friends did this impressive version of The Tale of Despereaux:

As the judges wrote in part on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “What a stylish, rapid, and well-made movie this is! . . . All the performances were engaging and charismatic, from Despereaux’s open-hearted chivalry to Roscuro’s satisfyingly evil leer. I also loved how you really went for it with the tail-getting-cut-off scene, with the cook holding up the severed tail in victory! . . . This movie told the story efficiently and accurately, with entertaining performances and lots of ingenious filmmaking, set design, and costumes!”

Here’s another one from the Science and Art Academy: the “Cookies” story from Arnold Lobel’s 1973 Honor Book Frog and Toad Together, by Nate and Roarke!

As the judges wrote in part on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “I loved the sincere and heartfelt performances by Frog and Toad. The cinematography was inventive and thoughtful, especially the overhead shots when they’re dumping cookies into the box, or getting the box open again . . . Gently humorous and ingeniously made!”

Finally from the Science and Art Academy, Anna, Charlotte, Erin, and Kennedy made this movie of Zilpha Keatley Snyder’s 1968 Honor Book The Egypt Game:

As the judges wrote in part on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “Effective use of posed Playmobil figures, Lego sets, and occasional hand-drawn elements to tell the story! . . . The script zipped through the main plot points quickly and satisfyingly, and the voiceover performances brought a lot of life to the characters (favorite line: ‘You’re not my babysitter! You’re a visitor!’).”

For the past few years, Lily Manning has made amazing stop-motion movies for the 90-Second Newbery movies. This year, she got her family together for a live-action movie adapting Isaac Bashevis Singer’s 1968 Honor Book The Fearsome Inn:

As the judges wrote in part on the 90-Second Newbery website (full review here), “All of the performances were committed, engaging, and quite funny! The script was tight and told the story in such a way that the audience could understand what was going on even if they hadn’t read the original book, a feat which can be tough to pull off . . . I loved the resourceful green-screen explosion for when the demonic innkeepers vanish, too! This movie was funny, entertaining, and well-made throughout … another Manning triumph!”

We also had some great movies from Lincoln Hall Middle School, but unfortunately none of the filmmakers were able to make it to the screening. However, I highly recommend Sia, Yianni, Eleni, and Hylan’s adaptation of Lois Lowry’s 1994 Medal Winner The Giver, as well as Aaron and Miles’ adaptation of Jason Reynolds’ 2018 Honor Book Long Way Down and Aamir, Noah, and Charles’ adaptation of Kwame Alexander’s 2015 Medal Winner The Crossover. Lots of talent at Lincoln Hall Middle School!

Thanks so much to everyone who came out to the screening on Sunday. Thanks particularly to Keir Graff for being a great co-host, Alexa Hamilton and everyone at the Chicago Public Library for their support and letting us use the beautiful Cindy Pritzker Auditorium, Leland and Dan for their pro work in the tech booth, and of course all to the young filmmakers who created the movies, and the teachers, librarians, and families who helped them! Here’s to next year!

Oh and one last thing: the 90-Second Newbery relies entirely on private donations and grants to keep going. It’s only through your generosity that we can continue bringing our free 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.