UPDATE! The School Library Journal just ran a smashing article about the 90-Second Newbery. Read it here!

Thanks all the folks who packed the house last week for the culminating screening of the 2014 90-Second Newbery Film Festival at the New York Public Library! Hundreds showed up at the NYPL’s fancypants Bartos Forum, including many of the young filmmakers—not only locals but also from as far away as Rochester, NY and Wayne, PA!

Thanks to the New York Public Library, the Awesome Foundation NYC for funding, NYPL’s Gretchen Kolderup for setting it all up, Rashida Washington for filming it, and last but not least my co-host Libba Bray, who was everything I could wish for in a co-host, a real pro and a hilarious improviser.

Here’s our show intro, in which Libba and I banter about John Newbery, followed by a song-and-dance about the man himself:

(The song is a takeoff of South Park’s “What Would Brian Boitano Do?” with lyrics rewritten by me and Keir Graff, co-host for the 90-Second Newbery Chicago screening.)

We also had some of the filmmakers even come up onstage for short interviews, which was a lot of fun. Here’s the montage we played at the end of the show, showing highlights from all the movies we screened:

Afterwards, conversation, champagne and complicated cocktails at the Peacock with Libba, my wife Heather, and New York friends old and new. What a way to close out this year’s 90-Second Newbery season! Thanks, everyone!

The deadline for the FOURTH 90-Second Newbery Film Festival is December 20, 2014. Never too early to get cracking on it! Complete rules and details here. NOW FLY, MY BEAUTIFUL PRETTIES! MAKE ME MOVIES!

Chicago, San Francisco, Oakland, Portland, Tacoma . . . and now at last we come to the final screening, in New York City, of the third annual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival! It will be this Saturday, March 22 at the New York Public Library, 3-5 pm (details). I’m co-hosting it with the stupendous author Libba Bray! It’s sold out, but there are always no-shows, so even if you don’t have a ticket . . . you might want to take your chances and come on down anyway?

The screenings change from city to city, as I try to emphasize local entries. Let’s check out some entries I’ve received from the New York area.

That first movie above? Louis Sachar’s 1999 Medal winner Holes . . . but reimagined as a zombie apocalypse by the Write Stuff Writing Class of Metuchen, New Jersey! From the opening titles I knew this would be a goodie. It was a clever idea to replace the poisonous lizards of Holes with zombies. Sam’s repeated “I can fix that” followed by “I can’t fix that” was funny. And I love how passionately Kissin’ Kate yelled “goddang it, Timmy, ya brat!” The “Thriller” reference at the end was just icing on the cake. Thanks, Write Stuff!

Next up, Crunchable Sheep of Spencerport, NY is back with their adaptation of Arthur Bowie Chrisman’s 1926 Medal winner Shen of the Sea:

I really appreciate that they made a movie of an older, more obscure Newbery winner this year. I liked the touches of Chinese, and chuckled at the “Bye, Daddy!” “Yeah, just go” and the way she says “We are at war” and the four generals sagely nod. A fleetfooted adaptation! Good job!

Next, Patricia Reilly Giff’s 1998 Honor Book Lily’s Crossing as adapted by Nina and Celia of Hastings-on-Hudson, New York:

Nina and Celia wrote and sang the song in the opening and closing credits! The script really efficiently sums up the story, and the shots are clearly well-planned. Albert’s accent is hilarious (“Rrrrruth got the measles!”) and I love the occasional asides to the camera from Lily. It’s a challenge to convincingly simulate water but they make it believable with the sound effects and the resourcefully-deployed sheet. And I laughed when Albert falls off the boat/sled . . .

Next, also from Hastings-on-Hudson, but this time by Luisa, Kate, and Ella, we have Kate DiCamillo’s 2001 Honor Book Because of Winn-Dixie:

Energetic and delightfully bonkers! I enjoyed the Southern accents and admired the brave choice to do the whole thing in one shot, without moving the camera, in the bedroom, with just three people playing all the parts.

And finally, speaking of Newbery winners about animals, here’s another adaptation of E.B. White’s 1953 Honor Book Charlotte’s Web, this time from Tredyffrin Public Library in Wayne, PA:

Great puppets and masks, a tight script, and I liked the creative camera work! Thanks, Tredyffrin Public Library!

Looking forward to seeing the filmmakers, and everyone else, this Saturday at the library! (And it’s never too early to get working on your 90-Second Newbery for next year’s FOURTH 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. The deadline is December 20, 2014!)

Busy here lately! The (sold-out!) New York 90-Second Newbery Film Festival screening is just around the corner, and right now I’m appearing at the Warrensburg Children’s Literature Festival. All told, it’ll be about ten days away from my daughters Lucy and Ingrid, who are about to turn 5 and 3, respectively! I just realized I don’t put enough of them up on the blog. Maybe I’ll rectify that after the New York screening. Heather will be joining me in New York, and it’ll be a nice mini-vacation for us.

In the meantime, March 9 was my birthday! I’m 41 now. Heather and I celebrated by taking Lucy and Ingrid to see Frozen, but the girls both freaked out when the snow monster appeared. We had to leave. So here’s how my birthday ended: at 1 a.m., watching a torrented Frozen because I really needed to see how it ended. Clearly 41 years old is not quite as spectacular as 25 (all-night party in Tokyo!), or 30 (Heather and I took a 3-week trip to Costa Rica!), or even 35 (a surprise roast by all my friends!) . . . yes, 41 is a bit calmer.

Here’s a cool thing about this year’s birthday, though: these Order of Odd-Fish fan art birthday cards! The first, above, is by Jacob von Borg, who has previously shared his great Odd-Fish fan art (here and here) and is also one of the masterminds behind the two marvelous 90-Second Newbery movies I’ve received (Frog and Toad Together and The Old Tobacco Shop).

Anyway, check out Jacob’s birthday card for me above, with its mishmash, mogrelized All-Devouring Mother. That design was exactly the vibe I was going for when I wrote it. Pretty terrifying, actually, the more I look at it! I can’t wait to see what Jacob and his family and Portland Community Media has planned for next year’s 90-Second Newbery, too. I got a chance to hang out with Jacob (all-too-briefly) after the Portland screening, and a nicer person you’d never find. Thanks, Jacob!

Speaking of nice folks, Emily Bricker linked me to this wonderful Odd-Fish-style birthday card:

I love that Ken Kiang has a candy corn, of course . . . and that naturally Korsakov is the most enthusiastic eater! Fantastic work as always, Emily. One of these days I hope to meet you in Toronto!

Speaking of Odd-Fish fan art, a few months ago a certain 14-year-old Isabelle from a Chicago suburb sent this gorgeous Oona Looch:

I love how Isabelle nailed all the details: not only Oona’s bald head with the mysterious scars, but the sly way she’s looking off to the side, with a roguish smirk. Pure Looch! I love it. Isabelle came to know of Odd-Fish from when I spoke with Lemony Snicket in Chicago back in November. She picked up my book along with his and I’m glad she did! I wasn’t there to sign it (I was speaking onstage at the time), but Isabelle says that Snicket signed it in my stead, “flippantly” as she reports.

Remember Jacob, whose All-Devouring Mother kicked off this post? His sister Hanna also does some Odd-Fish art, and it’s also great, so let’s wind up the post with her takes on Jo and Fiona:

Top-notch work, Hanna! It was great saying hi to you in Portland too.

Thanks, everyone, for your Order of Odd-Fish art! Next stop, New York City . . .