Did you enjoy the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival? Do you want us to keep doing it? Then please help us out with a tax-deductible donation. Our fiscal sponsor is Fractured Atlas, a nonprofit arts service organization.

On Sunday, we brought the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival back home to Chicago at the Harold Washington Library Center! With my co-host and friend, author Keir Graff, we showed the best kid-made movies based on Newbery-winning books, with an emphasis on local Chicago-area entries.

Here Keir and I do our opening song, this time to the tune of “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast:

After the show we had all the young filmmakers come onstage to take a big group picture. So many!

Let’s check out the locally-made movies that we featured! The 90-Second Newbery house team, the Leland Street Players, adapted Robert C. O’Brien’s 1972 Newbery Medal winner Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH in the musical style of the opening credits of the 2016 movie La La Land:

As the judges said (full review here), “Fantastic vocal performances from our lead performers Joy as Mrs. Frisby and Ella as Nicodemus, with an enthusiastic and talented supporting cast . . . I love the gleeful energy in every frame of this movie, and the absolute commitment of everyone in the cast.”

Not to be outdone, South Shore Fine Arts Elementary and Play in a Book also made a movie of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH! This version skips all the stuff about Mrs. Frisby and focuses on the rats. In the book, the rats debate whether they should stay in their hiding-place under the rosebush on the farm, living off the stolen electricity and food of the humans, or take the risk of striking out on their own to build their own independent existence at Thorn Valley. This one is told in the style of a documentary in which the rats speak for themselves about their ambitions and worries about the plan, and culminates in a vote about whether they should stay or leave!

As the judges said (full review here), “The costumes, green screen, and sometimes hand-made sets worked well to put us in the story. I loved all the performances, which were by turns humorous, touching, heartfelt, and realistic . . . Original, creative, and well made!”

The next movie is based on Florence and Richard Atwater’s 1939 Honor Book Mr. Popper’s Penguins. In this updated version, Mr. Popper is a terminally online consumer of social media who is obsessed with the TikToks of Admiral Drake. And instead of taking the penguins’ show on the road, Mr. Popper makes the penguins go viral on TikTok! This one is by the kids of Chicago’s Budlong Woods Library, with special guests Ella and Joy singing.

As the judges said (full review here), “Fantastic acting in this one, especially the unhinged and enthusiastic Mr. Popper, his exasperated wife, and his two worried sons (and a magisterial Admiral Drake and pushy police officer!). Amazing and fun dancing from all of the penguins in their penguin costumes, and Ella and Joy nailed it with their singing. Fantastic work from all the actors and performers!”

The next movie is based on Matt de la Pena’s 2016 Newbery Medal winner Last Stop on Market Street, a picture book about a little boy C.J. and his Nana who are taking a bus ride through San Francisco. C.J. is curious about all the people on the bus: the friendly bus driver, the guitar player, and more. They eventually get off the bus to help out at a soup kitchen. It’s a sweet and simple story . . . but this version is a bit different. In it, C.J. is a scaredy-cat who is terrified of everyone on the bus, and freaks out at his own paranoid imaginings.

This movie is by Ms. Stenger’s 2nd grade class at Washington Irving Elementary School in Oak Park!

As the judges said (full review here), “The nervous, wild-eyed, hilarious performance of an anxious CJ really made this work, and I loved Nana’s deadpan, eye-rolling dismissiveness too. And of course the energetic performances of all the kids playing the killer bunnies, vampire bus driver, and scary passengers were exceedingly funny—like the gentle guitarist who starts playing aggressive heavy metal, or the big googly-eyed passengers!”

The next movie is based on The Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicholas Day, and it’s by the kids of the Children’s School in Oak Park. There’s just one problem: this book didn’t win a Newbery! But it’s so good, I don’t care. (But don’t do it again.) The book and movie all about the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre and how the event transformed the painting into a global icon.

As the judges said (full review here), “The performances for all the characters were so expressive, charismatic, and energetic. The actors really committed to the roles, sometimes even with French accents, and that made it fun to watch . . . The cinematography framed each shot well and the editing kept everything brisk and lively.”

Quintin, Summer, Frances, Jerah, and Isobel did this cute, nifty adaptation of the “Cookies” vignette from Arnold Lobel’s 1973 Honor Book Frog and Toad Together:

As the judges said (full review here), “It was super creative to have Frog and Toad portrayed by upside-down mouths with googly eyes on the chins . . . the “yummy-yummy-yummy” music worked well to give the movie a bouncy energy energy . . . The acting was energetic and funny all the way through, truly selling the story with big emotions (“Noooooo!”). . . . A triumph, well done!”

Here’s another adaptation based on Frog and Toad Together, this time based on the “Dragons and Giants” vignette, by Roarke, Richard, and Vihaan of Science and Arts Academy in Des Plaines. In the original story, Frog and Toad take a walk in the woods to see if they’re brave. But when they come across a snake, falling rocks, and a hawk, they run home in terror while shouting “I am not afraid!”This next movie changes up the story so that the dangers Frog and Toad confront are taken from Minecraft.

As the judges said (full review here), “It was creative how it started with real actors portraying Frog and Toad in resourceful costumes, and then switched to paper puppets when it came time for them to ‘climb Minecraft mountain’ and face other dangers and challenges in the wild such as flying creatures, etc.! I appreciated the energetic and compelling performances, both live and in voiceover.”

There are two other movies we got from Science and Arts Academy. One is based on a picture book, William Steig’s 1983 Honor Winner Doctor DeSoto, about a mouse dentist and his wife who treat other animals. They just have one rule: They won’t treat dangerous predators. So when a fox shows up at their offices with a toothache, they have a difficult decision to make: risk their lives by treating the dangerous beast, or let the fox suffer? Dr. Desoto and his wife end up treating the fox, who does intend to eat them, but the mice outwit the fox in the end by temporarily gluing his teeth together. This movie is by Ellie, Roarke, and Lana:

As the judges said (full review here), “A trim, resourceful, and enjoyable retelling of the story! The performances were what made this movie shine: from the serious Dr. DeSoto to his capable wife to the wily fox (I particularly liked the way the fox looked back at the camera in a sly way before entering Dr. DeSoto’s office). The costumes were creative and effective, from the animal ears to Dr. DeSoto’s medical smock to the facial hair (a highlight was the villainous Van Dyke beard on the fox). Excellent cinematography and editing, and the background music was well-chosen and served the story well!”

The last movie we received from the Science and Arts Academy is based on Kate DiCamillo’s 2001 Newbery Honor Book Because of Winn-Dixie, and it’s by Naomi, Axton, Grace, Vihaan, Ellie, Lana, Roarke and Richard:

As the judges said (full review here), “Great acting, sharp cinematography, and a comprehensive script all come together to make a super entertaining movie! . . . All the performances were believable and charismatic—I really loved Gloria Dump’s old lady voice, the jittery librarian, the patient father, Otis’ skillful guitar playing, the way Opal held it all together, and everyone else too!”

We also got two fantastic movies from Nettelhorst Elementary. The first is based on Erin Entrada Kelly’s 2018 Newbery Medal Winner Hello, Universe, and it’s by Griffin, Rina, Alex, Nathan, Zenon, Colette, Chris, Srivi, Charlie, Ayala, and Emilia. They tell the story in the style of a western: Howdy, Universe!

As the judges said (full review here), “I loved the earnest, heartfelt performances from all the actors—especially Virgil, who bookended the movie with an introduction and a conclusion that gave us emotional insight into the character, and elevated every scene in between with his authenticity and humor. Everyone else froom Kaori to Gen to Valencia and Chet and the mother also turned in impressive, feisty, and energetic performances, and they were all well-served by sharp cinematography and ace editing that made this feel like a polished production.”

The next movie is based on Tae Keller’s 2021 Newbery Medal Winner When You Trap A Tiger, which brings Korean folklore to life as Lily, a young girl, goes on a quest to save her sick grandmother, or “Halmoni.” This movie has a twist—instead of telling the story from the point of view of Lily, it tells it from the point of view of her sister Sam, who doesn’t see the magical tiger Lily sees, and is baffled at her sister’s behavior. This one by Sloan, Lewis, Macari, Noga, Renee, Srisha, Aloise, Milo, and Tamar, also from Nettelhorst Elementary:

As the judges said (full review here), “From the very beginning I knew this would be good, with pro-level cinematography and editing. The performances were fantastic—I love how Sam would confess straight to the camera her various feelings and thoughts, and Lily played perfectly the mysterious person one would appear to someone like Sam who is ‘outside’ the primary story. The tiger’s costume was detailed and extravagant and fun to look at, and his performances was good too!”

Mack and Archer of Elk Grove Village have been making 90-Second Newbery movies for years now. I believe this is their sixth! It’s based on Chanel Miller’s 2025 Newbery Honor Book Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All. It’s about 10-year-old Magnolia Wu, whose parents run a laundromat in New York City. Magnolia has a collection of all the single socks that have been left behind, so she and her new friend Iris become “sock detectives” in which they go around town, trying to reunite the single socks with their mates:

As the judges said (full review here), “A delightfully charming adaptation! . . . I enjoyed the choices for the goofily patterned socks, and there were some great moments of comedy when Magnolia and Iris were trying to reunite the socks with their owners, especially when they try to give a C3P0 sock to Boba Fett, or when they try to give a sock to a dog! . . . Funny and well done, and anchored by energetic and compelling performances for Magnolia and Iris, as well as the various sock-owners.”

We also got a bunch of movies from Lincoln Hall Middle School in Lincolnwood, including Aubrey Hartman’s 2026 Newbery Honor Book The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest, adapted by Dalia, Eleni, and Kimset:

As the judges said (full review here), “This movie had superior cinematography throughout and creative editing choices . . . I thought it was particularly ingenious how you changed the light in the room to match the kind of afterlife (red for pain, green for pleasure, yellow for peace, blue for progress)—great combination of visual storytelling and voiceover narration there. The energetic performances had a lot of charm.”

Steven from Lincoln Hall Middle School made this animation of Donna Barba Higuera’ 2022 Newbery Medal Winner’s The Last Cuentista:

As the judges said (full review here), “The skillful combination of many original drawings and dramatic, emotional voiceover narration did an impressive job telling the story . . . Great art, a smart script, and an enthusiastic and energetic performance all combined to make a winner here!”

And finally Laura Adams Armer’ 1932 Newbery Medal Winner Waterless Mountain, adapted by South Shore Fine Arts Elementary and Play in a Book. This movie transforms the original premise of the book: instead of being about a Navajo Indian living in Arizona in the 1920s who wishes to follow in the footsteps of his uncle to become a medicine man, this movie reimagines it to be about a young Black girl learning about African traditions and mythology from her aunt:

As the judges said (full review here), “Beautifully-shot, inventively-edited . . . I love how this movie showcases the student-made African-style costumes and masks, which are quite impressively crafted. The dream sequence at the beginning is trippy and intriguing thanks to the mysterious soundtrack music, kinetic visuals, and exciting cinematography and editing. The heartfelt discussion between the girl and her aunt was well-acted . . . Original and refreshing!”

And those were the Chicago-area movies we showed at the Chicago screening on Sunday! Thanks to Alexa, Eva, Leland, and everyone at the Harold Washington Library Center who helped make this screening a success. And thanks most of all to the young filmmakers who created the movies, and the teachers, librarians, families, and other adults who helped! I hope these inspire you to make a movie for next year. You can find complete information about the 90-Second Newbery here!

Did you enjoy the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival? Do you want us to keep doing it? Then please help us out with a tax-deductible donation. Our fiscal sponsor is Fractured Atlas, a nonprofit arts service organization.

I used to do a podcast with story guru Matt Bird called “The Secrets of Story,” and we had a good run of 48 episodes exploring idiosyncratic, counterintuitive writing advice. Matt and I disagreed about just about everything, so we were always arguing on the show, which gave it a Siskel-and-Ebert vibe.

Well, that podcast is over, and Matt now has a new podcast about storytelling called “A Good Story Well Told” with kids’ author (and five-time guest on “The Secrets of Story”) Jonathan Auxier. They disagree much less! But Matt can’t quit me: last week he and Jonathan had me on as a guest. In this season of “A Good Story Well Told,” they’re inviting on guests to talk about “Guilty Treasures”—that is, books or movies that were either commercial or critical failures (or both!) that we like anyway.

Now, I’m a fan of director Ari Aster because of his movies Hereditary and Midsommar, but for some reason I didn’t watch his third movie Beau Is Afraid at first because people told me it was a bloated, self-indulgent mess. I should’ve known better: I love self-indulgent! All art is essentially self-indulgence! And when my friends Arthur and Amy sat me down and made me watch Beau Is Afraid, I was immediately hooked. Indeed, it’s now my favorite Ari Aster movie, and I don’t understand why it doesn’t have a better reputation. (Actually, I do understand. People are wrong about a lot of stuff.)

Anyway, here I am talking for about an hour about how much I loved Beau Is Afraid. Matt and Jonathan are rather less enthusiastic than me, but maybe I talked them around to liking it a bit more.

I love doing the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival at the Brooklyn Public Library! With my co-host and friend, Newbery Honoree Rita Williams-Garcia, we packed the house with a rambunctious, happy, ready-to-laugh-and-enjoy-some-movies crowd.

And of course, Rita and I kicked it off with a song:

Many of the filmmakers attended the show, and after the show we had them all come up onstage to take a group picture:

I have amazing friends in New York, and they arranged an afterparty for the show, and we whooped it up accordingly:

All right, but let’s look at the locally-made videos that we featured at the screening! Matthew, Chris, and Angel of North Bergen, NJ’s Nicholas J Sacco Junior High School adapted Susan Cooper’s 1974 Newbery Honor Book The Dark Is Rising. They said this is a “very very very loose adaptation” of the high fantasy novel “in the style of an 80’s fantasy movie such as The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, or Excalibur.” Personally, I loved the puppet goblin and the magical special effects! You can read the judges’ comments here.

Daniel, Micaela, and Izzy of Queens made this assured, professional-looking adaptation of Lois Lowry’s 1990 Newbery Medal winner Number the Stars. The original score of piano music was impressive, especially in the way it subtly mirrors the moods of the various scenes, and the performances were sensitive and authentic-feeling! You can read the judges’ complete comments here.

We had a special treat at this year’s show—catching up with a 90-Second Newbery veteran! Back in 2012, a teenaged Leo Lion made the following movie of Lois Lowry’s 1994 Newbery Medal winner The Giver as a one-man show. It’s a 90-Second Newbery classic that I often show at presentations when I’m trying to explain what the film festival is all about (and you can read the judges’ comments here). Before I go on, here’s the movie:

Fourteen years later, Leo Lion is grown, and he came onstage and told us what he’s been up to since The Giver. He is the Artistic Director of a theater group he founded, The Firebird Project, “a theater company and arts education community that tells unforgettable stories with young and emerging artists in NYC.” Recently, he got lots of great attention for his one-man show HELP ME!!!!, an “interactive mime seance,” that has been so successful that he’s taken it on the road all over the country and the world, including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival! Here are Leo and me catching up:

I’m thrilled to see Leo doing so well . . . still doing one-man shows, now as a successful career!

Every year, we got a lot of movies from Lloyd Harbor School in Huntington, NY. For instance, Jack did this version of Kate DiCamillo’s 2001 Honor Book Because of Winn-Dixie. It’s also a kind of one-man show: Jack plays Opal, Opal’s mom, and Opal’s dad, who is terrified of going to the grocery store because of his fear of . . . egg salad sandwiches?! The stakes get raised when a living egg salad sandwich captures Winn-Dixie. Can Opal win her dog back? (Read what the judges have to say here.)

Here’s another version of Because of Winn-Dixie from Lloyd Harbor School, this time by Charlie, Colin, and Liam. In this movie, when Opal finds Winn-Dixie in the supermarket, here called “Spider-Dog,” the store manager challenges the dog to a fight. Both of them go into training, but who will eventually prevail? This also veers wildly away from the original story, but it’s fun, but it makes great use of a trampoline and green screen! Read what the judges have to say here.

Cori, Estella, Eva, and Sarah of LLoyd Harbor School did this adaptation of Arnold Lobel’s 1973 Honor Book Frog and Toad Together. To be sure, this movie doesn’t seem to tell any story I recognize from the Frog and Toad books, but it goes far in capturing the gently whimsical vibe in this story of Frog and Toad meeting tortoises “Tim and Todd.” I especially loved all the costumes . . . and the odd product placement for 7-11’s banana Slurpees! Read the judges’ complete review here.

Graham, Henry, and Xander of Lloyd Harbor School did this adaptation of William Steig’s 1983 Newbery Honor Book Doctor Desoto. The original story is about a mouse dentist and his wife who treat other animals. They just have one rule: They won’t treat dangerous predators. So when a fox shows up at their offices with a toothache, they have a difficult decision to make: risk their lives by treating the dangerous beast, or let the fox suffer? I liked the low-key, casual performances of the rodent dentists and the more energetic fox, and I appreciated the attention to detail with the elaborate costumes and props. Read the judges’ complete review here.

Chloe, Dylan, Harper Sale, Mae, and Quentin of Lloyd Harbor School adapted Cece Bell’s 2015 Newbery Honor Book El Deafo. In one of the subplots of the original autobiographical graphic novel, Cece has a crush on a boy named Mike Miller. Same in this movie, but it has a twist in which Mike has evil otherworldly plans for Cece. Great performances and green screen UFO work! Read the judges’ complete review here.

Ayden, Joey, and Wolfie of Lloyd Harbor School did this adaptation of Gary Paulsen’s 1988 Newbery Honor Book Hatchet. In this version, marooned-in-the-forest Brian befriends a talking cow (“How are you speaking?” “I don’t know”) and must deal with a hungry, rampaging wolf! Read the judges’ review here.

Stella of Lloyd Harbor School made this adaptation of Katherine Applegate’s 2013 Newbery Medal Winner The One and Only Ivan in the style of Star Wars! I appreciated the elaborate and impressive costumes as well as the performances: Chewbacca’s subtitled grunting and barking, Princess Leia’s flustered resourefulness, and even Darth Vader’s deep-voiced menace! Read the judges’ complete review here.

Here’s another version of The One and Only Ivan, this time by Caine, CJ, James, and Louis of Lloyd Harbor School. In this version, the gorilla Ivan goes crazy and turns against his owner Mac, chasing him around the office, and even and putting him in his cage! Read the judges’ complete review here.

But wait! There are two more versions of Because of Winn-Dixie that we got from Lloyd Harbor School. This version by Harper, done in the style of The Hunger Games, has Winn-Dixie played by an expressionless, mostly motionless bearded dragon. A funny mash-up of the two stories, and I particularly like the scene where Opal is chasing after her pet reptile! Read the judges’ complete review here.

And here’s another version of Because of Winn-Dixie, this time by Elizabeth, Isla, and Siena. In this version, Winn-Dixie is a dog who can speak for herself, and often in quite a sassy and funny way! Read the judges’ complete review here.

Gravesend Library 90-Second Newbery Teen Interns made this animated version of Neil Gaiman’s 2009 Newbery Medal Winner The Graveyard Book. Inventive and entertaining! You can read the judges’ complete review here.

We also showed some movies from out of town! You can click the below links to check them out:

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (Robert C. O’Brien, 1972 Medal Winner) in the musical style of the first scene of La La Land, by the Leland Street Players of Chicago, IL

Mr. Popper’s Penguins (Richard and Florence Atwater, 1939 Honor Book) with Mr. Popper as an internet-addled would-be TikTok influencer, by Budlong Woods Library + Ella and Joy of Chicago, IL

Last Stop on Market Street (Matt de la Pena, 2016 Medal Winner) in the style of a zombie apocalypse by The Harley School of Rochester, NY

Doctor DeSoto (William Steig, 1983 Honor Book) in the style of a TV medical drama like E.R. or The Pitt, by the Treehouse Children’s Museum 90-Second Newbery Camp, Ogden, UT

El Deafo (Cece Bell, 2015 Honor Book) in the style of a silent movie by Rolling Meadows Elementary, San Antonio, TX

The Eyes and the Impossible (Dave Eggers, 2024 Medal) in the style of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” by Grant Center for the Expressive Arts, Tacoma, WA

Thanks to all the young filmmakers, and the teachers, librarians, and family who helped them! Special thanks to Jessica Cox and Paquita Campoverde and everyone at the Brooklyn Public Library who sponsor the show every year and let us use the beautiful Dweck Center. Thanks also to Lloyd in the tech booth, running the lights and helping with AV.

Inspired to make your own movie for the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival? Start working on it right now! The deadline is sometime in January 2027, so you have plenty of time. You can find complete details at the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival website.

Oh and one last thing: the 90-Second Newbery also relies on private donations and grants to keep going. It’s 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.