90-second Newberys Revisited

It is THAT time again - time to enjoy the efforts of classes and kids - yay, verily, even adults - all over America to produce a 90 second video that captures the essence of a Newbery book.  Go to 90-Second Newbery Film Festival's Facebook page and click "Like" to get the latest on this competition.  Or scoot on over to James Kennedy's 90-Second Newbery Film Festival page.

Alas, the deadline for this year's entries was yesterday.  But here's a way to remember when those videos are due.  They are always due a week or two BEFORE the Newbery and Caldecott winners are announce.  And the Newbery and Caldecott winners are announced on the last Monday of January OR the First day of the ALA Mid-Winter Gathering.  This is my unofficial reckoning of when these awards are announced.  So, get those videos in by the second week of January and you should be on time.

You can make your own 90-second video.  If you start now, it will be in Top Shape by next January.  Check out the entire list of Award winners here.

Watch this delightful video developed by Chicago's Elephant and Worm Theater Company - Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH!

90 Second Newbery - KBWT

It's time for the 90 Second Newbery Video contest.  In this contest, children are asked to make a 90 second (or thereabouts) video of their favorite Newbery Award winner or Honor book.  Hmmmmm, this year's winner, Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos might require a safety warning - as in DON'T TRY THESE STUNTS AT HOME!!!! 

Scroll down on James Kennedy's 90 Second Newbery page to see some very clever short adaptations of wonderful books.  I especially liked the shadow puppet version of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin.

The deadline for the 90 Second Newbery Contest is November 10, 2012.  So please read the rules carefully.  You will find them here.  Then grab your camcorder and get filming.

21 Balloons

Thanks to Betsy Bird's A Fuse #8 Production, I can share this video of The Twentu One Balloons by William Pene DuBois.  He's ANOTHER of my favorite authors and he made the 100 Top Fiction books list that Betsy put together.