Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

1978 Newbery Medal Winner

Adapted by Lucy K., Lucy D., Ingrid, Joy, Ezra, Zella, Ella, Domi, Rosie, and Scarlet of The Leland Street Players (2024)

From Chicago, IL

Judges’ Remarks: The 90-Second Newbery house team The Leland Street Players are back with this twist on Katherine Paterson’s classic, which tells the story from the point of view of the whimsical monsters who inhabit the imaginary land of Terabithia. Apparently free-spirited Leslie isn’t the only child who met a grisly end there, and the monsters are frustrated at how kids keep dying in their fantasy realm. What happens when a bunch of bumbling monsters can’t keep their fantasy realm safe? Will Terabithia be shut down by federal inspectors? Fantastic performances from everyone here, and great costumes! If you’re looking for an example of what a 90-Second Newbery movie should be, from concept to cinematography to performances to editing, this is it.

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A Visit to William Blake’s Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers by Nancy Willard

1982 Newbery Medal Winner

Adapted by Nigel, Simone, Fletcher, Otto, and Hansel, and “Boo-B-Trap the Bunny” (2024)

From Tacoma, WA

Judges’ Remarks: Another magical adaptation of a poem from A Visit To William Blake’s Inn starring Nigel, Simone, Fletcher, Otto, and Hansel … this time based on the poem “A Rabbit Reveals My Room,” so there is also a cameo by “Boo-B-Trap the Bunny”! As always with this group, the costumes are charmingly elaborate and rumpled, with a rabbit costume, a bear costume, and various others … and we are treated to the beautiful outdoor woodsy scenes as the players troop around, accompanied by excellent voiceover performances of the poem. I loved the resourceful use of the various outdoor structures like the house of sticks, the teepee, etc., and the props such as the blanket and the lanterns. The background music also set the mood well. The night scenes with the lanterns were particularly dramatic and evocative! The playful yet heartfelt tone of the performances, cinematography, and sound give the whole movie a beautifully dreamlike atmosphere. Unique and exquisite!

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Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel

1973 Newbery Honor Book

Adapted by Otto, Fletcher, Nigel, Simone, and Hansel (2024)

From Tacoma, WA

Judges’ Remarks: Another earnest, well-crafted visit to the world of Frog and Toad by Otto, Fletcher, Nigel, Simone, and Hansel! The expressive voiceover narration complemented well the onscreen action of Frog and Toad hiking through the beautiful outdoor locations: romping through fields, navigating dense woods, and traipsing alongside a rushing river … all the way to joining their friends around a campfire at the end. The cinematography and editing were crisp, clear, and skillful. The background music also worked well to set the mood. I loved the whimsical costumes and the wholehearted performances, and I was happy when the expected recurring joke of getting Frog’s and Toad’s names mixed up occurred. The storytelling was accurate to the original while giving it your own idiosyncatic vibe that I’ve come to know so well. A gently amusing, refreshingly straightforward retelling of the story, with a fanciful and yet sincere atmosphere. (I also thought it was funny how they seemed to be cooking an entire box of graham crackers in the final shot.)

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When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

2010 Newbery Medal Winner

Adapted by Canal View Elementary School (2024)

From Spencerport, NY

Judges’ Remarks: This movie made effective use of computer graphics to tell the story, brought to life with engaging voiceover performances from the kid actors. I liked all the careful details, like the TV that has “20K” and a pyramid on it to represent “The $20,000 Pyramid,” or the way the game-show clues chapter titles (“things that burn,” etc.) are subtly indicated in the background. There were many colorful settings and backgrounds for the animated characters to move through, and also the occasional evocative sound effects, like the Laughing Man’s footsteps or the hammering sounds of building a time machine. There were lots of refreshingly fun goofy moments, like the disembodied fist that Marcus uses to beat up Sal, or how someone’s face turns red and spews steam, or how after the Julia’s dad gives Miranda and Julia apple juice, he and the tray and the drinks fly off screen bizarrely quickly! I particularly liked the brief cutaway where we see Miranda actually building a time machine. But of course my favorite part was when the Laughing Man gets hit by the car, and flies up through the sky, out into space, and up to heaven! Very creative! Great performances and inventive visuals made this movie work.

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New Kid by Jerry Craft

2020 Newbery Medal Winner

Adapted by Joel, Luca, Sadie, Andrew, and Willow of Taylor Elementary School (2024)

From Spencerport, NY

Judges’ Remarks: This movie resourcefully used computer graphics to represent the characters, which look very similar to those in the original book! I especially liked how Jordan was represented by more one drawing, his avatar often changing depending on his emotion: for example, Jordan’s various frantic expressions in the car at the beginning, indicating his nervousness that his friends might spot him. I also thought it was effective how you made him shrink when he arrived at RAD, demonstrating how he feels small compared to how imposing the school is. The voiceover narrator was also helpful, for instance in how they explain how even though the teacher said welcome, Jordan didn’t really feel welcome. There was good visual storytelling, like when Jordan seems to be caught up in a tornado of emotions, or the part that started with “I feel like I don’t know the answers to anything,” in which the dialogue balloons of things that other people are saying around Jordan are accumulating, and you show us visually how those microaggressions all pile up. The fight scene in the cafeteria at the end was well-staged, using a combination of visuals, dialogue, and narration to make it clear what is happening, and bringing the whole story to an effective climax. Great work!

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New Kid by Jerry Craft

2020 Newbery Medal Winner

Adapted by Carson, Dexter, Ela, Rumor, and Sam of Grant Center for the Expressive Arts (2024)

From Tacoma, WA

Judges’ Remarks: This was an amusing abbreviation of the book with a refreshingly silly twist: here, working-class black kid Jordan isn’t switching to a privileged school mostly of whites, but rather Jordan is a fish going to a new fish school, where (as he says), “I really feel like a fish out of water.” The goofball background music sets the correct tone for this movie that’s literally set in a “school of fish.” The blue tint on all the well-chosen backgrounds made it feel appropriately underwater, and the loose, casual performances sold the characters’ personalities and conflicts. Instead of attempting to tell the whole story, this movie focused instead on two or three representative scenes, giving them room to breathe. Laid-back and entertaining.

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The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural by Patricia McKissack

1993 Newbery Honor Book

Adapted by Brynn, Harper, Keaton, Rowan A., and Rowan M. from Mr. Johnson’s 5th Grade of Grant Center for the Expressive Arts (2024)

From Tacoma, WA

Judges’ Remarks: This was a fun reimagining of the “Boo Mama” story from the collection of spooky tales in The Dark-Thirty. The creepy music did a good job setting the mood, and I was impressed by the “ghost” special effect of the son and mother as well as the effective use of green screen to put the characters in the police office, the graveyard, jail, and other places. The cinematography and editing were brisk and focused. The story made sense even if you hadn’t read the original, and I enjoyed the humorous bits in the script such as “You don’t have to be so rude! Kids and their manners today!” It felt like everyone committed 100% to the horror vibe of the story, and the performances really sold the movie. Well done!

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The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane by Russell Freedman

1992 Newbery Honor Book

Adapted by Gilbert, Kira, Mariana, Maya, and Morgen from Mr. Johnson’s 5th Grade of Grant Center for the Expressive Arts (2024)

From Tacoma, WA

Judges’ Remarks: This was an ingenious comedic twist: instead of the Wright brothers inventing the airplane, it’s the Wright sisters inventing the spork! (Or, as they briefly considered naming it, a “foon.” Ha!). There was a good use of green screen backgrounds (that wallpaper!), background music, and intertitles to give the movie an old-timey air. There was also good visual storytelling when we saw all the broken, shattered spoons and forks and hear the sisters shrug “Back to the drawing board!” I appreciated “Willie” and “Orvie”’s convincing sibling chemistry (although why was Willie reading a book called Making Bombs For Hitler, of all things?). I was also amused by the snooty French judge “Pierre Sporkiella” (who, coincidentally, has the name of the invention in his own name?), especially when he exclaimed, “This spork is the bomb dot com!” A clever twist, good production values, and excellent script and performances made this a pleasure to watch.

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Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska

1965 Newbery Medal Winner

Adapted by Anders, Arthur, Eva, Garyn, Noah, and Wilson from Mr. Johnson’s 5th Grade of Grant Center for the Expressive Arts (2024)

From Tacoma, WA

Judges’ Remarks: A hilarious movie! In the original book, Manolo’s matador father is killed by a bull in the ring, and Manolo reluctantly attempts to become a bullfighter himself; here, Manolo’s father is killed by a toaster, and Manolo must face his fears of a toaster to be on a cooking show! The twist was well-executed and the story told clearly enough that the audience could understand it even if they hadn’t read the book—a difficult feat to pull off. I loved the special effects, like the father’s “ghost” special effect, or the picture-in-picture editing trickery of the watching TV scenes, and the way the toaster explodes! There was also effective green screen and background music too, but my favorite things about this movie are the performances, such as how Manolo nervously approaches the toaster that had killed his father, or the way Juan looks at the camera in a coolly victorious way when he wins. The running joke of this kid randomly being personally invited to one cooking show after another by the same guy knocking on his door was amusing too. A tight script, good cinematography and editing, strong performances, and resourceful special effects all combined to make an entertaining watch!

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The Apple and the Arrow by Mary and Conrad Buff

1952 Newbery Honor Book

Adapted by Emmett, Judah, Klaire, and Martin from Mr. Johnson’s Fifth Grade of Grant Center for the Expressive Arts (2024)

From Tacoma, WA

Judges’ Remarks: I was very entertained by this Star Wars twist on the traditional William Tell story: instead of Tell being forced to shoot an apple off of his son’s head by the tyrant Gessler, “William Stormtrooper” is forced to shoot an apple off his son’s head by Darth Vader! But of course we all know that stormtroopers are terrible shots, so in this movie, instead of hitting the mark in one zap, William Stormtrooper randomly blasts all over the place, while Vader and his son patiently wait. (Quite accurate to the movies.) I appreciated the careful attention to the Star Wars details: the accurate John Williams soundtrack music, green screen backgrounds of various Star Wars locations (such as inside and outside a TIE fighter), the resourceful Darth Vader and Stormtrooper costumes (complete with masks!), the zapping and hologram special effects, and of course the Death Star blowing up at the end! The performances were convincing and fun to watch, especially when everyone lurches around and yells when the TIE fighter crashes, and I particularly liked the son’s reaction when William Stormtrooper makes his deal with Darth Vader to shoot the apple off his head. I also enjoyed the part where Darth Vader is choking William Stormtrooper while a cheesy “We’ll Be Right Back!” message and music played (but why was William alive just one scene later, hanging out in a TIE fighter with Vader?) The homemade Star Wars title screen worked well, and the script was pretty funny too (Vader asking William Stormtrooper to pilot the TIE fighter because he gets “spacesick,” and after they blow up the Death Star and say “We did it!” Walter immediately shrugging “Okay, I’m tired, let’s go home”). Ambitious and entertaining!

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The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg

1997 Newbery Medal Winner

Adapted by Asher F. (2024)

From Port Orchard, WA

Judges’ Remarks: Done entirely in Roblox with AI voices, this movie efficiently tells the story of the book mostly with spoken exposition. The script lays out the story swiftly and accurately, introducing each character by having them describe their function in the story. The computer-graphic avatars of the various characters looked like how the characters were described in the book. There were some amusing bits (like Ham Knapp with the burp) and subtle touches (the thought bubble “How would they have known?”). A capable and proficient use of Roblox to make a movie!

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