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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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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The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

2016 Newbery Honor Book

Adapted by Matthew, Rebecca, Andie, Shannon, and Lydia of St. Michael Parish School (2024)

From Cincinnati, OH

Judges’ Remarks: I loved the performances by all the actors in this movie—and the commitment to the fun English accents really took this movie to the next level! Every role was so well done: Mam’s relishing of her cruelty, Ada’s stubborn underdog charm, Jamie very earnest and engaging as the little brother, and Mrs. Smith and Maggie and Mrs. Thorton all compelling as well. Ada really made me believe in her club foot—I liked that it was wrapped up to visually signify the handicap, and that she was always limping or using crutches. There was a smart use of both indoor and outdoor locations to tell the story, from the playground fields where Ada and Maggie ride horses (and it was clever how you used a stuffed horse and a broomstick horse to represent their mounts) to the bottom of the stairs for the bomb shelter. (I also thought it was resourceful how you represented the air raid siren by having people off-camera singing “woo-ooo, woo-ooo.”) The script was tight, zipping through the highlights of the story in a coherent way, such that that even if the audience hadn’t read the book, they would still understand the basics of the story—a tough feat to pull off! There was effective cinematography and editing too. The whole movie had a high-spirited vibe that made it feel like you had a great time making it, which makes it extra fun to watch … all the way to the end, when Ada, Jamie, and Susan give a jubilant “thumbs-up” to the camera. Fantastic work!

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Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly

2018 Newbery Medal Winner

Adapted by Bernabi Elementary School (2024)

From Spencerport, NY

Judges’ Remarks: This movie worked well because of the strength of the performances: Kaori’s pushy confidence, Virgil’s frustrated timidity, Chet’s bullying snottiness, and Valencia’s tentative charm. The green screen was well-deployed to represent the various settings, and I especially liked the resourceful representation of the “well” that Virgil gets trapped in, seemingly made out of a garbage can surrounded by brick-patterned paper … and I was amused when, before Virgil even totally climbed out of the well, Valencia shrugged “I have to go” and sauntered off! (That was a cute animal representing Gulliver the guinea pig, too.) This movie zipped through the most important plot points of the story quickly and accurately, and making sense even if one hadn’t read the book … a difficult feat to manage! Great acting, smart cinematography and editing, and a tight script all combined to make a compelling movie.

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The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

2013 Newbery Medal Winner

Adapted by Eian-Gabriel Sinclair (2024)

From Rochester, NY

Judges’ Remarks: Another astonishingly skillful claymation from Eian-Gabriel Sinclair! This movie doesn’t connect to the storyline of the novel The One And Only Ivan (except that both share gorilla named Ivan), but this was an entertaining and adroit short movie on its own terms. The background music and voiceover narration were artful and felt period-specific, as well as the black-and-white cinematography. I thought it was clever how it swapped out the roaring lion in the iconic Twentieth Century Fox logo for a fluidly animated Ivan the gorilla. Later we get to see Ivan himself (in a fashionable top hat!) animated with precision, as well as “Mae Ray,” who poses, kicks, and writhes with impressively lifelike energy—and I thought it was hilarious how she must consult her script to figure out when she is supposed to scream! The part about Ivan’s voice being replaced by Bing Crosby’s was also legitimately funny, and there was a good use of a “picture-in-picture” effect showing the theater audience watching Ivan’s movie up on the big screen. A funny, impressive, and irreverent movie!

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The Girl Who Drank The Moon by Kelly Barnhill

2017 Newbery Medal Winner

Adapted by Josephine, Charlotte, Esther, and Christos of Munn Elementary School (2024)

From Spencerport, NY

Judges’ Remarks: From the very beginning I knew this movie would be a banger, with a creative hand-drawn title screen and a dramatic first scene in which baby Luna is taken away from her mother—I loved the mother’s theatrical yelps of despair (followed by her shrugging and sticking her hands in her pockets—she got over that pretty quickly, I guess). The green screen work throughout was crisp and gorgeous. I liked the crazy white wig on the witch Xan, and her bombastic acting when she realizes she fed baby Luna moonlight: “What did I do?!” The mother’s use of paper airplanes to attack (and all the paper airplanes flying in from offscreen) made for a good representation of that part of the story. I thought it was effective visual storytelling when Xan puts Luna in a “magical cocoon” by wrapping her in plastic wrap, and there was a smart use of camera trickery when Xan turned herself into a stuffed animal owl. All the performances of the characters were fun to watch, effectively conveying each characters’ emotions and situations. Great work! (And I chuckled when Xan’s wig fell off when she gave her bow.)

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