You know what's a safe and socially distanced activity for the family this winter? Cuddling up and watching movies together and then reading books based on the movies your kids enjoyed. I've been busy writing up TV and movie readalike pieces for School Library Journal and I'm linking to some of the most recent ones here today. Grab some popcorn and a cozy blanket and settle in with these movies and books.
Shopping for a movie lover? It's been a weird year for movies with many films slated for feature film release being delayed or converted to streaming services. A movie date may not look the same as it did last year, but you can pair these books with a subscription to the applicable streaming service and thematic snacks to make a special stay-at-home family movie night or movie date. It's the perfect cozy winter night gift!
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a millionaire genius criminal mastermind, but he doesn't know what he's getting himself into when he kidnaps a dangerous fairy. The movie adaptation of this fantasy adventure story was released this summer on Disney+. Ages 10-13.
Pair with: A subscription to Disney+ and chocolate coins & lollipops.
The Case of the Missing Marquess (Enola Holmes #1) by Nancy Springer. When Enola Holmes, little sister to the famous detective Sherlock, discovers that her mother has gone missing, she sets out to find her in this girl-power Victorian mystery. The Enola Holmes movie was released on Netflix in September and stars Millie Bobby Brown (of Stranger Things fame). Ages 10-15.
Pair with: A Netflix subscription for the Enola Holmes movie and tea and cookies.
Mulan: Before the Sword by Grace Lin. Set before the events in the Mulan movie, this story of a strong girl who values family above all will appeal to readers who enjoy strong female characters. Gift this adventure story and then enjoy the new live-action Mulan movie, which will be released on Disney+ on December 4. In the meantime, you can enjoy the animated version. Ages 8-12.
Pair with: A Disney+ subscription for the new Mulan movie and Chinese take-out from your favorite place.
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. Ivan is a gorilla living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. He's gotten used to living around humans, but when a baby elephant arrives at the mall, Ivan must decide whether to try to make life better for her and maybe himself, too. This is a heartfelt animal story that was adapted into a movie on Disney+. A sequel to the book was just released this year, so consider grabbing The One and Only Bob, too. Ages 7-12.
Pair with: A subscription to Disney+ and bananas & peanuts.
PS: I Still Love You by Jenny Han. This sequel to To All the Boys I've Loved Before (which is also a Netflix movie) is perfect for lovers of romantic comedies. Lara Jean is back and she's with Peter, who she never really expected to fall for. But when a boy from her past comes back into the picture, Lara Jean is torn. Can you be in love with two boys at once? These romcoms are both super cute, so why not make it a double feature or pick up a box set of the entire trilogy and cross your fingers for a third movie sometime. Ages 10 and up.
Pair with: A Netflix subscription for the movies and ingredients to bake cookies or cupcakes together, just like Lara Jean would. Or Yakult (a Korean yogurt drink) and pocky.
The Witches by Roald Dahl or The Witches Graphic Novel by Roald Dahl and Penelope Bagieu. Witches are real and when a boy and his grandmother go on a trip, they find themselves staying at the same hotel as the world witch convention. As the witches plot to destroy all the children in the world, the boy must figure out a way to thwart their plan. The book was adapted into a movie in the 1990s, but this October a brand new movie adaptation was released on HBO Max starring Octavia Butler and Anne Hathaway. It's a little bit creepy and perfect for kids who like some shivers down their spines. Ages 9-12.
Pair with: An HBO Max subscription for the movie and all the chocolates (as long as you're sure the witches haven't tainted them with Formula 86 mouse potion!)
For the first 12 days of November, I'll be posting a list of children's books perfect for gift giving this holiday season. Check out the full list of lists here to see what's coming. All the lists link to IndieBound to make it easy for you to find an independent bookstore to buy from (and as an IndieBound affiliate, shopping through those links supports me, too!). Independent bookstores need our support more than ever this year, so please shop local if you can or if you don't have a local independent bookstore, please consider ordering online from my local indie Carmichael's Bookstore.
Books that are turned into movies and TV shows can inspire a whole new audience to pick up those books. Here are books that were featured on screen in 2019. Pair the book with the DVD or a promise to rent the movie and watch it together.
For kids:
The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier (Viking, 2015). Now a Netflix special, this adventure-packed series has been on the bestseller list for weeks. The first part is on Netflix now, but many books in the series are already out.
Little Women by Luisa May Alcott (1869). Generations of readers have already fallen in love with this classic novel about the March sisters, set during and after the American Civil War. This December, we get a new movie adaptation. Pair this book with movie tickets to go see the new film. If you've already read the book together, consider one of these readalikes I wrote up for School Library Journal!
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz (Scholastic, 1989). This thrilling series that scared kids when I was a kid made it to the big screen this summer, terrifying a whole new generation. Purchase for brave kids. The PG-13 movie is now available to rent or purchase via streaming services.
For teens:
Five Feet Apart by Rachel Lippincott (Simon & Schuster, 2018). Two teens fall in love, but there's one problem: they both have cystic fibrosis and by doctor's orders must stay five feet apart from each other, lest they catch each other's lung infections and die. The movie came out this spring and is now available to rent or purchase via streaming services.
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (Knopf, 1996). This series is one of my favorite favorites and the HBO series His Dark Materials debuted this November. If you have a fantasy reader on your list, grab the whole series. If they've already read the His Dark Materials trilogy, pick up the prequels: La Belle Sauvage and The Secret Commonwealth.
Looking for Alaska by John Green (Speak, 2006). Now a Hulu original series, this award-winning book by superstar teen author John Green is a sure bet for teens who haven't read it yet. While Miles "Pudge" Halter heads off to bigger things at a prestigious boarding school, he meets a new friend group unlike any he's ever had before, including the charismatic, self-destructive Alaska.
The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (Delacorte, 2016). Told in very short chapters from multiple perspectives over the course of 12 hours, this is the story of two teens who meet unexpectedly and against all odds fall for each other. The trouble is that Natasha's family is about to get deported back to Jamaica (as in, that very night they have to leave). The movie came out this spring and is now out on DVD and to rent or purchase on streaming services.
For adults:
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (HarperCollins, 2008). Narrated by Enzo, the dog of racecar driver Denny Swift, this is "a heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope" (from publisher description). The movie is now available to rent or purchase through streaming services.
The Cruelest Miles: The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men in a Race Against an Epidemic by Gay Salisbury and Laney Salisbury (Norton, 2005). A deadly diphtheria epidemic hit the town of Nome, Alaska in 1925 and without a supply of medicine, many would die. This is the true story of the sled dog team that raced through the treacherous cold to save the town of Nome. The movie based on it, Togo, will be released December 13 on Disney+.
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple (Little, Brown, 2012). When famed architect-recluse Bernadette disappears, it's up to her teenage daughter Bee to piece together the clues and figure out what happened. It's quite a romp and a really funny read, told mostly in letters, reports, emails, etc. The movie came out this summer and is now available to rent or purchase via streaming services.
If you got your Winter 2018 School Library Journal this month (or last month?), you may have seen my face smiling out at you!
If not, hop on over to SLJ.com to read my readalikes for a handful of recent and upcoming book-to-screen film and TV adaptations. Connecting media to books can be a GREAT gateway to reader's advisory, especially for kids who might not consider themselves "readers". I always, always think that a kid who self-describes as "not a reader" just hasn't met the right book yet.
As I read back over this article, I do notice a problem with it... TOO FEW DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE CHOICES. I promise I've noticed, I'm calling myself out on it, and I'm working on it: the next one will be better.
My husband and I went to see it this weekend and I L-O-V-E loved it.
And, confession: I have not (yet!) read the book. If you aren't aware, the movie Love, Simon is based on the YA book Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (Balzer + Bray, 2015).
I'm sure you're all aware of this movie and this book; librarians can't stop talking about it. When I told my husband we were seeing it this weekend and that everyone I knew said it was great, he said, "Are they all librarians?" Umm...... yes.
But afterwards, he agreed with all my librarian friends that this was an excellent weekend viewing choice. More than just entertainment, it's so important that this movie was made, that this movie exists for today's teens and future teens. That more teens than before can see themselves in the media and know that others have experienced first love many different ways. But it's also just a great movie.
I laughed and I cried. I cried so much. I had all the feels. For Simon, for Simon's parents, for Simon's friends. This movie got how people (teens, yes, but all people) can manipulate their friends, that feeling when your back is against the wall and you do something that you know isn't right, but you do it anyway because it feels like your only choice.
I feel like a cheater-pants for posting about this movie without having read the book (yet!), but I couldn't keep it inside. I laughed, I sobbed, I just want to see it again AND read the book. And probably all of Becky Albertalli's books.
If you haven't seen it, I urge you to go! And then pick up the book (which I will be doing, too) to experience more of Simon's world.
So, there's kind of a stumper that's been plaguing the back of my mind for several years. Tonight I figured out what it was (triumph!!) and found it on YouTube (double triumph!!).
I remembered a video that I watched in class in elementary school (I believe it was first grade, but who knows). The video was about a group of kids that lived in a place where the sun came out only very rarely. On this particular day the sun is supposed to come out for the first time in many years and the kids lock one of the girls in the closet and she misses it.
Well, I picked up Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass this evening. And right there on page 31 it says:
I have two pages left of a Ray Bradbury short story. It's about this girl who lives in a world where the sun almost never shines. She hasn't seen it in five years. Then these bullies lock her in a closet when the sun is about to come out...
"That's it!" I shouted, and I promptly went to the interwebs to find that the name of the Bradbury story is "All Summer in a Day" and that it was made into a short film in 1982. And the short film is available on YouTube: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
Do go and watch it if you are so inclined, though I must warn you that it's pretty much the most depressing thing ever. I am certainly going to find the original short story at the library tomorrow.
Oh, and I'm really digging Every Soul a Star. Even though I'm only on page, well, 31 because I got so excited when I saw that reference that I had to put down the book and look up all this stuff. I'm returning to it presently. :)
Personally, I give it props for bringing the funny several times. I loved Charlie. Loved Jacob (although there wasn't enough of him... was he really only in the first book that briefly?). LOVED Rosalie.
I can't say I cared for it overall, but there was a packed house of teenage girls who disagree with me (if the squeeing is any indication). I didn't really expect to enjoy it, so there ya go.
I just watched the movie Stardust and I thought it was fantastic. I'm a big fan of the book and I think they really got the tone of it right. The casting was spot on. It's beautiful and funny and... just pretty much awesome. If you're a fan of the book, I can't recommend the movie enough. Even if you haven't read it, you should still check it out if you like fairy tales for adults.
And if you haven't read Stardust, I really don't know what you're waiting for. Go. Read. Now. You can thank me later. ;)
I finally watched Bridge to Terabithia tonight. First of all, I must say that the previews did not do it justice at all. The movie is actually very close to the book, although I must admit that I was confused at first because I thought it was supposed to be set in the 70s. It's, um, not historical fiction. Duh. :)
I loved Bailee Madison as May Belle. She was absolutely perfect. I also loved Zooey Deschanel as Ms. Edmonds. I think she is so pretty and she has those gorgeous blue eyes. If I were Jesse, I'd have a crush on her, too. ;)
So, yes. I liked it quite a bit and highly recommend it. Though, I will warn you that it's quite sad. I mean, obviously... but I was definitely glad I was watching it at home where I could cry in private.
