Books into Movies

Want to stir up a heated conversation in a library? Start discussing movie adaptations of books. Now, as a general rule, I find that I usually prefer the book to the movie. Sometimes, how much I like a movie depends on which I did first--saw the movie or read the book. Very often, it seems that people are more forgiving of a movie's differences from the book if they saw the movie first. Whether you fall into the "love the book/hate the movie" camp or some other camp, one thing I've observed is this--when a movie comes out, circulation of the book at the library increases. Let me repeat that key phrase: Circulation Increases. With that in mind, I am perfectly happy to capitalize on a movie's popularity to promote the book. The following list is my running list that I plan to use to build my "Seen the Movie? Read the book!" display. I am amazed at the shocked expressions on some students' faces when they say "Look at this! Someone ripped off the movie!" and I point out that the book actually came first. Usually, they'll leave with a copy of the book in hand. Cool. Way cool.


101 Dalmatians by Dodie Smith

Saw the Disney cartoon first, loved it. The movie led me to the book. Love it too.

Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers

Saw the old Disney movie first, which led me to the book. Read it, loved it and then saw the re-make. My son and I both loved that one.

Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter

Saw the movie as a child which led me to the book. The movie was not my favorite, but as it led me to the book--I was happy to see it.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Read the book and loved it. Too many of my students, ones who read the book THEN saw the movie, HATED the movie--so I haven't bothered to see that one. Oddly enough, students who saw the movie first, THEN read the book, were ok with the movie. Funny how that works.

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Saw the movie first and loved it. It led me to the book, which I also loved.

The Witches by Roald Dahl

Read the book first and loved it--the descriptions of the witches and their itchy scalps still gives me a chuckle (and shiver). The movie was fun too, but I'll say I got more out of the book.

Spiderwick Chronicles by DiTerlizzi and Black

My son and I read the books (the first series) first and loved them. When we went to see the movie, my son was totally disappointed b/c they'd changed so much. I thought the movie was pretty fun, BUT not if you were expecting it to be true to the books.

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Read the books first. Loved them. Saw the movies afterwards. Enjoyed them. Were they different? Yes. Enjoyable? I think so. Regardless of a love/hate relationship with the books, it is certain that, when a movie is due to be released, the books fly off the shelf as students (and adults!) scurry to re-read. Don't have much time to read 800 page books? The book-on-tape adaptations with Jim Dale as narrator are wonderful for car trips.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

I hate to admit that I must be one of the few adults who hadn't read this book before seeing the movie. I loved the movie, which led me to read the book. Loved them both.

Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

Read the book first, but it was so long before I saw the movie, that there is a lot about the book I just don't remember. Did I like the movie? It was fun, but my son, who is way ahead of me on the books, didn't like this movie nearly as much as he liked the first one.

Goodreads--Great Tool for Readers

Many years ago, I started keeping a book log. In this log, I would write down the titles of books I'd read, maybe a few favorite quotes from the book and a few notes about what I thought about the book--or what the book made me think about in general. In some ways, my book log became a journal. Looking back at these lists brings me back to where I was at that particular moment in my life--metaphorically speaking. Technology being what it is, we now have access to some amazing tools that allow anyone with Internet access (and these days, that basically means anyone who can get to a public library if they don't have a home computer), can log in, create an account, and get started. Here's the address: www.goodreads.com What can you do with this site? Here's a small sampling:

• make a list of books you've read


• make a list of books you want to read


• rank the book from 1-5 stars


• write a review


• join a discussion group


• create a group to discuss reading topics


• invite friends to join and share their lists

To see a sample, take a look at my Children's and YA books widget, compliments of Good Reads. It's over on the right-hand side of this page.

Before you sign up, take a look at some of the other programs out there--Good Reads is only one of many. There's also Shelfari and Library Thing and many more--just use your favorite search engine and see what's out there. These sites offer a great way to network about books and reading.

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

Aza, 15, is blessed with an amazing voice and wonderful family, but feels cursed by her size (enormous compared to her fellow Ayorthians) and her appearance (in her words "an ugly ox. . . a blemish". Working in her family's inn, Aza is surprised when chance finds her accompanying a crotchety, cat-loving Duchess to the royal wedding. Aza is even more baffled when her amazing talent for "illusing" or copying and projecting the voices of others leads her to become the new queen's lady in waiting. Her good fortune turns sour when the new queen forces her to use her gifts to deceive both her king and her country. Torn between loyalty to her homeland and fear for her family, Aza is drawn into an adventure that might just help Aza see beyond her physical appearance--if it doesn't get her killed by ogres, magic mirrors, or angry courtiers.
If you've enjoyed other works by Levine, be sure to read Fairest. Readers of Ella Enchanted will be pleased at the cameo references to Lucinda and Ella's best friend. Grades 5+.

Children of the Lamp: The Akhenaten Adventure by P.B. Kerr

What do an earthquake, a toothache, television-watching dogs, claustrophobia (fear of small and cramped places) and a long-lost Uncle have in common? Normally, not much, until you meet John and Philippa Gaunt. These 12-year old twins from New York are about to set out on an adventure of a lifetime--and all apparently because their wisdom teeth are coming in early--well, that and the fact that they are descended from a long-line of Djinn. They get their wisdom teeth removed, their housekeeper's wish gets granted and suddenly, the children are on their way to England to meet an estranged (and rather strange) uncle--and oh, by the way, the world, as they know it, is in extreme danger. The Akhenaten Adventure is the first book in the Children of the Lamp series. The series so far:

The Akhenaten Adventure The Blue Djinn of Babylon The Cobra King of Kathmandu The Day of the Djinn Warriors The Five Fakirs of Faizabad

To learn more about P.B. Kerr, check out the Kids Reads biography at:
http://www.kidsreads.com/authors/au-kerr-pb.asp

The Ghost's Grave by Peg Kehret

Josh has just moved to a new state with his mother and new step-father. He doesn't know anyone in his new town yet, but is excited because he just found out that he was selected to play on his school's summer baseball league team. The only catch? He can't play baseball that summer because his mom and step-dad have to travel to India. To make matters worse, he will have to spend the summer in a little coal-mining town out in the middle of nowhere with a great-great aunt he's never met. He figures he's in for the dullest, most horrible summer ever. The bus drops him off at a little general store (no bus station--town's too small) and that's when he meets his great-great aunt for the first time. The ride to her house is hair-raising--her old truck does NOT have seat belts (yep, the truck is so old, it was made before seat belts were required), which wouldn't worry him nearly so badly if she didn't drive down the middle of the road (instead of in a lane like normal people). When they finally arrive safely at her house (phew!), he's checking out the house when he hears a blood-curdling scream. He runs to the kitchen where he finds his great aunt chasing a bat. (She really doesn't like bats, and especially not in the house.) He's figuring that if they turn the lights out and stop moving, they can shoo the bat out the door or out a window, but his great-aunt is having none of that. She goes out of the room and comes back--with a shot gun--and shoots the bat. Do you think this turns out to be the dullest, most horrible summer ever? Nope. Add to this a stray cat, a one-legged ghost, and a mysterious theft and you have the the makings for a great summer-time read. Check it out! This book won the Intermediate division of the 2007-2008 Volunteer State Book Awards.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians series--More Info

If you're interested in more information about the Percy Jackson series, drop by Rick Riordan's site at:

http://www.rickriordan.com/children.htm


What's cool about this site is that it shows the cover art, talks about each book in the series, and offers links to video of Rick Riordan reading from the series.

I had mistakenly thought that Book 4 might be the last of the Percy Jackson books, having read in Horn Book that it was the "penultimate" book of the series. I need to use the dictionary more often. Turns out "penultimate" means "next to last". Good news for all of us Percy Jackson fans!

Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson is a 12-year old boy in current-day New York. He's been kicked out of 6 schools in 6 years, he's dyslexic and has ADHD, and his dad left when he Percy was little. And he just doesn't know why such strange things seem to keep happening to him--at least, not until he vaporizes one of his teachers during a field trip. Turns out that Percy Jackson is the demigod son of Poseidon (yes, THE Poseidon, Greek god of the sea) and a mortal woman. Also turns out that demigods are prime targets for the Titans because of their special abilities--and because of a prophecy that basically says that a half-blood will decide the fate of the world. Now, if it sounds like I've given too much away, never fear. What I've told you is just the tip of the iceberg.

The series includes (in order):

The Lightning Thief (Book 1)
The Sea of Monsters (Book 2)
The Titan's Curse (Book 3)
The Battle of the Labyrinth (Book 4)
The Last Olympian (Book 5)


Librarians and Teachers--this series is excellent for readers who have finished the Mary Pope Osborne Tales from the Odyssey series or for readers who enjoy great adventure with lots of battles and a bit of mystery. The series is a double win for librarians in that it will appeal to students interested in Greek mythology and to students who are interested in a great romp of an adventure. Readers who come at the series from a love of mythology tend to start getting interested in reading more adventure. Readers who come at the series from a love of adventure stories tend to get interested in learning more about Greek mythology.

Dragon and Thief by Timothy Zahn

Jack Morgan is 14, an orphan but for his con-artist Uncle Virgil who, for some reason, never seems to leave their ship, the Essenay. Jack is also in trouble, but for once, it's for something he didn't do. Jack and Virgil have decided to lay low on an out-of-the-way planet until the heat dies down, but a quiet time just isn't in the cards for them. They witness an attack and crash landing of a large alien ship, the Havenseeker, and go to investigate (and maybe see what they can pilfer in the process). The wreckage yields no survivors--apparently, until Jack stumbles across a dying dragon-like creature that, in a surprise attack, jumps over Jack and seems to disappear--but not exactly. Somehow, he has become flat and is riding on top of Jack's skin like some strange tattoo--who can move around and talk with Jack from this unusual location. Jacks learns that the creature's name is Draycos, a K'da poet-warrior, and apparently the only surviving member of an advance colony ship for the refugee K'da and Shontin peoples--who are fleeing the Death weapon being used against them on their home world. Thing is, the Death weapon seems to have met them at their new home and Draycos must find out how and who is responsible if he is to save his unsuspecting people. To do THAT, he must first help Jack solve his own problems with whoever seems to have framed him for a serious crime. I wish I could do this storyline justice--and hope that I'm not just making it sound silly b/c the story is anything but that. There is enough action, intrigue, humor, and complexity to leave you on the edge of your seat, and on the reserve list at the local library.

The series so far (and in order from first to latest) includes:

• Dragon and Thief


• Dragon and Soldier


• Dragon and Slave


• Dragon and Herdsman

Note to librarians and teachers: to date, I've only read the first two, but CAN NOT WAIT to get my hands on the 3rd to see what happens. Each book so far has moved the characters closer the answers they are seeking--and each book so far has had an ending that wraps up its own loose ends--BUT--each book has also brought into play new characters and added some new questions. While listed as YA, this book may also be popular among upper-level elementary advanced readers who are clamoring for titles like Eragon.

Three Good Deeds by Vivian Vande Velde

Howard seems always to have some kind of mischief up his sleeve and he can always find a ready excuse for not taking the blame--especially if someone else has gotten caught--even if that someone is his best friend. This dubious talent has kept him out of trouble for the most part--until he pulls one prank too many on the old woman at the goose pond. She seems able to see right through all of his ploys--and doesn't fall for any of them. Undaunted, Howard insults her--after all, he and the other children have taunted her all these years, calling her an old witch and making fun of her walk and her devotion to the geese at the pond. Imagine Howard's surprise when the the old woman turns HIM into a goose--feathers and all. The only way for Howard to ever regain his true form is for him to perform three good deeds. Piece of cake, right? Not exactly. Will he be able to convince anyone that he's a boy, not a goose? Can he figure out what makes a good deed good? Does he get eaten or does he learn the difference between being selfish and selfless? To find out, read Three Good Deeds by Vivian Vande Velde.
I've had great success getting interest in this book by just reading aloud the first two chapters. So far, every time I've done this, several students have put their names on the reserve list for this title.

Grades 3-5.

Wikis, Social Networking, and More in Plain English

Thanks to the good folk at LM_Net, I recently learned about a wonderful blog called "The CommonCraft Show". Once you scroll down the page, you'll see links to various videos including:

Wikis in Plain English
Social Bookmarking in Plain English
Social Networking in Plain English

These brief videos do a great job of getting to the gist of the topic, and as the title says, in plain English. If you're curious about any of these topics, but don't have the first clue where to start, take a look at these videos.

Thanks for the great info CommonCraft!

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

You are considered a "littlie" until age 12. At 12, you move into a boarding school where you will eat, sleep and breath life as an "Ugly", looking forward (and across the river) to age 16 when you can have the operation that makes you a "Pretty" and you can move to Prettytown--and all your troubles are surgically removed along with that too-large nose or too narrow chin. Then you meet someone who challenges this vision of your future--the only vision you've had until now, on the eve of your 16th birthday. What if you must then choose between this new friend and the only dream you've ever had. What if there's a ugly side to being a Pretty--that has nothing to do with how you look?

Uglies is the first in a trilogy that chronicles the adventures of Tally Youngblood as she is introduced to the not-so-perfect side of her utopian world. The series order is: Uglies, Pretties and Specials. For the readers who simply can't get enough of this story, there is now a 4th book in the series, set a few years in the future beyond the point where Specials left off--it's called Extras.

Although these books are 400+ pages, they read so fast that even some of my more reluctant readers are taking a chance on them--and coming back for more.

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel

Imagine Jules Verne sitting down with Robert Louis Stevenson, the folk who worked on Disney's Treasure Planet and Hiyao Miyazaki (the anime version of Howl's Moving Castle)--and coming up with an adventure story that was part historical fiction, part science fiction, and part fantasy. That doesn't actually describe what Kenneth Oppel's Airborn is, but it's close. Matt is a 15 year old cabin boy on a luxury airship (think dirigible or blimp). He's more at home in the air than on solid ground, but his world is about to get shaken up when he meets a young woman who is determined to prove that her grandfather's sightings of large furry flying creatures were not hallucinations. With airship wrecks, pirates, uncharted islands, and mysterious flying creatures (that may or may not exist), this story is a page turner that doesn't need a screenplay to come to technicolor life as you read. This book works for just about any reader, male or female, who likes a good adventure. Many of my high school students are reading this one and being inspired to read more by Oppel. Reading level grades 6 and up.

Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs by Betty G. Birney, Illustrated by Matt Phelan

What do a rough old bookcase, an old loom, an outhouse in the middle of nowhere, a dried up apple-head doll, a haunted table and a boy and his hound dog have in common? To find the answer to this question (and maybe a few more), all you have to do is read this little book with its rough-textured cover the color of rich gold leaves in autumn.

“How It Started”

"Sometimes extraordinary things begin in ordinary places. A fancy-dancy butterfly starts out in a plain little cocoon. A great big apple tree grows from a tiny brown speck of a seed. And the Wonders started right on our own front porch on a hot summer night I would have forgotten on the spot if it hadn’t been for what got started then and kept on going.”

(Excerpted from Pg. 1)

Eben McCallister is sure that there is nothing worth seeing in Sassafras Springs and longs to get out and see the world, like Balboa and Columbus, discovering new and exciting places and ancient marvels. When his father offers him a chance to get out of Sassafras Springs, IF he can find seven wonders OF Sassafras Springs, he’s pretty sure he won’t be able to find anything that would compare to the great pyramids of Egypt or the Colossus of Rhodes. Does he find seven wonders and get to take his trip to Silver Springs, Colorado? I won’t tell you if Eben finds his seven wonders---for that, you have to read the book—but I will tell you that, maybe, along the way, Eben finds more than he bargains for—and maybe that a great deal of the wonder OF a Wonder is all in how you look at it.

Acceleration by Graham McNamee

Duncan's a 17-year old who lives in "the Jungle", the inner-city of Toronto. During the searing heat-wave of summer, his dead-end summer job in the Toronto Transit Authority's "morgue" (aka: Lost and Found) offers him some respite from the heat, but it doesn't offer him any relief from his nightmares. Or does it? Plagued with nightmares about the drowning girl he couldn't save, Duncan's world takes a CSI-type turn when he finds a journal amongst the "lost treasures" of the morgue--the things left on city buses or subway cars. This book is not just any journal--it's someone's chronicle of their descent into going from torturer of small animals, to arsonist, to a stalker of women--someone on the way to becoming a serial killer. The pictures and newspaper clippings in the journal are all too real, but the police don't seem willing to take Duncan's concerns seriously. Is the journal real or just someone's sick creative writing attempt? If the journal IS real, can Duncan find this man before he takes his first human victim? Read Acceleration by Graham McNamee to find out.

Duncan's voice rings true and it's almost as hard to put the book down as it is to find a copy at our school library--yep, it's checked out THAT often. Recommended for Grades 8 and up.

Total Constant Order by Crissa-Jean Chappell

Fin knows that something is wrong, she just doesn’t know what. She can’t stop counting. Some of the teachers at her new school think she just isn’t paying attention, but Fin knows that maybe she’s paying too much attention--to everything. Her dad wants to be buddies with his new girlfriend. Her mother wants her to go to counseling. Her counselor wants her to take Paxil, but her mother doesn’t want her to take meds at all. Fin feels like she’s all alone--until she begins a “conversation” with a tagger on the stall wall of one of the girls’ bathrooms. Maybe she’s not so alone after all, but will she ever be able to stop counting everything? Will she take the meds? Will she meet this tagger? Read Total Constant Order by Crissa-Jean Chappell and see.

Chappell does for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) what Jack Gantos and his character, Joey Pigza, do for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Neither Gantos nor Chappell presume to solve their characters’ problems, nor do they preach or sugar-coat. They do not push any particular treatments. What they do is to skillfully offer the reader a glimpse into the minds of young people as they learn that, maybe, they’re not crazy--and that they aren’t alone. Total Constant Order, scheduled for release on October 23, 2007, is a worthy addition to any young adult collection.