The 90-Second Newbery Film Festival, which I founded in 2011, is an annual video contest in which kid filmmakers create weird short movies that tell the entire stories of Newbery-winning books in about 90 seconds. On April 22, 2017 we plan to bring the festival to the Pack Memorial Library in Asheville!

Ever since 1922, the Newbery Medal has been recognized as the most prestigious award in children’s literature. But any classic book, no matter how worthy and somber, turns into something fresh and bonkers when compressed into 90 seconds. Here are 25 standouts from the 100s of kid-made videos we've received over the years: http://bit.ly/2cbDC1r

The best of each year's movies are shown at FREE yearly screenings across the country, in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Portland, Minneapolis, and starting in 2017, ASHEVILLE -- co-hosted by me and other children's authors. These free shows combine screenings of the kids' movies with comedy cabaret bits, and have been "sold out" from the start, with crowds of hundreds, including the young filmmakers themselves.

Our mission:

1) Entice students into reading and discussing classic Newbery-winning books.

2) Encourage the close reading necessary to write a script that wittily sums up a book in 90 seconds.

3) Give opportunity for students to use new technologies, such as video equipment and editing software, in a constructive way that promotes literacy.

4) Throw awesome screening parties to celebrate the kids' great movies!

I'm looking forward to bringing the 90-Second Newbery to Asheville! We already have a team of enthusiastic supporters. The organizer in Asheville is local Elliot Weiner. The Pack Memorial Library has offered use of their auditorium for the 4/22 screening. North Carolina author Alan Gratz will co-host with me. Carolina Day School has contributed many great movies to the festival over the years. With these allies plus more, we plan to put on an unforgettable show at the library.