BOOKS IN MOTION

Books in Motion is a program I started six years ago at Skidompha Library.  The premise is simple: read the book, watch the movie.

I had many goals when I started this program: get kids reading, and talking about their reading with family and friends.  Offer a free family night out every month in a part of Maine where the nearest bowling alley is 45 minutes away.  Show kids how much better the book is.  Keep the library relevant for kids too old for story hour and too young for the Teen Room.

Since our humble beginning we have given away over 1500 books and run over 50 movies, every one well attended.  Business sponsors allow us to buy 30 copies of the paperback and a DVD of the movie, which we show in the library meeting hall to anywhere from 25-100 people, usually on the last Friday of each month.

It works!  Every one of my goals for the program–and few more–have come true.  In year five we added a dinner discussion of the book before the movie, and local restaurants have been donating dinner.

Below is a list of the titles we have featured, with a link to my review.  None of them have failed, but some do work better than others.

The Black Stallion by Walter Farley/The Black Stallion (1979)

How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell/How to Train Your Dragon (2010)