WLA Meetup in Madison for the Documentary "The Librarians"

We hope you can join us in Madison for a meetup on February 19th! Event is open to everyone and FREE!

 

MADISON AREA MEETUP! WLA is hosting a Madison area meetup to watch the documentary THE LIBRARIANS. This event is FREE and open to everyone (not just WLA members). See below for the details: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19 Pre-movie meetup at Butterbird (1134 Regent Street in Madison) from 4:30 - 6:00pm for social hour and food. Stop by when you can!  The Librarians will be showing at The Marquee Cinema at Union South (1308 W. Dayton Street in Madison) Doors open at 6:00pm for 6:30pm showing. The closest parking lot is Lot 80, a parking garage under Union South. The parking is free from 4:30pm-7am. WLA will be hosting a virtual discussion group after the movie for its members on February 25th from 3:30-5:00pm. Thank you to the Wisconsin Union Directorate Film Committee for hosting the film and for the invite to our members!

Interactive Movie: The Princess Bride

 

Photo from Middleton Public Library

If you're looking for a big dose of nostalgia, look no further than an interactive movie showing of an old classic. Earlier today our library hosted a family-friendly interactive showing of The Princess Bride. An interactive movie can be as elaborate as you'd like, and is a simple way to step up your regular library movie viewing experience. There were three keys to the success of our movie showing.

1. A fun and active script. Ours included things like "booing" anytime Prince Humperdinck was on screen, "oohing" at the kissing scenes, slapping your forehead anytime Vizzini says, "inconceivable," bowing anytime someone said "As you wish" and so much more. 

Photo from Middleton Public Library

2. Themed props. We did this in two ways. First was a table full of themed snacks. Gummy worms to represent shrieking eels, peanut butter cups for Princess Buttercup, ring pops and peanuts. We also gave out bags of props to be used during the movie. Ours included blow up swords, pixie sticks to act as iocane powder, slide whistles, glow sticks and more. 

3. A group of librarians and patrons who are not afraid to make a bit of a fool of themselves and who want to have a good time! Our group was a mix of people who loved the movie and those who had never seen it before, and everyone had an equally amazing time. 

We got a lot of our inspiration from this blog post from 2014. [The Princess Bride Backyard Movie Night. Purple Patch Parties. September 4, 2014.]  https://purplepatchparties.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-princess-bride-backyard-movie-night.html

K-Pop Demon Hunters is Having a Moment

Menomonee Falls Public Library Facebook post

"Katie, Katie, Katie!! Have you watched K-Pop Demon Hunters? It's soooo good! I've watched it four times this week. I made my brother watch it with me and then he wanted to watch it again too. It's my new hyper fixation. We should watch it for Teen Hangout!" 

I've had a couple versions of this conversation with teens around the Library since K-Pop Demon Hunters dropped on Netflix in June. The movie is an animated musical following a K-pop group that moonlights as demon hunters and has become an instant hit with teens. 

While we can't show the movie in the library we have hopped on the trend and compiled some read-alikes. You can check out the suggestions on the Menomonee Falls Public Library Facebook post put together by a talented colleague, Maggie Davis.

A Riley Jensen post on the Teen Librarian Toolbox has more suggestions including watch-alikes. She writes, "With the popularity of the movie growing, it makes sense that people are seeking media similar to what they loved." 

To see her full post stop here.  [Like This, Try That: K-Pop Demon Hunters. Riley Jensen. Teen Librarian Toolbox blog. July 11, 2025.]

Interactive Hocus Pocus!

Looking for a fun, easy program to celebrate the spooky season?

Why not try your hand at an interactive movie?  (Think Rocky Horror midnight show, but family-friendly.)

A few weeks ago, we held a Hex-a-Long: Interactive Hocus Pocus program at our library!

The program itself was relatively low-cost and low-maintenance.  The most labor-intensive part was deciding on the interactive elements and choosing my bewitching snacks!

I decided that we'd have spooky chocolate covered pretzels, popcorn, candy, and Witch's Brew Punch. (ginger ale + limeade + citrus sherbert = YUM)

I also found some super cute little inflatable brooms and sticky cats on Oriental Trading, so all the witches and warlocks in attendance could fly home with their very own souvenirs.

On the day of the program, I made sure each attendee had a cheat sheet to peek at during the movie and went over each of the prompts and their corresponding responses.  Additionally, I printed off the actions, taped them to the wall, and used my handy dandy pointer (and verbal cues!) to help instruct them along the way.

Once the movie began, the program basically ran itself!  Participants were encouraged to dance, sing, and quote along to their heart's content...  (I know I did!)

Needless to say, this program was such a blast and I definitely plan to repeat it in the coming years!  If anyone is interested in the cheat sheet, wall prompts, or official recipe for the Witch's Brew, send me an email and I'd be happy to share! aramkids @ aramlibrary.org

Happy fall, y'all!  

Teen-Friendly Horror Movies

I don't know about you, but I am already thinking about pumpkins and crisp leaves, apple picking and HALLOWEEN.  That's right people, it might be sweltering outside, but in my little library office, I am all about the orange and black.  Also, I love movie showings at the library.  So, imagine my joy at discovering that Brooke Windsor over at the YALSA Hub has compiled a list of recommended horror movies that teens will love (and parents won't hate).  Including A Quiet Place and Lights Out, Windsor also includes some "horror-lite" selections like Gremlins, for younger teen audiences.  Check out the whole list HERE.

Programs Inside the Box, Vol. 1: Cardboard Box Drive-In

Cardboard boxes...here, there, EVERYWHERE.  Regardless of the size of your library, you likely find yourself inundated with oodles of boxes at some point or another.  Of course, you could always recycle them, but why not re-purpose them for programs first?

One idea: you could host a Cardboard Box Drive-In!  

Each attendee gets a box and some fun craft materials to transform into their own sweet ride!  Then, once the vehicles are completed, they can sit in their respective cars, watching a short film and eating delicious drive-in snacks.

As you might imagine, things like paper, scissors, duct tape, and markers are always well-utilized.  Here are a few other materials to consider having available:

  *craft sticks - great for license plate covers!

  *pipe cleaners - antennas and windshield wipers, galore!

  *paper plates - tires and steering wheels!

  *cupcake wrappers + bracelet-sized glowsticks = super sweet  headlights!

Given that cardboard boxes can be rather bulky and take up quite a bit of space, you can always consider having registration and ask folks to secure their parking space ahead of time.

What's great about this program is that it can be relatively low-cost, provided you plan ahead: most of the materials necessary can be found on your craft shelves or--in terms of boxes--saved as orders come in.

This program has been quite popular here at my library and is something that I've revisited often.  To add a bit of extra excitement for our next installment, I've been in contact with our fire station to see if they'd be interested in hosting a firehouse tour and Cardboard Box Drive-In at the station for SRP 2018 - - we'll transform our boxes into firetrucks and other emergency vehicles and have the chance to watch a movie with real live firefighters!

Ladies and gentlemen, let's all go to the drive-in!

When does that movie come out?

Recently, my library switched from receiving an automatic standing order on almost all new release DVDs, to ordering on Amazon.  It saves a fairly absurd amount of money, BUT the process now includes having to know when movies are released.  So, with that time consuming task at hand, I have found a couple resources I use to explore what DVDs are being released in the near future.

Movie Insider is great because it not only tells you DVD release dates, but also, Blu-ray release dates and with more libraries growing their Blu-ray collections this is a great resource.

DVD Release Dates is a bit more visually appealing, in my opinion, and it lists the MPAA rating and the IMDB rating, all directly beneath the movie cover.

"Every time I go to the movies, it's magic, no matter what the movie's about."

-   Steven Spielberg

52 Weeks: Week 46 Valentine's Day Movie Night

Brought to you by the Wisconsin Library Association Youth Services Section, 52 Weeks of YA Programming is a collection of teen programs submitted by YSS members across the state.

Week 46: Valentine's Day Movie Night: Warm Bodies  Submitted by YSS Member Dave Deprey

Movie Programming

Many libraries obtain movie licenses to show films for adults, kids and teens. It can be an easy program. It can increase statistics. You can tie books to movies. Our library's teens even go together to the movie theater to see new movies they're excited about. Specifically "The Fault in Our Stars" based on the book by John Green.  (who is AH-MAZING)

You'd have to be living under a rock to not have heard about this book or movie. 
for those of you counting...

Countdown Clocks

Our library has more success with brand new DVD releases; Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, Downton Abbey, Catching Fire. 

But it makes me a little sad because I really want to show the old school movies that NEED to be seen. I'm going to try and incorporate activities in the viewing to make it more fun and draw more people. 

To coordinate with the Summer Reading Program theme, FIZZ BOOM READ, we're going to show Honey I Shrunk the Kids and do a shrinky dink craft. 

Are your movie programs well attended?

tidbits around the web

• On Pinterest? Be sure to check out all the boards devoted to SRP 2014!
• This series of picture reminded me of Miss Peregrine...
• An interesting look at corporate children's writing from Gary Soto.
• Dream of having a home library? Check out this one!
• Daniel Radcliffe was interviewed on Fresh Air recently.

Tidbits

• Here's a great interview with Judy Blume on Here and Now! 
• Did you know Camilla Dickinson has been turned into a movie?
• A great series of programs on public radio recently: Front and Center.

Oscar Love, Baby, Oscar Love

 It's always fantabulous when children's books and book creators step up and into the limelight. The Oscar show did our youth librarian hearts good. Tessa Michaelson Schmidt, our state's new Youth and Special Needs consultant provides the links to the goods here in this article from the 3/1/12 Channel Weekly:

Amidst the Gowns and Glitz: Children's Books at the Academy Awards:
Moonbot Studios' "The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore" won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. This delightful movie emphasizes the wondrous and transformative power of books. The co-directors spoke of childhood and storytelling in their Oscar acceptance speech. Take a moment to watch the 15 minute film today!

Also of note-the Caldecott award winning book, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick was transformed into a brilliant 3D movie by Martin Scorsese. "Hugo" scored five Oscars at the 84th Academy Awards. Be enchanted by the original story and artwork at the Hugo Cabret website.

Hunger Games, Hobbits and Gatsby

We all know how often books are turned into movies. How many times have you groaned in despair that 'they're going to ruin another book'?


Well, this year is no different.


Though some movies may be good interpretations of their novel counterparts.


Publisher's Weekly has rounded up the Top Ten Most Anticipated (Book) Movies of 2012. Note: not all are for kids or teens. In fact, a couple I didn't know were getting made into movies, as I don't read adult books too often...


Which one are you most looking forward to?

Movie News

• Have you seen the latest casting calls for The Hunger Games? What do you think?
• Been following Peter Jackson and his rendition of LOTR? The Hobbit is indeed on it's way!
• Winnie the Pooh will be back this summer on the big screen!

Got any other news about movies to share? Post in the comments!

HP HBP

Okay, everyone, it's time to post your thoughts about the new Harry Potter movie! I saw it over the weekend and really enjoyed it. They did expect you to know a lot going in (for example, you're supposed to know who Lavender is... I completely forgot about her and they didn't even SAY her name until just before she and Ron broke up...), but even if you haven't read the books, you can follow along okay. The other thing that threw me was how they handled all the romances. Everything did happen quickly, so perhaps that is part of it.

So, what did you think? Did you reread before going to see it (I didn't--on purpose)? How did you handle the rearrangement of a few of the scenes? How many times are you going to see it?

Discuss.

Alice Movie

Just in case you missed it yesterday, some official photos were released for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. It looks to be fantastic!

Books and Movies

*sigh* Another book turned into a movie, and this one's pretty young as far as publishing date goes...

Here's a little news story about How To Talk to Girls.

Amazon has a video to watch, interviewing the author, which is cute and will fill you in on the book in case you haven't rushed out to read it yet.

So what do you think about this latest development for this title? How about others? What would you love to see as a movie? What would absolutely ruin the book (if put on the big screen)?

Discuss.