Children won’t read, they said. In an era of multimillion-dollar blockbuster movies, satellite and cable TV, multiple gaming systems and smartphone apps, prevailing wisdom was that young people simply wouldn’t get excited about books.
Then along came Harry Potter, the Twilight series, The Hunger Games trilogy and “Game of Thrones,” a TV show based on George R. R. Martin’s epic saga, Song of Ice and Fire. Books became cool, with midnight release parties, character costumes — and eagerly anticipated releases of movies based on the authors’ original work.
Recognizing the special thrill that comes from seeing beloved characters come to life on the big screen, we launched the “Book2Movie Club” last fall at our Cokata Wiconi teen center. It was so successful, CRYP staff decided to offer the club again this spring to young people ages 13 to 18. The first club meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16, and subsequent meetings will be held at 6 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday.
The idea is for club members to read a book that has been adapted into a screenplay, and once all members have finished the book, the club watches the film on Cokata Wiconi’s big movie screen.
“Last November, a highlight for the teens was reading Stephanie Meyer’s Breaking Dawn and then traveling to Pierre to see the film ‘Breaking Dawn, Part 2’ on opening night,” said Tammy Eagle Hunter, CRYP’s wellness coordinator and Book2Movie Club organizer.
“They really got into the club meetings, and seeing the Twilight Saga finale on opening night was a major thrill.”
On deck this spring: Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Sherman Alexie’s The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Larry Colton’s Counting Coup and Stephen King’s classic novel Carrie. At each club meeting, the group will discuss that week’s chapters, take a small quiz and receive the next assigned chapters. Then, after each book is complete, the teens will have their special movie night.
The film adaptations of this spring’s titles are “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “Smoke Signals,” “Edge of America” and the thriller “Carrie.”
“We’re really hoping that our club’s selections this spring will continue to encourage reading among our teens and positively reinforce their interest in literacy,” Eagle Hunter said.
The nearly 25-year-old, not-for-profit youth project also is offering a powerful incentive. Teens who attend all Book2Movie Club meetings, participate in the discussions and take the quizzes for all four books will each receive a Kindle.
“This is one teen program that really gets all of our staff members and volunteers excited, too,” Eagle Hunter observed. “Everyone is looking forward to getting into the books, engaging the teens in some animated discussions and then celebrating with a great movie night. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”