Books to Plays/Films
Age Category 9-11
Imagine you are going to turn one of the following books into a play or film
Elise and the Second-Hand Dog, Bjarne Reuter, Translated from Danish by Sian Mackie, Illustrated by Kirsten Raagaard, Wacky Bee Books (2018)
The Goldsmith and the Master Thief, Tonke Dragt, Translated from Dutch by Laura Watkinson, Pushkin Children’s Books (2019)
The Magical Bookshop, Katja Frixe, Translated from German by Ruth Ahmedzai-Kemp, Illustrated by Florentine Prechel, Rock the Boat (2021)
The Secrets of Cricket Karlsson, Kristina Sigunsdotter, Translated from Swedish by Julia Marshall, Illustrated by Ester Eriksson, Gecko Press (2022)
Temple Alley Summer, Sachiko Kashiwaba, Translated from Japanese by Avery Fischer Udagawa, Illustrated by Miho Satake, Yonder, Restless Books (2021)
Brown: My Alter Ego Is A Superhero, Hakon Ovreas, Translated from Norwegian by Kari Dickson, Illustrated by Oyvind Torseter, Enchanted Lion Books (2019)
Nobody Can Stop Don Carlo, Oliver Scherz, Translated from German by Deirdre McMahon, Young Dedalus (2020)
1. What would you call your play or film?
2. Can you come up with a catchy slogan to promote your play or film?
3. Try to create a script or screenplay either taking a section of the book or the whole story.
4. Develop the plot and choose your cast of characters.
TIPS
1. Remember that it is important to find the title first. (Some of the books have good titles already such as The Pasta Detective or Fruitloops and Dipsticks but you will need a good slogan that helps explain what the film is about.
2. Before starting, read other screenplays or scripts to understand the dialogue.
3. There needs to be a good plot with suspense and emotion. In Midnight Palace is full of suspense while In the Sea there are Crocodiles might lend itself to more of a documentary-style film. For films don’t use too many words as it is about the pictures – think in pictures.
4. Get your story – write up lots of ideas, create an outline or roadmap - maybe create a storyboard.
5. Choose your cast of characters – build them up in your mind.
6. Set the scene including details such as time of day, setting and actions of characters in the scenes.
7. Decide how the story is to unfold e.g. a narrator may introduce the characters. A character may set up the characters through dialogue (conversation) or a monologue (thinking aloud).
8. Make sure you tell the reader/actor in the script or screenplay what is happening that the narrator is not communicating.
9. Develop a rough draft.
10. Be prepared to revise and edit.
