148 – The Voice of The Shire

Just two episodes to go before our 150th Episode celebration! This time you’ll hear:

– A tribute to James Earl Jones, who had a bigger impact on children’s literacy than you might realize!
– What we are reading now. Chloë is enjoying The Misadventures of Max Crumbly and T.Q. is cracking open a comic book for the first time in years with The Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 1: Married with Children.
– How composer Howard Shore adapted the text of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, carefully choosing instruments and crafting a melody to create a musical voice for the Hobbits and The Shire in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy.

There are videos for two show segments:

Activity: Explore Musical Storytelling

This activity could be done in a music class or a literature class. Have students select a piece of music composed for a film which they feel effectively interprets the plot or characters of a piece of literature. Students should research the instrumentation of the piece and form theories about why the composer selected certain instruments to do certain jobs in the song. Encourage students to consider as many elements as possible. Is the song accurate to the setting of the story? Does the rhythm match anything that is happening with the plot or characters? Are there any diagetic elements to the music? Have students share their findings with one another through essays, discussion, or presentations.

147 – Tolkien About Music

This is the first episode in a series about how Howard Shore’s film score for the Lord of the Rings film trilogy drew directly on the text of the book, supporting the story at all times.

There’s also a bit of show business to attend to, including some great conversations I’ve been having with listeners, our upcoming 150th episode, and whether or not listeners prefer a regular release schedule on a certain day or a looser schedule that puts out episodes when they feel relevant.

There’s a video version of the section of the show about Tolkien that you can watch here:

In this episode, I reference some musical experiments that I did based on Tolkien’s lyrics. I carefully reading the text of The Hobbit and tried to come up with musical arrangements that matched the text as closely as possible. You can listen to these experiments and download free sheet music here:

childrensliteraturepodcast.com/music

116 – Percy Jackson and the Olympians Episode Six

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is starting to drift farther away from its source material in The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. The show is still good, and most of the changes are good for abridging the story. But not all of the changes are working.

When grown-up filmmakers take control of a story written for kids, unfortunately they can forget that the story was written for kids. The filmmakers of Percy Jackson and the Olympians keep adding more grown-up characters to the story and, worse, removing children.

Find out how many Snapes I awarded this episode based on how faithful it was to the source material. And if you’ve seen it, let me know what you thought!

114 – Percy Jackson and the Olympians Episode Five

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is beginning to diverge from its literary source, The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. Many of the changes are good examples of abridgment, and this episode’s depiction of Ares is wickedly fun and very faithful to the attitude of the original character on the page. But huge portions of the story are being rewritten, and extra adult characters are being shoved unnecessarily into a story that is supposed to be for and about kids.

Find out how many Snapes I gave this episode, based not on how much I enjoyed the episode, but how faithful it was to the literary source. I’ve chosen Snapes as my rating system in honor of Alan Rickman’s superb translation of the character of Severus Snape from the page to the screen.

The podcast is now on YouTube, Pandora, and Stitcher, giving you more places to subscribe to the show.

104 – Wonka Film Review

This is a bonus episode I’ve slipped into the schedule as some listeners asked me to weigh in on the new film Wonka, which acts as a prequel to the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Find out what I thought of it and whether or not I think it’s worth taking my own kids to the theater.

If you see the movie, let me know what you thought of it. If you don’t, tell me why you decided to give it a miss.

I’ve also done up my review as a YouTube video:

54 – Matilda: An Adaptation of an Adaptation

This week I am joined by co-host Chloë Townsend. Adaptations of beloved stories don’t always go well, but that’s not the case with Matilda: The Musical or the recent film adaptation! After a chaotic holiday season, my daughter and I finally managed to go to the movies, and here’s our thoughts on this thoroughly delightful film, which is based on Roald Dahl’s final novel.

You can watch Matilda: The Musical with your kids and then talk about how adaptations will always be slightly different from the source material. As long as the original story is treated with respect and changes are made with care, that’s ok! Here are our notes from watching the film. You can make similar notes using the printable form in the activity below.

What things were in the novel but missing from the film?

Matilda’s brother Michael has been written out. There were also many scenes which describe Matilda sitting quietly and reading, but it makes sense to remove them because watching someone sit and read is not very good for a stage show or movie.

What things were missing from the novel but added to the film?

The story about the Escapologists was added, as well as Matilda’s even stronger telepathic abilities. In the book, Miss Trunchbull runs out of the school after Matilda uses her mind to trick her into thinking that the ghost of Magnus is writing with chalk. In the film, Matilda uses her powers to create a physical representation of Magnus using chains, and then braids Miss Trunchbull’s hair before tossing her out of the school. These additions take advantage of the special effects available to filmmakers and make the scene more visually dramatic for viewers. They are big additions, but they are in keeping with the spirit of the original scene.

What things were in the novel but changed a little bit in the film?

Mr. Wormwood’s hair is not bleached but rather turns green. Green would show up better and look more comical onstage, and the bright color also worked well on film. Also, in the book he cuts up his hat after it is glued to his head. In the film, he keeps the hat on until Matilda releases it. This is as slight difference from the book, but it gives Matilda a nice chance to show forgiveness toward her father at the end of the story.

What actor most closely matched the character from the book?

Emma Thompson as Miss Trunchbull. The makeup team deserves a lot of praise as they were able to give her false teeth and many face prosthetics, but they looked completely natural and didn’t create a rubbery appearance. Despite not being a broadway singer, Thompson gave an excellent vocal performance, which was helped along by the fact that the role is well suited to speaking and shouting many lines from songs. It was also interesting to see this actor in a role as a large, loud, ugly buly, as she often plays characters that are good, quiet, and even timid.

Andrea Riseborough should also be mentioned in her role as Mrs. Wormwood. It would be very easy for this character to be uninteresting or even unlikeable, but she played the part for laughs very well.

Which actor least matched the character from the book?

Lashana Lynch, but only physically. The actor was able to portray Miss Honey’s emotions and personality quite well, but she was less of a physical match for the character as described in the book. Lynch is quite tall and is extremely athletic. She is very physically strong and usually plays characters like super heroes, soldiers, and spies. An important contrast in the book is between Miss Trunchbull’s large and strong body and Miss Honey’s thin, frail one. For many years, Miss Trunchbull made sure that Miss Honey stayed weak, even to the point of making sure Miss Honey never had enough to eat. A very important moment for Matilda in the book is when she realizes that Miss Honey only eats one meal a day as a result of her aunt’s cruelty and controlling behavior. It would not be possible for Miss Honey to look so healthy or strong, as this would require plenty of nutritious food to eat and a regular exercise routine. However, this difference isn’t a fatal flaw to the musical, just a noticeable difference.

What moment from the book was best interpreted in the film version?

The song “Naughty” really portrays Matilda’s spirit. She refuses to allow the adults in her life to mistreat her, and so she decides to “change her story” by using the tools she has to get away from their control. Roald Dahl would likely have approved of this song, as a major theme of Matilda is the idea that bullies should not be obeyed simply because they happen to be in charge.

Activity: Examine an Adaptation

After reading Matilda by Roald Dahl, watch the film version of Matilda: The Musical. Use this worksheet to note changes to the story as well as choices made by the film’s production team. Use the worksheet to start a discussion or prompt an essay about how effectively the novel was adapted into a musical and then into a film, and what decisions helped or hindered the artistic efforts of the filmmakers.