The room is dark, sweet and savory snacks line a table, and the chairs are all pointed towards the big screen in the library. Jan. 16, the library hosted another Book vs. Movie event after school. This time, the book was The Sun is Also a Star. Before the event, students read the book and then watch the movie adaptation after school in the library. After the movie is finished, a discussion about the differences between the two mediums is held.
The original idea came to the Media specialist, Shannon Chamberlain, from one of her classes in college.
“We [Chamberlain’s class] read the books, and then we went to a film adaptation, and then we talked about the differences and similarities, but we also went deeper into why this person [the director of the film adaptation] chose to change things,” Chamberlain said.
The Sun is Also a Star is a book by Nicola Yoon and follows the tale of Natasha, who faces possible deportation, and Daniel, who has lots of pressure to succeed in his interview, and the day they spend together and how they fall in love in 12 hours.
“[We] picked [the romance genre] we should do it [for the book vs movie event] because romance is more popular among the other genres,” Chamberlain said.
The book was taken to have a very exciting and thrilling plot with a fast-paced time frame. As it was a 12-hour time period, the book never felt boorish because it cut out the weird, awkward stage that a lot of romance books have.
“For me, the book was more engaging and easier to read, mainly because of how well executed the multiple perspectives and history lessons were. There were also more characters involved that either helped progress the movie or added more meaning to it. Not only were some of those characters absent from the movie, but it’s much more difficult to execute first-person perspectives inside a movie when the audience views everything in third person,” attendee Daniela Linero said (‘27).
The movie had many differences, for example, one of the key characters had a completely different personality from the book. When movies make changes like this is can feel like a different work from the book completely, and this creates a feeling of disappointment and satisfaction when the movie ends. However, some students enjoyed the environment of the library late at night.
“I could be with people who love the library and have a nice break from studying. It was very fun and relaxing,” attendee Sage Saenz (’27) said.
Even though the event had low attendance, it was genuinely one of my favorite school events I have attended this year. The next book vs. movie event will be Kiki’s Delivery Service on April 17. Kiki’s delivery service is a graphic novel, so it’s an easier read, and Chamberlain encourages anyone who is able to attend. Come out and enjoy a movie in the library for a fun night of friends and discussion.
