Books to Movies - Check it out!

Don't worry, be happy.  I am featuring a book turned movie for you consideration this morning.  The book is "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day."  Check both the book and the movie out and let me know what you think.  Did Hollywood do the book justice?  Your thoughts will be greatly appreciated and shared here for others to consider and enjoy.


Smiles for you:

Here's the featured book today:

Author:  Judith Viorst

Illustrator:  Ray Cruz

First published:  1972

According to Amazon:

"I went to sleep with gum in my mouth and now there's gum in my hair and when I got out of bed this morning I tripped on the skateboard and by mistake I dropped my sweater in the sink while the water was running and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day." 

So begin the trials and tribulations of the irascible Alexander, who has been earning the sympathy of readers since 1972. People of all ages have terrible, horrible days, and Alexander offers us the cranky commiseration we crave as well as a reminder that things may not be all that bad. As Alexander's day progresses, he faces a barrage of bummers worthy of a country- western song: getting smushed in the middle seat of the car, a dessertless lunch sack, a cavity at the dentist's office, stripeless sneakers, witnessing kissing on television, and being forced to sleep in railroad-train pajamas. He resolves several times to move to Australia. 

Judith Viorst flawlessly and humorously captures a child's testy temperament, rendering Alexander sympathetic rather than whiny. Our hero's gum-styled hair and peevish countenance are artfully depicted by Ray Cruz's illustrations. An ALA Notable Book,  Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is a great antidote to bad days everywhere, sure to put a smile on even the crabbiest of faces. (Ages 5 to 9)

Let's take a peek inside shall we?

Praise for the book:  An ALA Notable Children's book, it also won a George G. Stone Center recognition of Merit, a Georgia Children's Book Award, and is a Reading Rainbow book. Viost followed this book up with two sequels, "Alexander, Who Used to be rich Last Sunday", and "Alexander, Who's Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move.

The movie:

1. Follows the exploits of 11-year-old Alexander as he experiences the most terrible and horrible day of his young life-a day that begins with gum stuck in his hair, followed by one calamity after another. But when Alexander tells his upbeat family about the misadventures of his disastrous day, he finds little sympathy and begins to wonder if bad things only happen to him. He soon learns that he's not alone when his brother, sister, mom and dad all find themselves living through their own terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Anyone who says there is no such thing as a bad day just hasn't had one.

   
   Let's take a peek shall we?

   
   

   

   
   
   

   

   
   
   

   

   
   
   

   

   
   

   About the movie:

   
   

   
   

   Initial Release:   October 9, 2014  (Argentina)

   
   

   Director:  Miguel Arteta

   
   

   Adaptation:  Book of the same name

   
   

   Screenplay:  Rob Lieber

   
   

   Story:  (author) Judith Viorst

   
   

   Cast:

   
   

   Ben:  Steve Carvell

   Kelly:  Jennifer Garner

   Celia:  Bella Thome

   Anthony:  Dylan Minitte

   Alexander:  Ed Oxenbould

   
   

   Reviews:  

   
   

                    IMDb - 3 stars out of 5      6.5/10

   
   

   
   

   
   

                    Rotten Tomatoes - 3 stars out of 5      64%

   
   

   Read on and read always!  Enjoy your day to the max.