Books and movies are a good combination

If you are looking for a way to escape the heat this summer, then I can recommend two fabulous ways to do it: books and movies. And if you are a fan of both, why not combine the two? There are all sorts of movies based on books, and many books based on screenplays. Here is a sampling of three such books, all of which can be found at the Halton Hills Public Library. Horror-film fans may be interested in Brent Monahan's book, The Bell Witch: An American Haunting. This book is the basis for the movie, An American Haunting, which was released in theatres in May and will be coming out on DVD later this summer. The story tells the tale of the Bell family and their struggles with a violent poltergeist known as "Kate Batts' witch". It is a story that is sure to send chills up anyone's spine, especially if told around the campfire on a warm summer's night. Just released in movie theatres this past week, The Devil Wears Prada, based on the book of the same name by Lauren Weisberger, is a very different type of story, though some may consider it a "horror story" nevertheless. It is about the nightmare that character Andrea Sachs must endure, working for top fashion magazine editor, Miranda Priestly. Miranda's fondness for leaving out most of the details in the tasks she assigns leaves Andrea constantly scrambling to make sense of her demands. It is a true "bossfrom-hell" story that makes for great vacation reading. Kids too can have the fun of reading a book that is being made into a movie. This August, Thomas Rockwell's classic, How to Eat Fried Worms, is due to be released in theatres. In this story, Alan challenges his friend, Billy, to eat 15 real worms in as many days. Billy figures since he has endured fried liver and pigs' feet, worms should be a snap-- especially since he has the choice of cooking method and condiments! This is a great summertime book for parents and kids to enjoy together. For more information, please stop by either branch of the Halton Hills Public Library or visit the website at www.library.hhpl.on.ca. Clare Hanman is a circulation supervisor at the Halton Hills Public Library