The following blog entry was written by Sarah Chassé, a copy editor of READ, Writing, and a whole bunch of other Weekly Reader magazines.

Quick--think of the last five movies you've seen. Were any of them based on a book? It seems like every hit novel gets made into a film these days. Need I mention the Harry Potter movies? The Chronicles of Narnia series? Bridge to Terabithia? Charlotte's Web? Even epic poems like Beowulf are getting the Hollywood treatment. Are the people who make movies running out of ideas or what?

But don't get me wrong; I love seeing my favorite books come to life on the big screen. So this past weekend I saw The Golden Compass, starring Nicole Kidman and talented young newcomer Dakota Blue Richards. The fantasy flick is based on the first book of a trilogy by British writer Philip Pullman.

If you've read the Harry Potter books, you'll recognize a few familiar themes in the pages of The Golden Compass. The main character, a young girl named Lyra, is an orphan destined for great things. Like, oh, helping to save the universe. And like Harry, she lives in a world full of adventure, danger, and magic.

In Lyra's reality, every person's soul lives outside his or her body in the form of an animal-shaped daemon (pronounced like demon). I know. You're thinking, "Huh!?" But I swear, it starts to seem normal after you've been reading for a while. Lyra and her shape-shifting daemon, Pan, battle the sinister Mrs. Coulter, who is part of a government plot to kidnap children to the Arctic and conduct terrible experiments on them. Along the way, Lyra is helped by wise witches, warrior polar bears, and a mysterious golden compass given to her by her uncle.

And that little summary is just the half of it. Or maybe just the quarter of it? I can't possibly fit all of the action and intrigue from the book into this blog entry. And you know what? It didn't quite fit into a two-hour movie, either. Important plot points felt rushed and confusing in the film. But then again, two ferocious, talking polar bears fighting to the death was more exciting with swelling music and deafening snarls than it was on the page. The movie was worth my $10, but the first thing I said when the lights came up was something you've probably heard before: "The book was better!"

Why do you think books are often better than movies? What books would you love to see made into a film? What books would you hate to see made into a film? Have you ever liked a movie better than the book it was based on? Am I asking too many questions? OK, just one more: What literary smash do you think will be the next Hollywood blockbuster?

We at WORD love words. (After all, that's what we named ourselves after. It wasn't one of those ironic names, like the bald "Curly" from the Three Stooges.) So we get a little excited when dictionaries pick their "word of the year." Last year, Merriam-Webster picked "truthiness" from The Colbert Report. It's a great word, made even greater because it was made up by one man, and it spread and entered the lexicon; it wasn't from some stodgy, well, dictionary.

Well, it was all a lie! OK, maybe that's a little dramatic. But apparently dictionaries pick their words of the year to garner publicity! Can you believe it? Here I am, thinking that a word has gained enough attention to be officially recognized, and it's all a stunt to sell more dictionaries! I am appalled I tell you, appalled!

Let's do it up right! I know you all love words as much as I do. And since we have no hidden agenda, we should nominate our own words of the year. (I would never try to trick you guys. And I think the words of the year should be, ahem, "weekly" and "reader" because they are great words. Joking, of course.)

So what is your word of the year? Here are some of my favorites:

-chartreuse (because it is a cool color, and hey, it just sounds awesome)
-ostentatious (because who doesn't love showing off, just a little bit)
-Jessica (because I'm a bit of an egomaniac, which is also a cool word)

I know you all have favorite words. Send them in, and let me know why! (Unless you are shilling for the dictionary company!)

I'll admit it: I'm not a huge comic book fan. I just never got into going to a comic store and digging through the racks. I wouldn't even know where to begin! It's a shame, because comic books and graphic novels and the like are a great medium. They're probably one of the more influential types of stories today. However, most of my knowledge of comic book characters come from the movies. And, while I was Batgirl for Halloween this year, it was more because they had the costume in my size than because of any love for the character. In fact, I didn't even know her secret identity! (A collegue just informed me that Batgirl's idenity is Barbara Gordon, Commissionor Gordon's daughter. You learn something new every day!)

But now Marvel Comics are putting their issues online. For a fee, you can read all about the adventures of the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four, and all of the other loveable mutants and heroes. This is pretty cool, at least in my opinion. I mean, I would never be able to track down issue number 4 where Spidey's suit is the wrong color (totally made that up, by the way, I have no idea what color Spiderman's suit is in issue 4), but if it's online, maybe I would look it up. I like when things are easy and accessible. And then I can read up on all the crazy backstories that are probably awesome. Plus, it would give me something else to do at work ... clearly, for research purposes only, of course.

So, how do you like your comic books? Would you read them online, or is part of the joy getting the ink stains all over your skin/putting Silly Putty on the frames to pull up the image? (Do people even still do that anymore? Wow, suddenly I feel old.) What comic books have you read lately? Who's your favorite superhero and why? And who do you think is superior, Batman or Superman? My vote is for Superman. Without his utility belt, Batman would be nothing.

Well, those TV writers are still on strike ... but they're talking again! They're hoping for a pay increase, and they might actually get it. That's excellent, because I know I for one am going crazy without new programs. And if the strike goes on for a lot longer, it might even affect movies. I don't like the sound of that one bit. No TV and no movies makes Jessica a dull girl. (Oh, for all you out there who aren't movie nerds like I am, that was a reference from The Shining, which is an old movie--and an awesome book, by the way--so at least you can rent it if the strike goes on.)

I'm certainly glad that the writers might be back to work soon. But there is one thing that's been nagging me about the strike. (OK, one other thing besides the leaving us without new TV episodes.) These people are writers. And, while I'm sure we all have different opinions of the quality of TV shows, these are good writers, more or less. So what's with all the boring signs? "Writer's Guild of America on Strike!" Yeah, that's creative.

Come on, WORDians. If you were a Hollywood writer who was on strike (and if you were a Hollywood writer, you certainly would be on strike. We don't like scabs. Solidarity, brother!), what would your sign say?

Here's mine:

Writing? It's in the Scripture!

Uggh, I guess it's harder than it looks. But I bet you guys can do better! What would be on your signs?

Oh, and on a completely different note--tonight is the first night of Hanukkah. For all of you celebrating, eat some latkas for me! (I don't think I've ever used my kitchen, so I must enjoy the latkas vicariously.)