Wreck & Roll!

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Can you combine story time and demolition work? Well, in the eternal words of Bob the Builder, “Yes we CAN!” You should have seen the reactions when the library kids learned they were going to make wrecker crane costumes. And when we brought out dozens of foam bricks for them to stack up and knock down? Sheer joy!

We read Smashy Town, written by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha and illustrated by Dan Yaccarino (Harper, 2020). Mr. Gilly has a very busy day ahead – he has to demolish multiple layers of an old building to make way for a new one. There’s lots of smashing, crashing, crumbling, and tumbling, which makes for an excellent story time read aloud!

You’ll need:

  • 1 file storage box
  • Box cutter
  • 1 wrecking ball crane template, printed on 8.5″ x 11″ card stock
  • Construction paper or poster board
  • 18″ piece of Styrofoam pool noodle
  • Ribbon
  • 22″ x 22″ piece of black plastic tablecloth
  • Handful of
  • Scissors, tape, masking tape, and glue for construction
  • Markers for decorating
  • Hot glue

With the exception of the wrecker arm, this crane is the same model we used for our jingle truck story time back in 2023! Use a box cutter to remove the bottom of a file storage box, then bend and hot glue the cardboard to create the front of the crane. You can use construction paper or poster board to cover the box, or simply decorate it with markers. Use the template to decorate the crane with a grill, safety stickers, and a vanity plate.

The oh-so-essential “wrecking ball” is a 22″ x 22″ piece of black plastic tablecloth stuffed with polyester fill. Secure the top of the ball with masking tape, then tightly knot a piece of ribbon around it. Thread the ribbon through an 18″ piece of pool noodle, then secure the ribbon to the base of the noodle with masking tape. Cut two slits in the bottom of the noodle, then slide it onto the front of the vehicle. Reinforce the noodle in place with plenty of hot glue and masking (or packing) tape – it’s going to get a lot of wrecking action!

To wear the costume, knot two pieces of ribbon through the open handles of the box, then slide the ribbon suspenders onto your shoulders. Done!

When the wrecker crane costumes were complete (and we also donned snazzy plastic hard hats), we brought out dozens of foam construction bricks to knock over. Originally, these bricks were used in our “planter gardens” at a Peter Rabbit Party event. From gardens to construction sites, they are very versatile!

The fun did not stop at the library, though. One young man was so enamored with his wrecker crane, he wore it the rest of the day! His mom emailed us some photos of him out and about town, hard at work!

My personal favorite…

Announcing Our Annual Writing Contest

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350 for 50 typewriter pop

Young writers…it’s go time! Announcing our annual 350 for 50 writing contest, where writers ages 9-16 are challenged to write a 350-word story that includes the sentence “Immediately, it was upside down.” (just 345 words left to go)! Winning stories will be illustrated and published on our blog for all to see. Additionally, winning authors will enjoy an online $50 literary shopping spree on Amazon!

Contest submissions are due by 3:00 pm ET on Monday, March 23, 2026.

This contest is a celebration of writing and personal voice. Your wonderful imagination and efforts should be treasured and applauded. Therefore, we will not accept entries in which AI is used in any way, shape, or form. By entering 350 for 50, you acknowledge the story you have submitted is yours and yours alone. Thank you!

350 for 50 Contest Submission Requirements

  • Stories can be no longer than 350 words, and MUST include the sentence, “Immediately, it was upside down.”
  • The sentence MUST stand alone in the story (not be a part of another sentence).
  • Submissions are accepted in e-mail text fields ONLY. No pdf attachments or Google file shares.
  • One submission per author, please. E-mail to: cotsenevents@princeton.edu
  • The following MUST be included with your submission: Your name and age (as of March 23, 2026).
  • No submissions in verse or comic book format.

One winner will be selected from each of our four age categories (ages 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16). Your name, age, and story title are not included in the 350-word count. The Amazon literary shopping spree is limited to books and writing materials.

Winners will be notified via e-mail on Friday, March 27 and posted on this page. Good luck!

Literary Pinball

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Recently, Katie traveled to Asbury Park, New Jersey and found herself at the Silver Ball Retro Arcade & Museum, right on the boardwalk. I’ve been to Silver Ball too, and I can tell you – the place is an amazing bit of fun, especially for all of us who remember actual arcades in the 80s and enjoy old school nachos.

From Silver Ball Museum, photography by Joseph Murphy

In between rolling skee-balls and attempting Donkey Kong, Katie spotted a Hobbit pinball machine. Later, that got us wondering. Exactly how many pinball machines HAVE derived from literature? As it turns out, quite a few!

If there’s a Hobbit pinball game, there has to be a Lord of the Rings game as well. In fact, there are many book-to-screen pinball machines. Harry Potter, Dracula, Jurassic Park, Frankenstein, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Jaws, Starship Troopers, Game of Thrones, an abundance of 007, and even graphic novel The Walking Dead. The Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory pinball game features graphics from the 1971 film (you were the greatest Gene Wilder), an Oompa-Loompa figurine, and an interactive Wonkavator!

From Lermods

Digging a little deeper, Katie and I turned up some more unexpected literary-themed machines. Like The Three Musketeers from 1949…

And this super saucy Peter Pan from 1955…

From Finside

Though technically not a book, this 1987 Dungeons & Dragons pinball game included graphics gleaned directly from the cover of the 1983 Player’s Manual. Which is awesome.

From Reddit

The Close Encounters of the Third Kind pinball game was based on the 1977 film. But there was a Close Encounters book! It was a novelization of the film published in tandem with the theatrical release. We believe this makes it eligible for the pinball literacy list. Plus, spaceships are cool.

While this next machine might not represent a specific book or literary character, it gets 100+ bonus points for being an amalgamation of several novels. May we present Verne’s World pinball from 1996 (with a depiction of the author, quill in hand!):

We found only one picture book turned pinball (unless you count this or this):

But the grand finale, voted hands-down winner of “Least Expected Literary Pinball” is this 2023 Godfather 50-year anniversary collectors edition, complete with a sculpted bust of Don Vito Corleone in his signature tux:

From Reddit

Which pinball game would YOU like to play?