Hill Middle School, Novato, California

Click for Larger Image Sixth-grades Laura Holzbaur and Amanda McVay made valentines for nursing home residents as part of their "pay it forward" project at Hill Middle School in Novato.

One good turn deserves another. And another and another. That is concept behind the novel "Pay It Forward," a novel about a 12-year-old boy who becomes a national hero by practicing three random acts of kindness.

Author Catherine Ryan Hyde says the idea rolled around in her head for 20 years after the night two men helped her when her car broke down. Months later, she helped another stranded motorist. She told that person to "Pay It Forward" by doing good deeds for others. Hyde never know the outcome. But what if the chain kept growing?

Hopelessly corny stuff. The stuff that could make a good weeper of a movie - and in fact the movie rights were sold five days before the print rights. On the strength of a big budget movie and the savvy marketing skills of Hyde's agents, several middle and high schools in California and New York have started "Pay It Forward" projects.

The movie, due out next year, stars Helen Hunt as an emotionally guarded working class mom and Kevin Spacy as a bitter, disfigured school teacher who dreams up the "pay it forward" homework assignment. (In the book, the teacher is African American. "I was picturing Denzel Washington," says Hyde, who gave up creative control of the picture, "but I'll see anything Kevin Spacy is in.") And the kid? Just the biggest child actor in the business right now, Haley Joel Osment ("The Sixth Sense")

Last week, Trudie Scott's sixth grade class at Hill Middle School in Novato put the finishing touches on a lively seven minuet animated video showing good -deed vignettes, such as outreach to the homeless and a comical big shovel helping a smaller one dig, as their "pay it forward" class project. They plan to show it to other schools and the school board, and local public access TV as well.

It started when Matt Vidor, the son of one of Hyde's agents and a student of Scott's gave his teacher the book (Simon & Schuster: $23). "I feel very strongly in teaching that ideas have to come from the kids," Scott says. "If they weren't interested in pursuing the project, we weren't going to do it."

Tamalpais High School ninth-grade teacher David Tarpinian agrees. He was given advance copies of the book in December by Matt's father, Michael, whose daughter was a former student of Tarpinian's, The ninth-grade class has now been assigning the book, and how many good deeds come out of it is entirely up to them. "A lot of the kids I work with are just beginning to realize how fortunate they are, "Tarpinian says. "If anything happens I'd like to see something cross-age happen; either the kids help out someone much older or much younger that themselves."

In the book, Trevor's first good deed backfires when the homeless man he gives money to ends up in jail. The second and third good deeds prove the value of the project and bring him world fame.

The kids at Hill Middle School gathered in Scott's classroom the other day to discuss good deeds. "When I grow up," says 12-year-old Aria Nikzad, " I'm going to keep extra food and blankets in my car in case anyone needs help."

" My sister got a $25 gift certificate to a store, but she didn't want it," says Nicholas Shirkey, 11. " I traded her $50 cash for it. She was happy. I was happy. I think she'll pay it forward."

Other students say they helped their neighbors with their Christmas lights, baby sat for free or visited a nursing home. Homelessness is one of the things that always comes up in a discussion, says Scott.

"I think I'm going to San Francisco and bring a whole bunch of fruit and give them to homeless people", says Jeannie Nahashon, 12. "I don't know if I am going to ask them to pay it forward, thought. I don't want to pressure them; they already have a lot on their minds.

And anyway, it takes some explaining. "I've tried to explain it to my dad,' says one girl. "But he just doesn't get it."

And it's different from just being nice, says Amanda Jones, 11. "When you do something out of the blue, that's a random act of kindness, but this feels like it takes a lot more thought and more effort. You really have to thing about the three people who you want to help out."

Read an original poem and song by the students