Zathura by Chris Van Allsburg

You’ve probably heard of Jumanji, but have you ever heard it has a sequel?  Zathura by Chris Van Allsburg is another story about a game board coming to life, this time in the form of an outer space adventure.  Although the plot seemed a bit forced and the characters weren’t as well developed in comparison to other Van Allsburg stories, the magic and action associated with a game board coming to life still has great appeal to children.  As we come to expect with Van Allsburg, the illustrations were impeccably detailed and the perspective brings the reader right into the action.  I especially loved the scene where Danny, the younger brother, morphs under increased gravity.  So funny! 
            This story would be great for an anticipatory set to an outer space unit.  It really brings outer space to life and introduces many topics that will be discussed in such a unit, including meteors and gravity.  As a supplement to a space lesson or as a lesson in and of itself, this book could be used to talk about the difference between facts and beliefs.  Some of the board game set- backs are facts, such as meteors, and some are things that some people believe in but aren’t necessarily true, such as space aliens.  Another great activity for this book is having the children create their own board games about a unit they are studying.  This would not have to be limited to space, students could create a game about the ocean, the human body, dinosaurs, or any other unit. 
Year Published: 2002          Awards: Made into a motion picture