Z is for Zathura

Zathura is story by Chris Van Allsburg that is a follow up to his story Jumanji.  Both were made into hugely successful movies, along with another one of his books, The Polar Express.

The story revolves around brothers Walter and Danny Budwing who find the abandoned Jumanji game in a park.  Upon opening the box it's discovered that a second game, Zathura, is hidden in the bottom of the box.  With a roll of the dice the game begins and the brothers find themselves stuck in a game that won't end until one of them wins.

Van Allsburg is a wonderful story teller, whose stories are made all the more amazing by his illustrations.  If you have a budding writer in your life, look into his book The Mysteries of Harris Burdick.  Each page is a gorgeous illustration with a simple caption, just begging for you to write a story to accompany it.