Guest Author - Megan Romer

Ben Buchanan is a remarkable kid. When he was only ten years old and waiting anxiously for the new Harry Potter book to come out, he decided to funnel his Harry Potter mania into creating a board game based on the book. In the year he spent carefully creating his game, he wrote a book called "My Year with Harry Potter".

That book became so popular that people began asking Ben what steps he went through to create his game, and he went on to write is second book (at age 11!) to help other kids create board games based on their favorite books.

With the help of his Mom, a professional author, and his local librarian, a childrens' book expert, Ben wrote "Journey to Gameland".

The premise of the book is fun. Instead of being a standard workbook, it's written in a style that mimics an actual journey, with "Postcards" that your child will fill in and "Guideposts", which are for the parent or teacher to read.

While a child reading and discovering this book will probably be gently tricked into thinking that they're doing nothing but having fun, as a parent or teacher, you'll realize how much they're getting out of the activity! They're thinking critically about their chosen book, finding ways to adapt it into a game using math and logic, and being artistic! What more can you ask?

This book is a great resource for kids who can't get enough of their favorite book, for parents who are trying to teach their child how to think critically about literature, and for teachers to help provide inspiration.

Pair it with the Made-by-Hands Make Your Own Board Games kit for a great gift!