Author: Joshua Glenn & Elizabeth Foy Larsen
Publisher: Bloomsbury, October 14, 2014 (Paperback) (Review copy is an ARC from the publisher)
Length: 175 pages
Genre: Young Adult/Children's Nonfiction
Started: October 6, 2014
Finished: October 6, 2014
Summary:
From the back of the book:
The best games book ever - for kids and the whole family, from the team that brought you the critically acclaimed award-winning bestselling UNBORED: The Essential Field Guide to Serious Fun. Featuring more than 70 games, from the traditional Highland Games and old-fashioned parlour contests to Google Earth challenges and the best game apps - plus ideas for hacking, customizing, and making up your own games, too!
Review:
I bought and reviewed the original book, Unbored, two years ago. It still has a coveted spot on my bookshelf because I've always loved books like Unbored and The Dangerous Book for Boys, what I call "compendium of information" books that have lovely bite-sized pieces of information about topics that are irresistible to kids.
Whereas Unbored looked at a greater variety of topics, Unbored Games looks specifically at games of all kinds: card, board, sports, apps, outdoor, collaborative, you name it. Normally I prefer a wider span of information in these types of books and narrowing it down to one area would bother me, but there is so much to cover on such a beloved topic that I actually applaud their focus. This is the kind of book you hand your kid on a rainy day or on Christmas vacation when they're starting to look like zombies from lack of stimulation. I have witnessed kids take up a whole day doing activities from books like this, so I know how effective they are.
What I particularly like about the Unbored books is that they're equally appealing to both genders. Boys and girls are equally featured in the illustrations participating in the activities, wearing pants and hoodies of the same unisex colour palette (red, green, blue, orange, grey). So much in our media is the very opposite of gender-balanced (as a parent and a teacher I'm very aware of this), so I really appreciate it when companies don't pull the whole "let's make twice as much by making one for boys and one for girls" thing.
I think even adults will enjoy this book, especially those who love games. I noticed a lot of oldies in here from my childhood, so there's definitely a nostalgia factor in here as well. They actually describe a version of a survival game I played in grade 5 when we were learning about food chains, plus lots of others I remember playing like Wink Murder and the jump rope variants. They also have the rules for Daifugo, which other anime geeks like myself might remember as Daihinmin, although when we played it in high school we called it a different name that I can't write here.
I have to give the authors credit for mentioning a lot of really incredible games. Board games like Settlers of Catan and Dutch Blitz, hand clapping games and card games, apps that kids can play with adults, outdoor games that kids can play at recess, and a really creative water gun game involving alka-seltzer tablets. They even talk about ARG and larping, and games that help benefit others.
Recommendation:
All parents, teachers, camp counsellors, anyone who interacts with kids needs a copy of this book. If you've ever been stuck wondering about entertainment options for a birthday party that don't cost a fortune, if you've had students bouncing off the walls during indoor recess, or if you have kids that seem to exhaust all other options on school vacations, this book is for you.
Thoughts on the cover:
I like the continuity from the first Unbored book, this time in yellow with silver lettering.
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