The Boy Who Went to Mars

When Stanley’s mother leaves for an overnight work trip, he imagines taking a journey to Mars in a spaceship made from a cardboard box. On Mars, he sends a Martian back to his home in his place. Stanley’s dad and older brother accept the visitor’s unusual habits, and the Martian sleeps in Stanley’s bed before going to school, where others assume he is Stanley. When Stanley’s mother comes back, Stanley returns too. His family plays along as he works through his feelings about her absence.