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Zathura

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This article is about the children's book. For the film, see Zathura: A Space Adventure. For the document viewer, see Zathura (document viewer). For other uses, see Zathura (disambiguation).
Zathura
AuthorChris Van Allsburg
IllustratorChris Van Allsburg
Cover artistChris Van Allsburg
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren's literature, science fiction
Published2002 (Houghton Mifflin)
Publication placeUnited States
Pages32
ISBN978-0-618-25396-8
OCLC49031916
LC ClassPZ7.V266 Zat 2002
Preceded byBad Day at Riverbend 
Followed byProbuditi! 

Zathura is a 2002 illustrated children's book by the American author Chris Van Allsburg. In the story, two boys are drawn into an intergalactic space adventure when their house is magically hurled through space. The book is a standalone spinoff to the 1981 children's picture book Jumanji, also by Van Allsburg, and visual and textual references are made to "Jumanji" in the story. The book was adapted into a film, titled Zathura: A Space Adventure, in 2005.

Plot

Zathura started from the end of the book Jumanji, as the parents of two brothers, Danny and Walter Budwing, are leaving. The two brothers don't get along with each other. Danny wanted to play catch, while Walter wanted to watch television. Danny tossed Walter a baseball which hits him on the head. Walter then chased Danny through the house and caught him in the park across the street from their house, where they find a board game named "Jumanji". Danny brought the game home, where he then lost interest in playing it.

Underneath the "Jumanji" board, Danny found another game called "Zathura: A Space Adventure". Danny started playing "Zathura", then he gets a card that said, "Meteor shower, take evasive action." Immediately, a meteor shower occurred. Danny and Walter soon realized that the game sent them into outer space. The brothers started playing the game "Zathura", since the game won't take them home unless they finish it. Soon, Walter lost his gravity and Danny saved him from disappearing into space.

When Walter took his turn, a defective robot chased him through the house. When Danny took his turn, he gets close to a planet called Tsouris 3 and got shorter and wider. Soon, a Zorgon ship appeared and Zorgons board their house. The robot chased the Zorgons away as Walter takes his turn and got sucked into a black hole and is sent back in time. Walter transported back to when he was with Danny in the park. Danny found "Jumanji" and is about to take it home, but Walter threw it out and instead offered to play catch with Danny. Evidently, having gone through these dangerous adventures and helping each other has brought the two brothers closer to each other.

Reception

"Publishers Weekly" said the book was a "satisfying enigma" like its predecessor.[1] "Booklist" said readers of Jumanji would also like Zathura.[2] Alternatively, "The Horn Book Magazine" said the book did not work as a sequel to Jumanji but worked as part of a series.[3]

Film adaptation

A film adaptation of the book titled Zathura: A Space Adventure was made in 2005, directed by Jon Favreau. It received positive reviews from critics but was not a commercial success.[4][5][6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Zathura: A Space Adventure. (Picture Books)". Publishers Weekly. Vol. 249, no. 25. 24 June 2002. p. 54. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  2. ^ Engberg, Gillian (15 November 2002). "Van Allsburg, Chris. Zathura". Booklist. Vol. 99, no. 6. p. 603.
  3. ^ Carter, Betty (November–December 2002). "Chris Van Allsburg Zathura: a Space Adventure". The Horn Book Magazine. Vol. 78, no. 6. p. 741+.
  4. ^ "Zathura (2005)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  5. ^ "Zathura: A Space Adventure Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 11, 2020. Generally favorable reviews
  6. ^ "Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)". Box Office Mojo.
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