Ben Hatke brings back our intrepid space heroine for another delightful sci-fi/fantasy adventure. Zita is determined to find her way home to earth, following the events of the first book. But things are never simple, and certainly never easy, in space.
Zita's exploits from her first adventure have made her an intergalactic megastar! But she's about to find out that fame doesn't come without a price. And who can you trust when your true self is being eclipsed by your public persona, and you've got a robot doppelganger wreaking havoc . . . while wearing your face?
Still, if anyone can find their way through this intractible mess of mistaken identity and alien invaders, it's the indomitable Zita, in Legends of Zita the Spacegirl.
Legends of Zita the Spacegirl is one of Kirkus Reviews' Best Children's Books of 2012.
Children's Literature - Raina Sedore
Zita's adventures continue! In this continuation of the exploits begun in Hatke's Zita the Spacegirl, Zita is now famous in the galaxy as a hero. With that fame comes responsibility and expectations. She must rescue entire planets! She must deal with paparazzi! She must battle robots which have taken over her identity! This volume introduces several great new characters, including Madrigal, a fierce and heroic circus performer. Hatke's playful style continues to depict an imaginative world filled with a wide variety of adorable, funny and/or slightly scary creatures. Now that Zita's character and her world have been established, this second volume feels like it could be just one of many chapters of this relatable and fascinating story. Hatke uses many different page layouts and his use of color jumps off the page. Even though this is only the second book about Zita, she is already a star in the graphic novel world, and it is downright poetic to see the character dealing with the parallel struggles of stardom in the plotline of this book as well. This is one graphic novel you do not want to miss. Reviewer: Raina Sedore
VOYA - Kristin Fletcher-Spear
The second graphic novel in the Zita the Spacegirl series is a step above the original. In this story, Zita is traveling the universe to return to Earth and is a hero with personal appearances, fans, and celebrity. When a robot takes on her appearance, she lets it play her at an appearance so she can escape and see the town. But the robot accepts a job to save another planet from doom, takes over Zita's life, and kicks her off the spaceship. Stranded with only her friend Mouse to assist, Zita becomes a wanted criminal and strikes off on another adventure to stop the robot and meet up with her friends once more. The full-color artwork is more polished in this second graphic novel than in the previous. The new characters are just as imaginatively drawn as the recurring ones. The colorists use muted tones, primarily leaving bold tones to stand out in certain scenes. We learn a little more about the side characters' pasts, but not enough of Zita to allow her to be more than a standard grrl power character. While one can still enjoy the adventure without having read the first volume, readers who have read volume one will get more out of this book. Give this graphic novel to a reader not quite ready for Kazu Kibuishi's Amulet series. Reviewer: Kristin Fletcher-Spear
Kirkus Reviews
Lovable Zita returns in a charmingly dashing interplanetary adventure to save yet another doomed planet from impending peril.After saving both a planet and her best friend, Zita has achieved renown as an intergalactic hero and is greeted with adulation wherever she travels. In the midst of her fame, a lone, archaic Imprint-o-Tron—a robot that was built for companionship but took its "imprinting" too far—spies a Zita poster and immediately takes on her likeness. The bot's mimicry is so exact that it quickly becomes difficult to tell the real Zita from the impostor. A sudden turn of events leads to the real Zita making a felonious—although necessary—decision, instantly transforming her public image from that of hero to outlaw. Faced with saving another planet, the real and fake Zitas must find a middle ground and work together, redefining what it really means to be a hero when they set out to rescue the Lumponians from the cutely named but very deadly Star Hearts, villainous parasites capable of destroying entire planets. Hatke's arrestingly vibrant art commands instant adoration of its reader. Zita's moxie is positively contagious, and her adventures are un-put-downable. Readers would be hard-pressed to not find something to like in these tales; they're a winning formula of eye-catching aesthetics, plot and creativity, adeptly executed. Imaginative and utterly bewitching. (Graphic science fiction. 9-12)
School Library Journal
Gr 3–6—Hatke has again conjured up a rich and satisfying story with enchanting characters and delightful humor. Lumponians are seeking Zita's help to save their planet from the dangerous invasion of star hearts that will strip a planet to its bedrock. Convinced that she is their only hope, they offer as payment the remaining jump crystal that will allow her to return home. They happen upon a robot masquerading as Zita and employ this counterfeit hero to save them. While Zita does save the Lumponians and her rivalry with robot Zita is nicely resolved, the story is obviously a setup for further adventures as she must rescue her companion mouse. Hatke's humor is in top form, including the creation of dialects with unique spellings and language that perfectly capture the each character's personality. Even robots have a language. Wordplay is omnipresent, such as names based on musical terms, and the star-hearts invasion being described as a "heart attack." Inventive sound effects such as "scootch" and "snuffle" and the gift of a "slap in a box" are among the many bon mots youngsters will savor. The characters' expressive faces are given a charm and attention to detail that will captivate readers of all ages, and the beautifully illuminated images of space inspire awe. Legends offers a parody of celebrity status and gently explores the question of notoriety versus heroism. Fans of Zita's adventures will relish this installment.—Babara M. Moon, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, NY
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