Legends of Zita the Spacegirl

Starred review from August 1, 2012
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)

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Starred review from September 1, 2012

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

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2012
Grades 3-6 *Starred Review* First things first: Hatke draws awesome aliens. Lots and lots of them. Wee hairy ones and giant blobby ones, many-eyed ones and multiple-limbed ones, giant cat ones and head-inside-another-head ones. They're all over the place in this smart and sassy interstellar adventure that picks up where Zita the Spacegirl (2011) left off. How do you follow up saving an entire planet from destruction by asteroid? For Zita, you go on a cosmic victory tour, somewhat reluctantly, to meet your adoring throngs of new fans. For Hatke, you whip up a story that digs into the high price of fame without sacrificing a drop of the fun, funny, and far-out charm that made his first graphic novel such a smash. After a robotic imposter takes Zita's place and promises to save another planet from doom, Zita hijacks a spaceship (and quickly gets libeled as Crimegirl by hysterical galactic media) and eludes the authorities while making a new friend and mentor en route to a cosmic clash between a titanic planetary guardian and vicious heart-shaped space meanies. Zita is still looking for a way home, but it looks like she has got plenty more adventuring to plow through before she finds one. Top-flight space capering brimming with heart and heroism.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2013
Zita (Zita the Spacegirl) is famous now for her interplanetary exploits, which explains how her face on a poster is the first thing a shape-shifting--and identity-stealing--robot sees. Zita's efforts to finally go home are derailed by the robot doppelganger, and she's pushed into heroism again. Lush illustrations are in sync with the text in this action-packed graphic novel.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)