Graphic Novel Review – Legends of Zita the Spacegirl (Zita the Spacegirl, Book 2) by Ben Hatke (4.5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Graphic Novel/Science Fiction
Length: 224 pages
Publisher: First Second
Release Date: September 4, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-1596434473
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Zita the Spacegirl series
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
This is the second book in the Zita the Spacegirl series. I really enjoyed the first graphic novel in this series and this one was even better than that one. It’s action packed and highly entertaining.
Zita is famous and is having to pander to her fans. She runs into a robot that looks like her and decides to let the robot take over her fan duties while she goes to the alien circus. Things go south when a race of aliens ask the fake Zita to save their planet and the real Zita ends up stranded. She does find a way to make it to the final planet and there fights some truly monstrous star hearts.
As with the previous books, this book was fast-paced, highly entertaining, and a wonderful read for all ages. We meet some wonderful new characters and go on some fantastic space adventures.
Zita was not able to make it home at the end of the first book and is stranded on a planet where everyone idolizes her for saving the same planet she is stranded on. Zita is quick to find out that fan gets old fast.
Zita is at heart a good character, she is brave and wants to help people. Of course, she is still a kid too and when she decides to brush off her responsibilities to go to the circus (after all how can you pass up the chance to go to an alien circus)….well…let’s just say things go south fast.
We meet lots of new aliens and some wonderful new characters. All of our favorites from the first book are here as well. Zita and Mouse travel a lot together in this book and Zita gets a new traveling companion animal as well.
I really enjoyed the background we learned on some of the side characters. I also enjoyed the evil star hearts, they are an enemy that at first glance looks so harmless but it so very…not harmless.
The drawing is a bit more cartoony than I normally enjoy. I still loved the bright colors throughout and I did think the style of illustration really matched the story well. Hatke makes his drawings fun and easy to follow, and does an excellent job with character emotion.
Overall a fantastic action packed space adventure appropriate for all ages. I really have enjoyed these graphic novels and recommend them to fans of sci-fi or fantasy graphic novels. They are targeted at kids, so the reading level is lower…but as an adult I have still enjoyed the story and the adventure a lot. I can’t wait to read the third book in this series, The Return of Zita the Spacegirl.
This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Graphic Novel Reading Challenge
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– 100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge
