Description When her best friend is abducted by an alien doomsday cult, Zita leaps to the rescue and finds herself a stranger on a strange planet. Humanoid chickens and neurotic robots are shocking enough as new experiences go, but Zita is even more surprised to find herself taking on the role of intergalactic hero. Before long, aliens in all shapes and sizes don't even phase her. Neither do ancient prophecies, doomed planets, or even a friendly con man who takes a mysterious interest in Zita's quest.
Reviews Customer Booksource Brandi Meineke, Booksource Collection Deveopment Specialist Star Star Star Star Star 10/12/2012 9:06:43 AMZita The Spacegirl has the two things that make graphic novels great: outstanding artwork and a compelling storyline. Zita is a girl from Earth who ends up travelling through the galaxies to save her friend, Joseph. Most of her journey is spent on a planet populated by a unique variety of extraterrestrial life. While on her quest, Zita makes new friends, experiences a great betrayal, and saves an entire planet. The best word to describe Zita is bold. This boldness not only saves Joseph, but gets him into trouble in the first place. While playing in the countryside the kids find a red button in the bottom of a crater. Joseph wants to report it to the adults, but Zita chides him for being scared and pushes it. At first it seems that nothing is going to happen, but then a portal opens and tentacles grab Joseph and pull him through. Zita presses the button again and jumps through the portal into uncertainty. She finds herself on a planet doomed to be destroyed by an asteroid in 3 days. The Scriptorians, the original race of the planet, have a prophecy that sacrificing an Earth child named Joseph will save the planet. The Scriptorians have already destroyed much of their planet by creating a doomsday like weapon that failed at stopping the asteroid. While trying to stop the prophecy Zita accumulates a ragtag mix of friends that help her complete her quest. This middle-grade graphic novel could be used in a unit on loyalty or friendship. Zita puts herself in danger many times to save Joseph. Ultimately she gets the choice of sending him or herself back to Earth, and chooses the safety of her friend over her own. It would also fit well into a genre study of science fiction. Alien technology plays a large part in Zita’s challenges and triumphs. The alien races have war and poverty, which could lead to class discussions about these universal conditions. This book is also great to offer to any reluctant readers who are interested in awesome space monsters. The text is not difficult to read, and the illustration brings an amazing emotional depth to the story. Students who love Zita The Spacegirl will be begging for the next installment: Legends Of Zita The Spacegirl.