This story features the protagonist Zita, who upon finding a mysterious hole in the ground and a mechanical button with her friend Joseph, pushes the button, only discover that Joseph has been taken by mysterious tentacles into a vortex of some sort. Zita vows to save her friend and enters the vortex, too, and finds herself in a different universe; however, upon her quest she meets several robotic friends, a giant mouse friend, and a mysterious man who plays music. Zita finds that an asteroid is endangering this new planet and her friend Joseph has been deemed the savior due to a rumored prophecy. The group of friends have many adventurers, though it takes time for Zita to trust the musical man. After being separated from her friends and caged in a dungeon, the musical man, Piper, saves Zita with door paste! Zita learns that the button contains a crystal that could save the planet and also transport her and Joseph back home; however, Zita must make the choice of saving herself or Joseph. Zita sends Joseph home, but she is stuck in this new world/planet with her new friends. What will happen next?
I would recommend this story to any child interested in graphic novels, adventure, science fiction, and humor. The recommend age range appears to be between 8-12; however I think younger or older children would love this story. Much of the story is told through pictures and the facial expressions and unique language used by the robots is humorous. This novel would definitely expand children’s vocabularies and attention to the characters’ nonverbal cues is essential to the story. Zita is a feisty, brave, and witty young girl with a strong sense of right and wrong. She sees the beauty in her somewhat misfit friends, like Strong-Strong, One, and Rusty. Although there seems to be some fantasy or speculative fiction elements, the graphic novel seems to fit clearly into science fiction. The bizarre occurrences are due to science and many ‘what if?’ questions could be composed. For example, what if there are different beings on different planets? What if those being have thoughts and feelings just like human beings?
I absolutely loved this story and I found Zita and her friends hilarious. The humor is subtle and one must pay close attention to the illustrations. The illustrations are beautiful, with some bleeds, but mostly depicted in neat panels and frames. I cannot wait to order the next book and read about Zita’s adventures.
Diversity evaluation: ‘Zita the Spacegirl’ features a female heroine, and while that is becoming more common, I find reading about female heroines empowering. Both girls and boys would enjoy this book, however. Also, Zita’s friendships with the creatures and robots who are different than her, but exhibit the same human emotions, demonstrate the diversity of friendships.
Themes: Friendship, teamwork, and bravery.
- Goodreads rating – 4.10
- REVIEW – Kristina