Target Practice (Cleopatra in Space Series #1)

by Mike Maihack, Mike Maihack (Illustrator)

Overview

A funny, action-packed graphic novel featuring a young Cleopatra who's transported to the future and learns it's up to her to save the galaxy. Now an animated TV series streaming on Hulu and Peacock!

When Cleo finds a mysterious tablet that zaps her to the far, really far future, she learns of an ancient prophecy that says she is destined to save the galaxy from the tyrannical rule of the evil Xaius Octavian. She enrolls in Yasiro Academy, a high-tech school with classes like algebra, biology, and alien languages (which Cleo could do without), and combat training (which is more Cleo's style). With help from her teacher Khensu, Cleo learns what it takes to be a great leader, while trying to figure out how she's going to get her homework done, make friends, and avoid detention!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545528436
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	04/29/2014
Series:	Cleopatra in Space Series , #1
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	121,292
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Mike Maihack is the creator of the Cleopatra in Space series. Book One: Target Practice won a Florida Book Award and was a YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. He is also the creator of the popular webcomic Cow & Buffalo and has contributed to books like Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman; Parable; Jim Henson's The Storyteller; Cow Boy; Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities; and Comic Book Tattoo. Mike lives with his wife, two sons, and Siamese cat in Land O' Lakes, Florida. Visit him online at mikemaihack.com.

Editorial Reviews

02/24/2014
Even time-displaced Egyptian queens-to-be have to finish their homework before they can save the galaxy. After inadvertently being transported to an alien world in the distant future, 15-year-old Cleopatra must balance algebra, boys, and birthdays with her prophesied destiny as the savior of all civilization. The collective knowledge and history of thousands of planets is in danger of falling to the Xerx, an interstellar conquering horde led by the malevolent Xaius Octavian, and the residents of the Ailuros System have pinned their hopes on Cleo. Maihack’s debut graphic novel sets the stage for what looks to be a series of Star Trek–style space adventures punctuated with far-future high school drama. Cleopatra smoothly slips into the role of confident, wisecracking, baddie-dispatching hero, and the supporting cast falls neatly into place as well. A good two-thirds of the book is spent getting Cleo (and readers) up to speed, with the sci-fi swashbuckling mostly limited to the last of three chapters. Maihack’s conservative designs are also something of a missed opportunity, considering the visual potential of the “Egypt in space” concept. Ages 8–12. Agent: Judith Hansen, Hansen Literary. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Cleo is a fun, fearless heroine — I'd love to explore the galaxy with her!" —Raina Telgemeier, #1 New York Times bestselling author of SMILE and DRAMA

From the Publisher

05/01/2014
Gr 3–5—The spunky Egyptian princess escapes her tutor and is transported to Mayet, a planet in the future. There, the 15-year-old learns that evil dictator Xaius Octavian is conquering neighboring civilizations. She discovers a Mayet prophesy about a hero who will defeat this evil and is astonished to learn the she is the foretold liberator. "Lightyears from home, millennia in the future, and… savior of the planet," she bemoans as she is sent to Mayet school for further education and training. Cleo is a troublemaker who skips school and performs poorly in academic subjects. However, the royal immediately takes to ray gun practice with the same zeal she anciently had for a slingshot. Her sharpshooting skills astound the student body. After four months of training, planet leaders evaluate her progress and determine that she is rash, lacks discipline, and needs two more years of preparation. But time is running out. Under the guise of a school assignment, she is sent on a dangerous mission to retrieve an important key. Plenty of action ensues as this Teflon-like heroine, seemingly oblivious to peril, fearlessly attempts to complete the task. This high-adventure fantasy, complete with a talking cat in the sidecar of a flying sphinx, is chock-full of action and attitude. Charming characters with expressive faces and disproportionately large heads seem younger than their 15 years. Although the opening time shifts are confusing, young readers will soon be caught up in the escapist fun.—Barbara M. Moon, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY

School Library Journal

2014-02-12
This Cleopatra wasn't born to rule over Egypt—she has a galaxy to save! Fifteen-year-old Cleo is playing hooky from her algebra lessons when she stumbles across a mysterious tablet that takes her on a one-way trip to the future. Upon her arrival, she learns that it's her destiny to defeat the evil aliens who have conquered half of the Nile galaxy. Cleo is remarkably nonchalant about her change in circumstances, though she grumbles about enrolling in Yasiro Academy. "Light years from my home planet, millennia in the future, and a supposed savior of the galaxy… / and I still have to go to school?!" At least the curriculum includes target practice, where her old slingshot skills prove to be transferable. Cleo's easygoing confidence makes her a likable, if not especially complex, heroine, but the real star of the graphic novel is Maihack's art. The cinematic paneling during action sequences skillfully conveys Cleo's vivacity and flair. Moreover, Cleo's novel surroundings—which include talking cats, ray guns and even a flying sphinx—feel fresh and immediate to readers thanks to Maihack's character designs and backgrounds, which manage to be winsome without being cloying. Offer this winning adventure to young fans of Ben Hatke's Zita the Spacegirl (2011). (Graphic science fiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews