The Return of Zita the Spacegirl (Zita the Spacegirl Series #3)

by Ben Hatke, Ben Hatke (Illustrator)

Overview

Ben Hatke brings back our intrepid space heroine for another delightful sci-fi/fantasy adventure in this New York Times-Bestselling graphic novel trilogy for middle grade readers.

Zita the Spacegirl has saved planets, battled monsters, and wrestled with interplanetary fame. But she faces her biggest challenge yet in the third and final installment of the Zita adventures. Wrongfully imprisoned on a penitentiary planet, Zita has to plot the galaxy's greatest jailbreak before the evil prison warden can execute his plan of interstellar domination!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781596438767
Publisher:	First Second
Publication date:	05/13/2014
Series:	Zita the Spacegirl , #3
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	371,981
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Ben Hatke's first graphic novel was Zita the Spacegirl. He has published comics stories in the Flight series as well as Flight Explorer. In addition to writing and drawing comics, he also paints in the naturalist tradition and, occasionally, performs one-man fire shows. Return of Zita the Spacegirl is his most recent entry in the New York Times Best-Selling Zita trilogy.

Hatke lives and works in the Shenandoah Valley with his wife and their boisterous pack of daughters.

Editorial Reviews

"Stellar . . . Hatke's storytelling and worldbuilding are top-notch, ebulliently juxtaposed against vibrantly expressive art . . . Fans of the series: Don't miss this." - Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"As this fine adventure comes to its final pages, Hatke leaves the door just a bit ajar for more interstellar exploits." -- Booklist, starred review

Praise for the Zita series:

"Marvelously inventive!"—Boing Boing

"A page-turner!"—Scripps Howard

"Wonderful!"—Wired Geek Dad

From the Publisher

05/01/2014
Gr 3–6—Hatke wraps up this delightful series by neatly tying together all three books. While each volume can be read independently and thoroughly enjoyed solo, the experience of reading the trilogy nicely frames the wider story arc. Zita, now stripped of her possessions, including her signature green cape, remains spunky and feisty. Relegated to a dungeon for her alleged crimes, she meets two unlikely cellmates: a pile of rags, and a rotting skeleton who intones "Eye-spy with my little socket." Cinematic influences are evident throughout, from the opening panoramic scenes to the Evil Dungeon Lord with powers reminiscent of the Sith. The author's wit and comic timing sparkle in this adventure. His motley collection of characters is an absolute delight, and each of their humorous exchanges are spot-on. Readers will be amused by their foibles, and by the text's humor that is gentle, and never vicious. Kids will revel in the wordplay; clever use of language abounds, especially in a discussion on the use of "hallway" vs. "corridor" and when one evildoer explains that the hand signals for quotation marks are the "Universal sign for 'you're actually supposed to kill her." Fans of the young heroine will undoubtedly cheer for this continuation of Zita's saga and eagerly hope that the final page signals further episodes. Back matter including artwork and the story's origins are a bonus.—Barbara M. Moon, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY

School Library Journal

★ 2014-03-31
After facing innumerable interstellar dangers, Zita finds herself locked in a dungeon. How will the plucky heroine escape now?Zita has seen myriad adventures throughout galaxies far, far away: planet-destroying Star Hearts, identity-stealing robot clones and the loss of her best friend, Joseph. In this third installment, she finds herself locked in a dungeon on a hidden planet. Despite her captivity, she is determined to escape, and along the way—as she has in all her previous adventures—she stops to help those who need her. Surprises tumble out from behind every corner, through many wordless, action-filled sequences smartly reminiscent of Kazu Kibuishi's flow in his Amulet series. Perhaps the most wondrous surprise comes at the close of this offering, when Zita finds herself in the place she'd least expect to be. Zita is a modern-day Dorothy fighting aliens instead of the Wicked Witch of the West, undoubtedly one of the spirited and valiant heroines in comics today. Hatke's storytelling and worldbuilding are top-notch, ebulliently juxtaposed against vibrantly expressive art. The end to this trilogy crystallizes (pun intended) beautifully, adroitly weaving together the threads from its predecessors. Fans of the series: Don't miss this. Stellar. (Graphic science fiction. 8-13)

Kirkus Reviews