Zita the Spacegirl is a graphic novel for younger readers about a young girl named Zita who discovers an asteroid with a big red button. Despite her friend Jonah’s warnings, Zita pushes the big red button (as one does, right?) and it opens some kind of teleport gateway through which tentacles reach out and grab Joseph right before the gateway disappears. Determined to rescue her friend, Zita pushes the button again and leaps through the portal, launching herself into an adventure on an alien planet filled with funny creatures, mysterious gadgets, and a doomsday prophecy.
I love graphic novels and I love scifi. But somehow the first time I read this, a year ago maybe, I didn’t connect with it. I can’t explain why. Maybe because I’m working on my own space adventure novel and was nitpicking things that reminded me of my work-in-progress? Anyway, lately my 4 yo (formerly known as Preschooler Monkey, now Pre-K Monkey) has been into graphic novels too (she loved Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale), so I’ve been looking for more to share with her. I happened to see this one again on the library shelf and picked it up because Pre-K monkey is really into Star Wars these days.
Pre-K monkey LOVES this book. She LOVE LOVE LOVES this book. We had to read it every night for a week. We talked about it. Zita showed up in her drawings from school. Like really, she loved this book.
And now that I’ve seen the book through her eyes, I love it too!
Some picture books for Star Wars fans: I also bought these little picture books by Jeffrey Brown for my Star Wars fanatic husband. They’re fun to look at with kids but are filled with Star Wars jokes that adult fans will enjoy: Darth Vader and Son, Vader’s Little Princess, and Goodnight Darth Vader.
