Zita the Spacegirl

Today is my oldest child's fourth birthday, and we just read this book, so it's appropriate that I post its review now. Zita the Spacegirl is a fun, exciting, suspenseful, and inventive adventure story. It starts when she and her friend Joseph find a crater while playing outside. In it is an old, strange remote device with a big red button.

Of course, Zita presses the button and a portal to another dimension pops open. Tentacles grab Joseph and he disappears as the portal closes. Zita is intrepid, presses the button again and leaps in to follow and rescue her friend.

What follows involves a lot of twists and turns. There are aliens of all sorts, a real menagerie of sizes, shapes, forms, and roles. Also, there are shifty characters who seek to exploit others, and some who seem to be more friendly. Zita falls in with a battle robot named 1, a giant mouse named Mouse, a large alien named Strong Strong, a shady, apparently human guy named Piper, and an old bucket of bolts named Randy.

Together, this ragtag band seeks to locate and rescue Joseph, who by the way has been taken by a doomsday cult who sees him as their savior. Because, oh yeah, an asteroid is on a collision course with this planet.

There is a lot going on here, clearly, but the storytelling is clear and bold. The characters are strongly defined and easy to know. And the action is fast and furious. This book is a lot of fun to read, even the scary bits, which come in the form of creepy aliens and dire situations. My son and I have read it and re-read it a few times already.

Ben Hatke is the author/creator of this book. He has quite a few other graphic novels and picture books under his belt, including more entries in the Zita series, the Mighty Jack series, Little Robot, and Julia's House for Lost Creatures. His artwork is deceivingly simple looking yet dynamic. He draws great facial expression, and he clearly loves designing some way-out looking aliens. He speaks about his work on this book in this interview (it's a few years old, but hey, no spoilers about the later books).

Zita the Spacegirl is a much celebrated book with lots of great reviews. Elizabeth Bird wrote that "what author/artist Ben Hatke does well is dip into a wellspring of familiar ideas to bring us a new world that truly is its own beast." Kirkus Reviews gave it a starred review that concluded, "this debut is truly out of this world." April Spisak opined, "The amount of background detail fills out the story, inviting examination of the endless number of monster, alien, and robot inhabitants, even while the pace of the text itself is as fast as Zita has to be to save her friend before the world explodes."

Zita the Spacegirl was published by First Second, and they offer more info about it (including the whole slew of awards and accolades it has earned) here. This book is the first in a series, so fans have more to look forward to!

Mighty Jack and the Goblin King

I have to admit something, I have not read Mighty Jack, the book that immediately precedes this one. After reading this volume though, I feel I need to remedy that situation pretty soon. This second book in a series is fantastic, full of action, adventure, and suspense, and all done in a playful and thoughtful manner. The premise here is a take-off on the classic Jack and the Beanstalk tale, only now is prodded on to rescue his autistic little sister Maddy, who was kidnapped by an ogre through a portal into a floating world full of fantastic, gruesome creatures. Magic beans were involved in all of this, of course.

 

And although the title of the book only features Jack, he is not alone on his journey. His partner-in-quest Lilly is no shrinking violet. The two of them contend with adversity and injury along the way. And when they get separated Lilly finds herself face to face with the Goblin King, a conflict which takes her to a surprising place.

Even though I did not have the prior book, at no time did I really feel lost or uninformed. The story started midstream and caught me up to speed in no time. I was also thrilled and moved by the stakes at hand and the stamina and fortitude the human protagonists display. Plus, the book ends in a way that completes this story but also opens up a huge avenue for further adventures. Put simply, this book is breathtakingly awesome.

This book's creator Ben Hatke is a graphic novelist and artist known for his Zita the Spacegirl trilogy, the graphic novel Little Robot, and the picture book Julia’s House for Lost Creatures. His artwork is usually simple and expressive, and I feel it very pleasing and fun. In this book his art got more detailed in a way that made things more dynamic though still as enjoyable.

All the reviews I have read of this book have been full of praise. Kirkus Reviews gave it a starred reviewed and summed it up as "Another outstanding adventure from a master storyteller." Dustin Cabeal wrote, "Hatke can write serious moments, fun and exciting adventures and still keep a perfect pace while telling the story." Trisha Jenn Loehr called both Mighty Jack books "absolutely stunning."

Mighty Jack and the Goblin King was published by First Second, and they offer a preview and much more here.

A preview copy was provided by the publisher.

Comics Squad: Detention!

I recently read this third installment of the Comics Squad series (see my reviews for Lunch! and Recess!), and I loved the range of stories focused on that time of day reserved for atoning for misdeeds, detention. Some of these stories seem autobiographical, some are more fictional, one recasts classic Greek mythology, and another follows some microscopic organisms. And the creators involved are some of the tops in comics, including a number of prominent award winners and best-sellers.

I don't think there is one bad story in the bunch here, but I did have my favorites. Victoria Jamieson told an fun and unexpectedly touching story about a new girl in school whose unconventional detention is to help out in a kindergarten classroom. There she has a few encounters with a rambunctious and unruly student who gives her a couple of runs for her money but also teaches her something interesting. I also very much enjoyed George O'Connor's Greek mythology-infused tale of Sisyphus. It was chock full of mythological references and pad puns (two of my favorite things).

The rest of the stories are mostly in the humorous vein, and some also had some inventive touches. I really liked Ben Hatke's short exploration of imagination in his tale about a boy getting in trouble for having a cell phone in school and then having to invent ways to pass the time without it. I have also liked his art style, but here it is looser, which was a nice change of pace. I also thought Jarrett Krosoczka's Lunch Lady comic featuring the Breakfast Bunch was thrilling and fun, though I was bummed to find out it ended on a cliffhanger. Hopefully, that story gets picked up in the next volume of this series.

With all of the great things going on in this book I should also write about two things that may put people off: 1. There is an agenda to sell more graphic novels to younger readers. They are clearly cross-promoting other series they publish (Lunch Lady, Babymouse, and Squish). Personally, I feel this volume would make an excellent "gateway book" to further reading, and I like much of what I have read from those particular series. So the commercial push does not bother me much, and I feel introducing readers to other tales they might like is actually one of the book's strengths. 2. A lot of the stories share the theme of going to detention for drawing in class. I know I had my own run-ins with teachers about when and when not to draw and can relate, but I feel like the joke gets a little stale by the end of the book.

Still, I very much liked the range of tales here as well as the variety of topics and art styles. This collection is a fantastic anthology for young readers, and I think it would be an excellent classroom library book.

I had a difficult time finding reviews for this book, but the one I did find, written by Heidi Grange, who stated that "all the stories are quite absurd, but thoroughly engaging and entertaining and bound to be enjoyed by many young readers."

Comics Squad: Detention was published by Random House, and they have a preview and more available here.

Little Robot

Little Robot is the tale of a lost robot and a little girl he meets who is quite handy with tools. Even though one of the main characters is not quite human, it is also a story about friendship, adventure, and dealing with other people. Most of the story takes place in a spare countryside, complete with a junkyard and lots of open space to explore and play. There is no adult supervision, but there is a pretty personable cat, a sinister and frightening retrieval robot, and a lesson learned about respecting your friends' wishes. The story is more fantasy fable than realistic, and I found it quite enjoyable and affecting. I found myself genuinely concerned for these characters' safety, and I was quite relieved and amused by how the story resolved. It's sort of a magical, child's version of Short Circuit, told in fairy tale manner, and I mean that in a good way.

 

This book's creator Ben Hatke is a graphic novelist and artist known for his Zita the Spacegirl trilogy and the picture book Julia’s House for Lost Creatures. His artwork is simple, clean, and expressive, and I feel it is very pleasing and fun. He speaks more about his work on Little Robot in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been very positive. Publishers Weekly praised this modern take on a classic adventure, adding that "it’s a maker story, too, with a special spotlight on the girl’s ingenuity." The School Library Journal gave it a starred review, concluding that it was "Highly recommended," and "A pleasantly colorful adventure of discovery and friendship." Doug Zawisza wrote that it "celebrates differences and discovers similarities but, most importantly, it gives readers a fun, memorable story with endearing characters." Those interested can learn a lot more about the book by checking out the entries on its blog tour.

Little Robot was publisher by First Second, who provided a preview and much more here.

Thank you, Gina, for the review copy!

Julia's House for Lost Creatures

Julia's House for Lost Creatures is one of those books that I think could be a graphic novel or also could be considered a children's picture book. It certainly used sequential art conventions. Artist/writer Ben Hatke is known for his prior work on the Zita the Spacegirl series of graphic novels, and this book is published by First Second, one of the premier US publishers of graphic novels. So I am going to call it a graphic novel.

I also could call it a bunch of other things, like delightful, fun, gorgeous, and sweet. Julia has a walking house (like a cute Baba Yaga, only with a giant turtle), and she parks it in a delightful area. She loves her surroundings, but things are just too quiet. So she hangs a shingle inviting lost creatures, and soon the house is overrun with all kinds of critters: goblins, fairies, trolls, mermaids, and a dragon even!

Suddenly quiet is non-existent and chaos reigns. Julia has to hatch a plan to calm things down, and she has a clever solution that resolves matters in classic storybook fashion.

There is so much to recommend this book, from its beautiful artwork and fantastic creatures to Hatke's many humorous details that add yet another layer of joy. Finally, the plot is one I think many parents will appreciate because of the resolution where all of Julia's creatures learn a lesson.

All the reviews I have read about this book have been glowing. Kirkus Reviews wrote, "Hatke steps from graphic novels (Zita the Spacegirl) to the picture-book format with aplomb, blending tropes from both worlds for a sweetly weird domestic adventure." Tasha Saecker called it "An exceptional picture book debut." Bill Boerman-Cornell wrote, "The story is good, but there are at least five other reasons why I love this book." Go click on his name and see what they are.

Julia's House for Lost Creatures was published by First Second, and they provide reviews and other resources here.

Thank you for the review copy, Gina!