Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    The Return of Zita the Spacegirl
    Unavailable
    The Return of Zita the Spacegirl
    Unavailable
    The Return of Zita the Spacegirl
    Ebook241 pages0 minutes

    The Return of Zita the Spacegirl

    By Ben Hatke

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    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!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateMay 13, 2014
    ISBN9781466858558
    Unavailable
    The Return of Zita the Spacegirl
    Author

    Ben Hatke

    Ben Hatke is the author and illustrator of the New York Times–bestselling Zita the Spacegirl trilogy, the picture books Julia's House for Lost Creatures and Nobody Likes a Goblin, and the graphic novels Little Robot and Mighty Jack. He lives and works in the Shenandoah Valley with his wife and their boisterous pack of daughters.

    Read more from Ben Hatke

    Related to The Return of Zita the Spacegirl

    Related ebooks

    Children's Comics & Graphic Novels For You

    View More
    View More

    Reviews for The Return of Zita the Spacegirl

    4/5

    282 ratings31 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      This book is so amazingly creative and adorable! The story is fun, the characters are easy to love, and the drawings are great! Who wouldn't love a giant mouse named pizzicato? Fun for kids who like comics and graphic novels.
    • 5/5
      My daughter checked out these books from school, and during a reading contest, I noticed that she kept re-reading them. Curious, I picked one up, and found the story and the series very enjoyable. The artwork is fantastic, there is minimal dialogue, yet between the lack of talking and the story panels, the story is told very clearly and concisely. There is no bloat in the story, and the plot moves along at a great clip, which is critical for young minds to stay engaged.
    • 4/5
      Zita and her bestie Joseph zap to another world that is dealing with the impending doom of an asteroid collision. Joseph, seen as a savior by a dangerous native clan, is taken. This leaves Zita to make her way through this new world with a wild collection of very strange new alien friends in the hopes of saving Joseph, getting off the planet, and finding a way home.
    • 5/5
      It was amazing!? so good I can read it over and over



    • 5/5
      The robots are very very cool and they are very very good at there job
    • 5/5
      Marvelous. Absolutely, completely brilliant. It's funny. It has wonderful illustrations. It's exciting, and *she* gets to be a hero instead of a victim. Best of all, she doesn't have to be perfect to be the hero.Get this for your daughter, so she can have a hero to look to. Get this for your son, so he will see girls as equals. Get this for your family because it's fantastic and all of you will love it.
    • 3/5
      Great story and wickedly good illustrations. Loved the robots the best and of course Strong Strong! So cute! So Zita and her friend Joseph wind up opening a portal into another planet and get in trouble. It takes them a lot to escape the bad guys and hopefully try to get back home. It kept my interest all the way through and of course the ending is left wide open.
    • 5/5
      I. Loved. This. LOVED IT!

      First off, the illustrations are absolutely wonderful. They're simple, yet vibrant, and they pull you into the story easily. Zita is so darn cute! In fact every character depicted in these pages has their own little flair. I love when the illustrations create voices in my head for each character. These did just that! It makes following along with this rag-tag group of adventurers that much more fun. I couldn't get enough!

      Oh, and what a story. Zita is brave, and kind. She shows readers that doing the right thing isn't always easy. That friendship is important, and can be found in the unlikeliest of places.That being brave doesn't mean you're not scared, but that you persevere even though you are. I ate it up. Every panel, every piece of this story. It was all so perfect. I'd put this into the hands of a young reader in a heartbeat.

      For certain people out there, who know who they are, there are robots in this one! So very much love for this first installment of Zita! I need the rest as soon as humanly possible, and you can bet your behind that I'll be buying these. If you haven't already read this, add it to your list. It's worth it!
    • 4/5
      Good graphic novels for younger readers are hard to find. This one fits the bill. Zita is spunky and the characters she meets in this adventure are quirky, but just like on earth friends support each other. The art work helped make the story. Seeing the space creatures was really much better than reading descriptions of them.
    • 5/5
      Such fun! I absolutely loved Zita! What a fantastical, exciting world in which she finds herself. A quick read for me that had me turning the pages with complete joy from start to finish. I can't believe I waited this long to read the book. Kids will absolutely love this fun sci-fi romp and I can't wait to read her next adventure.
    • 3/5
      This is probably better than the average graphic novel for a twelve year old, was perfectly enjoyable for the short time it took to read, but not anything particularly special. About a girl who travels through space/dimensions to a world inhabited by monster-like aliens where she bands up with misfits to rescue her friend and return to her home on Earth... or at least try to.
    • 5/5
      Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke is a graphic novel about an ordinary girl becoming a space hero after her best friend, Joseph, is kidnapped by space tentacles.Zita follows by jumping through the same portal before it closes. But she lands in a different spot and has to learn the lay of the land. As she does she evolves into a hero.Zita is another of these books where I loved it in the moment but now as I reflect back on the story I realize most of it hasn't stuck with me. Instead it is the sequel that comes to mind.
    • 4/5
      Fantastic artwork, an engaging story, and lovable, dynamic characters. I will most certainly be reading the next one, Legends of Zita the Spacegirl.
    • 5/5
      I have never been a big fan of graphic novels, but I LOVED this book. I loved the illustrations and the way that they worked with the words to paint Zita as a spunky, awesome character that resonates with all girls. I loved all of the characters and how unique their personalities were. I also loved that the illustrations were in color, unlike other graphic novels.
    • 4/5
      It is a GN and I love the pics. There are entire plot points that are just pics no words. Also it’s a fun space adventure story that whose themes and aliens and planet will be familiar to older folk who love space adventure films and tv shows. It’s funny, sad, action packed, with great characters that you want to have more adventures with.
    • 3/5
      Zits is a fun adventure in the same spirit of The Princess Bride, but as a science fiction. It is paced well enough to read to my 5-year old without him getting bored.
    • 4/5
      Man, I love Ben Hatke's imagination. It is full of the good stuff -- yay awesome interesting aliens and robots and giant mice and all.
    • 5/5
      Zita is such a simple and amazing graphic novel with lots of action and awesome humor. I couldn't put it down (adult) and I would recommend it to any reader of any age.

      Zita is dragged into a new world and a creative adventure. She makes friends with all sorts of creatures that help her on her quest to save her friend and return home.

      The character design and the scenes are well constructed and have a great style.
    • 2/5
      I loved Hatke's Mirka comics, but this was just way too random for me.
    • 3/5
      The Basics

      Zita and Joseph see something fall from the sky and decide to investigate. It’s some sort of device, and when Zita activates it, it pulls Joseph into another world. She follows, but Joseph’s already been kidnapped by aliens. So now it’s Zita’s job to rescue him.

      My Thoughts

      Let’s get the good out of the way first, because there is plenty. The artwork is very cute, very well-done. The friends that Zita makes along the way are varied and interesting and adorable. The humor hits a lot of high notes, and nothing made me groan really. It was a well-constructed story that is great for middle grade readers.

      Now my problems with it. For starters, this was so fast paced, I wasn’t given a moment to breathe. No one was really developed besides some exposition and hyper-quick reveals. It felt like chewing on a lump of sugar that overwhelmed fast. This book, for this reason, actually helped me realize what it is about middle grade that I can’t get past. Authors nowadays seem terrified of writing a story for kids that lingers on anything. They are writing for the kid with the attention deficit, hoping to keep them engaged, so when I read it, I’m blinded by the swirling colors and begging them to slow down for a second. Unlike some stories, this managed to not become an overwhelming mess, but it still wasn’t great.

      Here was my other major problem: Zita. The idea is that Zita is a plucky Tomboy who subverts the idea of a girl needing to be rescued. In fact, she is rescuing a boy. Very progressive. Except… her pluckiness is what started the plot moving in the first place. The boy was being cautious, reasonably so, and she jumped ahead blindly and got him kidnapped. Everything that happens is her fault. Things like that continue to happen throughout the story. She runs headlong into danger and barely survives and nearly kills everyone around her. Her “pluckiness” isn’t a virtue.

      And yet that aspect of her isn’t used as a cautionary tale either. The moral of the story is not to look before you leap. Zita learns nothing. It’s just a device to bring about humor or peril without it having any impact on Zita as a character. It’s not a very good feminist model, and it’s not a very good lesson for kids. I’m too old and analytical for this book, because while it’s silly fun, I saw potential for more, and it doesn’t meet that bar.

      Final Rating

      3/5
    • 5/5
      I had been wanting to read this series for a while, so when I saw the book at the library it was a perfect opportunity to pick this up to read. It was a fun read with excellent colorful pictures. I really enjoyed it a lot.Zita, and her friend Joseph, find a meteoroid in a field and in the crater they find a device with a red button. When Zita pushes the button (doesn’t she know you are NEVER supposed to push the red button!) a portal opens that sucks Joseph somewhere else. Zita hits the button again, dives through the resulting portal and quickly finds herself in a strange city. It’s a city full of aliens, all of them are trying to flee the planet before it’s imminent destruction by an asteroid. Then Zita spots Joseph being kidnapped by some aliens and rushes to rescue him. Zita must rescue Joseph and get off of the planet before it explodes...can she do it?!This was a very fun read, I enjoyed it a lot. Zita is super spunky and has a very can do attitude about everything. She is a bit too rash at times and has to learn to think things through better. And like a lot of kids, she can take things too far sometimes.On her adventure through this strange new planet she meets a lot of interesting new creatures and robots. She ends up making some wonderful, if unlikely, friends. There are some wonderful twists and turns, lots of action and adventure as well. Zita has to face off with some kind of scary aliens to rescue Joseph too.The illustration is cartoony, very colorful, and has lots of simple lines in it. While I generally prefer illustration that is more elaborate and detailed, the style of illustration used here works very well for the story and I enjoyed it. The illustrations are easy to follow and I love the colors, they also do a wonderful job of showing character emotions.Overall this was an excellent middle grade graphic novel. The characters are fun and interesting, there are some good messages about friendship in here. The story is full of adventure and set in a neat world. If you like other graphic novel series like Kazu Kibuishi's Amulet series or Kean Soo’s Jellaby series I think you would like this series as well. I really enjoyed it and will definitely be reading the next book in the series.
    • 4/5
      A simple story, well-told story with solid characters. It's fun and light, which I really appreciate sometimes, and I did here.
    • 5/5
      So much fun! I loved Zita and her crazy sidekicks. It reminded me of Princess Bride and Star Wars all wrapped together. The art was bright and engaging as well. A nice scifi companion to Amulet.
    • 4/5
      Great art! Delightful story!
    • 5/5
      A few months ago I came across Ben Hatke's art and his blog when he was interviewed on the Gryphon Rampant blog. It was then that I first was charmed by Hatke's delightful illustrations, and heard about his graphic novel "Zita the Spacegirl". When I saw the opportunity to get a copy through the "First Reads" giveaway, I signed up, with little hope of being chosen.

      As it turns out, I was selected to receive a copy! I received it today and hastened to read it through. I was not disappointed! To begin with, the book itself is very well printed and bound, so Hatke's beautiful illustrations literally shine. The novel starts off with with Zita and Joseph, two human children in a woodland setting on Earth, but the story soon moves to a far-off planet filled with zany creatures. There is a nice pacing of the story by alternating action and dialogue panels with other, mostly wordless panels detailing the landscape or presenting short vignettes of highly imaginative creatures and amusing incidents that are barely (if at all) related to the main story. Hatke manages to have funny and cute characters without overdoing it on the saccharine scale.

      Although I grew up surrounded by my older brother's collection of comic books, I am something of an outsider to the world of graphic novels, so I can't say much about how this one compares to others. However, I certainly enjoyed this one. I would buy a sequel!

      Recommended age group: the young and the young at heart.
    • 4/5
      Zita the spacegirlWhen Zita activates a strange device she finds in a crater, mysterious dark arms come out of a portal and steal away her friend Joseph. Screwing up her courage, Zita plunges into the portal after him, finding herself on an alien world three days before an asteroid is set to destroy it. Worse, the device that brought her to the planet breaks in the process. Relying on her wits and the friendships she makes along the way, Zita has to save Joseph, herself, and maybe, just maybe the whole planet! While the looming danger of planet-wide destruction might seem unsuitably scary subject matter for a graphic novel directed at this age-group, the thin linework and unsaturated colors create a a soft atmosphere that offsets the possibly upsetting subject matter. Even with such subtle color choices, the characters remain vibrant and funny. The twist put on the villains - they're simply foolish, not evil - also keeps the story lighthearted. The ending, which solidifies Zita as a hero, promises further adventures for readers to enjoy. Recommended.
    • 5/5
      This is a fast moving book! It is a fantastic read!! The female heroine - Zita is terrific! The illustrations are detailed.
    • 4/5
      ZIta is transported to an alien planet where she hopes to save her friend. Once there she has to flee angry robots and find away to save everyone before the planet is destroyed by an ateroid.
    • 4/5
      Zita the Space Girl is pure fun and I enjoyed every panel of this graphic novel! I have been reading through graphic novels lately because I can get through them quickly and with a Maymester that requires thirty-three books to get through they are my only hope of "fun" reading. Zita is a spirited girl that has to push buttons, even if they fall from the sky in a meteor rock. When she does pushes the button on the strange device that fell from the sky her best friend, Joseph, gets sucked into a vortex. Zita initially runs away but then resloves to find him and follows him into the strange world. This is where it gets fun! Zita runs into robots, a giant mouse, and a cult that thinks Joseph is the savior of their world. Tweens will enjoy this journey story and all the friends Zita makes along the way. The drawings are more cartoonish in appearance but I like my graphic novels that way. It is in color and the characters are quite expressive. Zita's resolve to find her friend is quite stunning and you rely on the panels to see how she goes from scared to determined without dialogue.I would agree with the description that it is Miyazaki-esque due to a strong heroine thrust into a fantasitical situation and must learn to deal with crazy events. However, Hatke makes his own world in such an SciFi that it does not seem as fantasy driven. I really like all the robots and strange aliens that Zita encounters along her travels in the foreign world. It actually reminded me more of Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi and would be a great go to collection for tweens who want more graphic novels like this one.This is a first book in a series and I hope Hatke draws the next book quickly!
    • 4/5
      This is my 9 year old son's favorite book, which he has now read 7 times -- and he doesn't usually reread books.