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Zita the Spacegirl #2
Zita, la fille de l'espace
Ben Hatke brings back our intrepid space heroine for another delightful sci-fi/fantasy adventure. Zita is determined to find her way home to earth, following the events of the first book. But things are never simple, and certainly never easy, in space.
Zita's exploits from her first adventure have made her an intergalactic megastar! But she's about to find out that fame doesn't come without a price. And who can you trust when your true self is being eclipsed by your public persona, and you've got a robot doppelganger wreaking havoc . . . while wearing your face?
Still, if anyone can find their way through this intractible mess of mistaken identity and alien invaders, it's the indomitable Zita, in Legends of Zita the Spacegirl.
Legends of Zita the Spacegirl is one of Kirkus Reviews' Best Children's Books of 2012.
Zita's exploits from her first adventure have made her an intergalactic megastar! But she's about to find out that fame doesn't come without a price. And who can you trust when your true self is being eclipsed by your public persona, and you've got a robot doppelganger wreaking havoc . . . while wearing your face?
Still, if anyone can find their way through this intractible mess of mistaken identity and alien invaders, it's the indomitable Zita, in Legends of Zita the Spacegirl.
Legends of Zita the Spacegirl is one of Kirkus Reviews' Best Children's Books of 2012.
224 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2012
192 people are currently reading
3747 people want to read
About the author
Ben Hatke
55 books1,211 followersBen Hatke is an author and illustrator of graphic novels and picture books. Most notably he is the creator of the Zita the Spacegirl graphic novel series.
He posts art and stories online at:
www.benhatke.com
He posts art and stories online at:
www.benhatke.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 578 reviews
May 18, 2018
After the events in Zita the Spacegirl Zita has gone from Girl Who Pressed the Red Button to Famous Girl Who Pressed the Red Button. Oh, and she did have a part to play in the whole saving Scriptorius from the apocalyptic asteroid thing.
When an Imprint-o-Tron robot imprints on a poster of Zita, it begins its transformation into Zita Imposter Extraordinaire. Eager for some respite from the adoration of the masses, Zita is only too happy to allow robot Zita to take the glory. While robot Zita soaks up the attention, human Zita and Mouse sneak off to enjoy Lady Madrigal’s circus.
Meanwhile, ambassadors from New Lumponia plead their case for (robot) Zita to save their planet from a swarm of star hearts, which are deadlier, less cutesy and with nastier looking teeth than they sound. Before she knows it real Zita finds herself left behind, branded a criminal and unsure who she can trust.
Along the way she meets plenty of new characters including Madrigal, a gigantic cat with glowing eyes called Glissando and my personal favourite, Shippy. We learn some unexpected backstories for Piper (just don’t call him Whistle Man) and Mouse. Piper also reveals a hidden talent along the way which comes in quite handy.
The illustrations are just as good as the first story and even feature a cameo of my mate Jerry from Zita the Spacegirl. I love the aerial units, the spider and the adorable multiplying Doppelganger. There’s one panel that certainly gives new meaning to heart attack as well.
The best thing about robot Zita is that she can read 147 books straight without needing to stop to eat and she has an eidetic memory. I wish!!
The worst thing about this book? There’s a cliffhanger and I don’t have The Return of Zita the Spacegirl on hand. How am I supposed to move on with my life before I find out if Mouse is okay, if Zita ever returns home and if she does, how she can ever say goodbye to all of her new friends across the galaxy?!
I will not sneak a peek at reviews of the next one to find answers.
I will not sneak a peek at reviews of the next one to find answers…
When an Imprint-o-Tron robot imprints on a poster of Zita, it begins its transformation into Zita Imposter Extraordinaire. Eager for some respite from the adoration of the masses, Zita is only too happy to allow robot Zita to take the glory. While robot Zita soaks up the attention, human Zita and Mouse sneak off to enjoy Lady Madrigal’s circus.
Meanwhile, ambassadors from New Lumponia plead their case for (robot) Zita to save their planet from a swarm of star hearts, which are deadlier, less cutesy and with nastier looking teeth than they sound. Before she knows it real Zita finds herself left behind, branded a criminal and unsure who she can trust.
Along the way she meets plenty of new characters including Madrigal, a gigantic cat with glowing eyes called Glissando and my personal favourite, Shippy. We learn some unexpected backstories for Piper (just don’t call him Whistle Man) and Mouse. Piper also reveals a hidden talent along the way which comes in quite handy.
The illustrations are just as good as the first story and even feature a cameo of my mate Jerry from Zita the Spacegirl. I love the aerial units, the spider and the adorable multiplying Doppelganger. There’s one panel that certainly gives new meaning to heart attack as well.
The best thing about robot Zita is that she can read 147 books straight without needing to stop to eat and she has an eidetic memory. I wish!!
The worst thing about this book? There’s a cliffhanger and I don’t have The Return of Zita the Spacegirl on hand. How am I supposed to move on with my life before I find out if Mouse is okay, if Zita ever returns home and if she does, how she can ever say goodbye to all of her new friends across the galaxy?!
I will not sneak a peek at reviews of the next one to find answers.
I will not sneak a peek at reviews of the next one to find answers…
August 28, 2015
This is better than the first book: Zita the Spacegirl. Zita meets a robot that can imitate anyone, and it steals her identity, leading to much trouble.
first-second-publications
August 29, 2012We love Zita the Spacegirl!
This book is full of robots, a giant mouse, the circus, more robots, people that explode, and lots of delightful, girl-centric adventure capers with a definitively aw-inducing ending.
Ben's art is wonderful -- you just want to go off to where-ever-in-the-galaxy that Zita is and be her friend (with her giant mouse). Maybe someday we can all have adventures together!
This book is full of robots, a giant mouse, the circus, more robots, people that explode, and lots of delightful, girl-centric adventure capers with a definitively aw-inducing ending.
Ben's art is wonderful -- you just want to go off to where-ever-in-the-galaxy that Zita is and be her friend (with her giant mouse). Maybe someday we can all have adventures together!
March 13, 2017
I'd read Zita the Spacegirl when it was first released and I've been meaning to read the other two but only just got around to it this past weekend, six years later.
Better late than never, I suppose.
Zita continues to be all delightful and human, full of real characteristics and feelings and also a little piss-n-vinegar. She's a cool kid.
In this installment, however, her coolness factor begins to ebb throughout the galaxies as an imposter takes her place, forcing her to make some questionable decisions and bringing the wrath of the law upon her.
She meets some new friends, some of her old friends are endangered, and there are hijinks.
The story and art are both simple but there's an underlying maturity that is appealing. This isn't a flighty kid running around space doing cute stuff. Zita has real problems and she tries to solve them. Sometimes, she needs help. Sometimes, problems can't be solved because they're just too big. Regardless, she keeps trying and, of course, everything turns out well because this is a kid's book, after all.
Still, I appreciated not only her resilience and ability to get into and back out of messes but also the message that you can't rest on your accolades. Doing one good thing does not give you a free pass for the rest of your life and popularity is a fleeting thing, given by a fickle audience. It's your actual friends who matter most because they're the ones you count on for support but it's important not to take them for granted and to pull your own weight, too.
That message isn't spelled out, or anything. There's nothing didactic about this tale. It's a delightful adventure that just happens to impart subtle messages along the way.
Better late than never, I suppose.
Zita continues to be all delightful and human, full of real characteristics and feelings and also a little piss-n-vinegar. She's a cool kid.
In this installment, however, her coolness factor begins to ebb throughout the galaxies as an imposter takes her place, forcing her to make some questionable decisions and bringing the wrath of the law upon her.
She meets some new friends, some of her old friends are endangered, and there are hijinks.
The story and art are both simple but there's an underlying maturity that is appealing. This isn't a flighty kid running around space doing cute stuff. Zita has real problems and she tries to solve them. Sometimes, she needs help. Sometimes, problems can't be solved because they're just too big. Regardless, she keeps trying and, of course, everything turns out well because this is a kid's book, after all.
Still, I appreciated not only her resilience and ability to get into and back out of messes but also the message that you can't rest on your accolades. Doing one good thing does not give you a free pass for the rest of your life and popularity is a fleeting thing, given by a fickle audience. It's your actual friends who matter most because they're the ones you count on for support but it's important not to take them for granted and to pull your own weight, too.
That message isn't spelled out, or anything. There's nothing didactic about this tale. It's a delightful adventure that just happens to impart subtle messages along the way.
January 9, 2013
This may be my favorite kids comic series ever.
Seriously. This sequel is just as good, maybe better, than the first one.
Zita is now famous in the galaxy as a hero, and with that fame comes responsibility and expectations. She must rescue entire planets! She must deal with paparazzi! She must battle robots which have taken over her identity!
This volume introduces several great new characters, including the RingMistress, who will inspire many halloween costumes. I definitely think that the thing this series needed was a flying circus. This is seriously the year of the circus. ;)
Anyway, I won't spoil the ending battle, though every time I talk about this book, I end up giving away the final villain because it/they are so hilarious and terrifying.
This is a world I am IN LOVE with. And one of the few series I plan to own.
Seriously. This sequel is just as good, maybe better, than the first one.
Zita is now famous in the galaxy as a hero, and with that fame comes responsibility and expectations. She must rescue entire planets! She must deal with paparazzi! She must battle robots which have taken over her identity!
This volume introduces several great new characters, including the RingMistress, who will inspire many halloween costumes. I definitely think that the thing this series needed was a flying circus. This is seriously the year of the circus. ;)
Anyway, I won't spoil the ending battle, though every time I talk about this book, I end up giving away the final villain because it/they are so hilarious and terrifying.
This is a world I am IN LOVE with. And one of the few series I plan to own.
May 19, 2020
You think I’m a hero.
I think you’re like the rest of us. Just trying to hold things together while you find your way. But I also think the role suits you. Back at the station I saw it first hand. You shine in a crisis. And you inspire loyalty.
So she’s a hero? Haha. I loved the new characters. And the way you get to meet Madrigal with the pictures in her room, specifically the one with Piper. And my goodness do I love finding out Mouse belonged to a duo of outlaws. A team of mouse and cat!! Brilliant. I really liked this action packed sequel. I hate and love that she keeps losing people she promises to find but it keeps the story going. What an adventure!
I think you’re like the rest of us. Just trying to hold things together while you find your way. But I also think the role suits you. Back at the station I saw it first hand. You shine in a crisis. And you inspire loyalty.
So she’s a hero? Haha. I loved the new characters. And the way you get to meet Madrigal with the pictures in her room, specifically the one with Piper. And my goodness do I love finding out Mouse belonged to a duo of outlaws. A team of mouse and cat!! Brilliant. I really liked this action packed sequel. I hate and love that she keeps losing people she promises to find but it keeps the story going. What an adventure!
May 14, 2023
Story: 5 stars
Art: 5 stars
Everything a children’s graphic novel should be! Doppelganger bots, bad hearts, humans you don’t know whether they’re good or bad, a cat and mouse team of outlaws. Brilliant saves and narrow misses. Unexpected twists. Zita the Spacegirl becomes the wanted Zita the Crimegirl. And who says overnight sensations aren’t possible? Zita just keeps getting better and better.
Art: 5 stars
Everything a children’s graphic novel should be! Doppelganger bots, bad hearts, humans you don’t know whether they’re good or bad, a cat and mouse team of outlaws. Brilliant saves and narrow misses. Unexpected twists. Zita the Spacegirl becomes the wanted Zita the Crimegirl. And who says overnight sensations aren’t possible? Zita just keeps getting better and better.
December 9, 2016
Action-filled. Again recommended to me by my child.
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December 29, 2022SO CUTE!!!!!
I really don't care if this book is intended for 3rd graders. It's fantastic!!!!!! It's so sweet and the plot is great! Even if you aren't a 3rd grader I would definitely recommend this! So cute😁😁😁!
I really don't care if this book is intended for 3rd graders. It's fantastic!!!!!! It's so sweet and the plot is great! Even if you aren't a 3rd grader I would definitely recommend this! So cute😁😁😁!
August 17, 2018
Zita is just so great. I love the art, the expressions and the emotions and the story as well. Its just wow
November 12, 2014
The sequel doesn't disappoint. Zita and her friends return but now that Zita is a hero everybody wants her autograph and she temporarily switches places with a robot who can imitate others. But the robot has a mind of her own ... What an imagination this author has! I just loved the fantastical world setting, space aliens and robots he has created. Even though there is no magic, I can't help but describe the way I felt reading this as "magical". Great, fun, adventurous story and fantabulistic illustration. I love Zita! (and Strong-Strong)!
February 20, 2018
This episode features problems SO BIG, it'll take TWO ZITAS to solve 'em.
God lord - even the spaceships are cute in this one!
My favorite of the series.
God lord - even the spaceships are cute in this one!
My favorite of the series.
January 27, 2024
Another great installation! I love how vibrant this world is!
I noticed some inconsistencies between this one and book 1... so that's unfortunate. Overall I really loved this though! I love Piper and Zita and One so much!!!
I noticed some inconsistencies between this one and book 1... so that's unfortunate. Overall I really loved this though! I love Piper and Zita and One so much!!!
July 24, 2012
***Review of an ARC***
This was much better than I expected it to be. Even though I haven't read Zita the Spacegirl, this sequel was easy to get into. I was a little confused in the beginning, but it's not hard to figure out what happened before.
The cover was what attracted me to this graphic novel. It looked colorful and fun. I think others have mentioned this already, but the artwork reminds me very much of stuff by Hayao Miyazaki. The artwork inside was just as amazing as the cover. I was worried that the cover art would be better than the art inside (like with House of Night Legacy ), but the inside art was just as great if not better.
The story was really interesting. After reading this I wanted to go back and read Zita the Spacegirl. This is definitely a must read graphic novel. The amazing artwork and a fun story will capture anyone's attention.
This was much better than I expected it to be. Even though I haven't read Zita the Spacegirl, this sequel was easy to get into. I was a little confused in the beginning, but it's not hard to figure out what happened before.
The cover was what attracted me to this graphic novel. It looked colorful and fun. I think others have mentioned this already, but the artwork reminds me very much of stuff by Hayao Miyazaki. The artwork inside was just as amazing as the cover. I was worried that the cover art would be better than the art inside (like with House of Night Legacy ), but the inside art was just as great if not better.
The story was really interesting. After reading this I wanted to go back and read Zita the Spacegirl. This is definitely a must read graphic novel. The amazing artwork and a fun story will capture anyone's attention.
July 23, 2014
Book 2 - a good continuation of Book 1, Zita the Spacegirl
Summary of Book 1 rating
Artwork: Good (sometimes simple is better)
Story: Very Good
Children to 'tweens: highly recommended
Young Adults: recommended
Adults: enjoyable
Zita has a special charm, without being cutesy. She may be wrong, or insensitive, but she learns from her experiences and her usual good intentions have a positive effect on those around her. Book 2 has some more special friends that show Hatke's inventiveness and sense of humor. Zita's fame (from saving a planet in Book 1)has as many cons and pros. This leads to her taking advantage of a special robot's ability to mimic her; Zita flees her adoring fans, but learns that this simple solution has its downside. Entertaining and, likely, enlightening for its target audience.
Summary of Book 1 rating
Artwork: Good (sometimes simple is better)
Story: Very Good
Children to 'tweens: highly recommended
Young Adults: recommended
Adults: enjoyable
Zita has a special charm, without being cutesy. She may be wrong, or insensitive, but she learns from her experiences and her usual good intentions have a positive effect on those around her. Book 2 has some more special friends that show Hatke's inventiveness and sense of humor. Zita's fame (from saving a planet in Book 1)has as many cons and pros. This leads to her taking advantage of a special robot's ability to mimic her; Zita flees her adoring fans, but learns that this simple solution has its downside. Entertaining and, likely, enlightening for its target audience.
November 21, 2016
Ben Hatke gives us a great follow-up to Zita the Spacegirl. Zita is still trying to get home, and this follows her through her adventures in space. Well, obviously, I guess.
If you can spend some time just looking at the art, it is really amazing, if simple. One thing I noticed in this book is how Hatke does a fantastic job giving the characters expressions - especially the aliens who don't usually have human-like faces. You know exactly what they're expressing even with the his simple art style.
And the accents and dialects are great.
Plus, I continue to be dumbfounded by his creativity.
I think I need to go back and re-read the first one.
If you can spend some time just looking at the art, it is really amazing, if simple. One thing I noticed in this book is how Hatke does a fantastic job giving the characters expressions - especially the aliens who don't usually have human-like faces. You know exactly what they're expressing even with the his simple art style.
And the accents and dialects are great.
Plus, I continue to be dumbfounded by his creativity.
I think I need to go back and re-read the first one.
May 22, 2024
A fantastic, imaginative story from Ben Hatke comparable, perhaps better, than the first. The story has humor, wonder, and a lot of heart (both literally and figuratively).
Zita is not perfect, but she is good and her goodness inspires others. This story teaches, without being preachy, the real meaning of heroism: not daring, not acclaim, not even success, but sacrifice.
Zita is not perfect, but she is good and her goodness inspires others. This story teaches, without being preachy, the real meaning of heroism: not daring, not acclaim, not even success, but sacrifice.
May 27, 2015
I think this book is cool because it is about a robot that saw a picture of Zita and dressed like her. Zita had to go on stage for some reasons but she saw a robot that looked like her so she told ther robot to go on stage instead of her.Then mouse and Zita went to go on an adventure.
December 21, 2017
Zita has a doppelganger! At first, Zita's pretty happy with this as it's been harder for her to explore now that she's famous, but then the doppelganger get's a little... obsessed. To the point that she strands Zita on a planet and tries to take over Zita's life permanently. However, the galaxy still needs a hero and Zita the Spacegirl must rise to the occasion be she flesh and bone or metal and wires.
Another great adventure with Zita and crew (and bonus crew as Zita makes more new friends in this one, including SPACE KITTY!!!! So cute!). Imaginative, beautiful drawings, and exciting storytelling keeps the story moving straight from the first Zita book and grows the legend farther! Zita does make a mistake in this one, that she seems to get away with, but I actually really liked how this plot line played out (though it takes until the next book... spoilers?).
Content notes: No language or sensuality issues. Space fight violence, including lasers and fist fights, some bumps-bruises and creatures that want to eat a planets population, but nothing graphic.
August 21, 2017
I loved both the author's writing and his drawing style. I also chose it for reading practice when tutoring my niece. She liked the book, but it might not have been the best choice because of the many characters who spoke in dialect. That was a little hard for her. This is not a flaw in the book, but it's something I'd look out for in the future when working with a reader who has a poor grasp of phonics.
August 12, 2021
Dry synopsis: Zita has become famous and is sought out to help save another planet. A space-mimic takes her place and in the process of trying to rejoin her friends, Zita becomes a criminal. Zita continues to find allies (and learns more about previous ones), saves the day, and we end with Zita needing to free her criminal friends from the hands of the space-police.
Clearly morality is a bit jumbled in these, with a kid-sized dollop of 'the ends justify the means'. But, eh....whatever. The new characters were a bit more interesting in this one, but the annoying characters are still annoying. I like that Zita is bold and daring, that she wants to help those around her even if it means sacrifice, and that she has loyal friends. All good ingredients for a kids book. These are fine.
Clearly morality is a bit jumbled in these, with a kid-sized dollop of 'the ends justify the means'. But, eh....whatever. The new characters were a bit more interesting in this one, but the annoying characters are still annoying. I like that Zita is bold and daring, that she wants to help those around her even if it means sacrifice, and that she has loyal friends. All good ingredients for a kids book. These are fine.
August 6, 2021
In this second book Zita is known throughout the galaxy as a hero, but she still just feels like a normal girl. I enjoyed the prince and pauper plot and was pleasantly surprised by the resolution. Ben does such a phenomenal job of using his artwork to tell the story and not slowing down the reader with unneeded text. This series is just plain fun.
October 3, 2022
Man I love Ben Hatke. I had read Zita book 1 last year with Leeland and loved it. We own his picture books and the kids have all consumed the graphic novels. However, this is my first time reading it on my own.
He does visual storytelling so well! Loved the Zita double robot and how you can go from being a hero in the pubic eye to a menace.
Loved the themes of : friendship, sacrifice, and what is a hero.
He does visual storytelling so well! Loved the Zita double robot and how you can go from being a hero in the pubic eye to a menace.
Loved the themes of : friendship, sacrifice, and what is a hero.
October 8, 2024
Short, heartwarming, and just the right amount of weird - I really like these comics and wish there were more of them. The only thing I didn't like were the antagonists - a bit too on-the-nose what with their shape and everything, but all good. Can't wait to see how the story finishes in book 3.
March 3, 2018
Zita continues to delight. It's so fun to see so many hat tips to pop culture "aliens" in the large variety of species shown. (I recognized a ninja turtle, a wookiee, and an Orko-looking guy). I'm looking forward to the next in the series.
June 2, 2018
My granddaughter loves Zita.
Her Mom made her a Zita costume.
Great series. We love reading them to her while she's learning to read them herself.
Ordering #3.
Her Mom made her a Zita costume.
Great series. We love reading them to her while she's learning to read them herself.
Ordering #3.
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December 13, 2021Great book for zita the spacegirl and mighty jack fans.
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January 19, 2022Tõsiselt mõnus koomiks 10-aastastele. On tulnukaid ja kosmoselaevu ja kaklemise ja põgenemist. Kõik täpselt nii loogiline nagu koomiksile kohane, aga see-eest ääretult meelelahutuslik.
August 31, 2022
4.5 stars
December 30, 2024
It’s as great as the day I read it 7 years ago
Displaying 1 - 30 of 578 reviews