Zita the Spacegirl is not your parent’s graphic novel. Oh, there are space aliens, portals to other worlds, robots and evil creatures, but there is also a spunky girl who is smart, funny and realistic.
Ben Hatke has created a graphic novel that will introduce readers to the genre, but readers will enjoy as well. Aimed at ages eight to 10, both boys and girls can read. Yes, Zita is a girl but she is a tomboy. Her best friend is the goofy, nerdy boy. They get into a lot of trouble. But Zita and her odd group of new friends can save the day and the planet. Well, mostly. So, they almost blow up the planet and almost get killed by odd spider creatures. They figure it out in the end.
The characters are fleshed out slowly, but at the perfect time. They are not all good, not all bad. There are faults and they are human (even if they look like chickens or are a weapon with squeaky wheels). The end of the story is wrapped up, but does leave you knowing there will be more adventures for Zita and the gang.
There is just the right amount of humor and drama to move things along. Sometimes the text is a little sparse for me, but the illustrations are a fun read as well. You can follow along and see how Zita tricks her way into the castle, there are clues to who people might be and just fun details to look for. 
I looooove Ben Hatke and Zita is definitely the best. It’s a 3 book series and I LURV THEM ALL. He also has 2 books out that are a modern take on Jack and the Beanstalk which are fantastic and lean just slightly older. He also has some books for younger kids (Little Robot is wordless). But he can do no wrong by me – I love the art, colorful characters, fun dialects, etc.
I did enjoy the illustrations in this and will actively look for the others in the series!