Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke, An Out of this World Graphic Novel

Zita didn't start out as a Spacegirl. She didn't choose to become a heroine. The little red button just dropped out of the sky, right in front of her and her friend Joseph. All she did was to tap the red button and Boom! A portal in space opened up in front of them! Out of the portal came tentacles that scooped up Joseph and whisked him into the portal and away. Determined to save her friend, Zita courageously pushed the button again, triggering a repeat portal appearance. Zita took the plunge and landed light years away on another planed, a doomed planet, where a speeding asteroid would surely destroy everything.

In true high fantasy form, Zita begins her quest to find Joseph, attracting various uniquely alien companions, each of whom contributes strength and encouragement, and one of whom may not be a loyal follower. The clues point to Joseph being held captive as a prisoner in a heavily guarded castle.

What do you suppose they want to do with Joseph? When the jumpgate button is smashed by an enormous alien, what hope does she have to find the portal to return home to Earth? How will the intrepid rescuers get into the castle? What can they possibly do to free Zita's friend? As the battles rage around her and her companions fall, where will Zita find the courage to persevere in her mission?

Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke will delight comic-loving kids of all ages. The loosely logical plot with unexplained mysterious events, ancient prophecies, aliens (giant blobs, hairy things, Pied Piper inventor, weird robots, huge mouse), laugh-out-loud situations, a brave girl in lots of trouble offer fun and discussion. Surprisingly, the sparse vocabulary grows exponentially from chapter to chapter and offers a challenge to the reading ability of those who came just for the pictures! (Keep that a secret!)

The Kids Wings literature activity guide and lesson plans will provide fun and interaction through group drama projects, including an original readers theater script for chapter 1, a vocabulary game, and problem solving that builds skills.

The Kids Wings literature guide for this graphic novel was created by master teacher Suzy Red and comes to you in both PowerPoint and PDF format for easy projection and printing. The Activities include:

Discussion Cards
2-Page Readers’ Theater Introduction for Chapter 1
Super Spacegirl Words
Five-In-A-Row Vocabulary Game
Where in the Universe Do I Live? Where Is Your Planet?
Multiple Choice Comprehension Activities for Chapter 2
Activities for Visualizing Chapter 3
The Battles for the Castle, A 2-page Cloze Activity for Chapter 4
Writing and Performing a Readers Theater Script for Chapter 5
and Answers

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