Red's Planet (Book 1)

February 1, 2016
A preteen girl frustrated with her life in the foster-care system finds herself redefining family when she unexpectedly crash-lands on an alien planet. Living in a foster home, with a family named the Fosters, a ginger-haired white girl--whose actual name is never revealed; she's known only as Red--finds trouble daily. Red, a natural-born adventure seeker, often skips school and defies the rules of her home. On one of her truant jaunts, she's picked up by a local policeman. When he has to answer an emergency radio call for a chase in progress, Red's whisked along for the ride. However, this particular pursuit leaves Red marooned in an antique police car on a strange planet in a faraway galaxy, ultimately stuck with a group of aliens on a planet unfamiliar to them all. This motley band of beings must stay together on the unfamiliar terrain; could this group end up becoming the family Red's always sought? Red, a precocious 10-year-old brimming with a likable mix of sass and joie de vivre, is portrayed in exceptionally clear and brightly wrought panels, with a sweeping cinematic lens that lends equal attention to action and expression. This is a must-read for fans of Ben Hatke's Zita the Spacegirl series or Judd Winick's Hilo series. A first volume that's truly lively and entertaining; expect a vociferous cry for the next installment. (Graphic science fiction. 7-12)

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February 1, 2016

Gr 5 Up-A lively 10-year-old redheaded foster child is generally dissatisfied with her life as an orphan and daydreams about one day living in paradise. Her life soon turns to adventure when she accidentally gets abducted by thieving aliens as she playfully attempts to once again run away from her foster family. She soon encounters the Chelonia, an ancient creature who collects rare and unusual treasures. Red quickly becomes part of the thieves' imperiled collection as it crash lands on a deserted unchartered planet. Marooned along with other captives, she finds a translator in order to talk to all the other aliens, and the ensuing dialogue is hilarious. She befriends a big cat named Goose and a small, quiet alien named Tawee, who is a guardian of a mysterious egg, and together they try to find a way to survive. Red's bravery and quick thinking win her friends and, finally, a place in paradise. Readers will enjoy Red's heroic feats and amusing dialogue. Pittman's drawings are vibrant and action-packed. His cartoon style is reminiscent of his animated feature films (Mulan, Tarzan, Lilo & Stitch) as well as TV shows (3-2-1 Penguins, Phineas and Ferb). VERDICT Highly recommended for graphic novel collections.-Lisa Gieskes, Richland County Public Library, Columbia, SC

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2016
Grades 3-6 At her foster home, Redone of seven kidsnever quite gets enough. That, coupled with powerful wanderlust and fierce independence, means that Red is going to strike out on her ownway out. While traipsing out of town, Red is abducted by a pair of collectibles-loving aliens to their museum ship, but a surprise attack leads to a crash landing on a deserted planet. Now, not only is Red far from home, she is totally stranded with a bunch of weird creatures who can't seem to get along and one grouchy lion in a Hawaiian shirt who could help but really doesn't want to. Pittman, who made a name for himself as an animator for Disney, brings a similar visual style, humor, and pacing to this story, as well as a nicely articulated sense of movement and action. His aliens are delightfully bizarre, and plucky Red, whose determination is admirable, if occasionally grating to her compatriots, showcases a lively range of emotion. While there are lots of questions left to be answered, the cliff-hanger ending promises more installments.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)