Bruce Gargoyle's Reviews > The Return of Zita the Spacegirl

Ten Second Synopsis:
Zita is held prisoner by a despotic ruler who wants to use her portal button to take over Earth. Aided by a skeleton, a pile of rags and a friend from the past, Zita tries to overcome the ruler's evil plans.

You may have picked up that I skipped book two in the series, Legends of Zita the Spacegirl, because the library didn't have it (boo!). This wasn't too much of a drama because the opening scenes cleverly work some of the key points from books one and two into the dialogue between Zita and her captor. Yes, this book begins with Zita imprisoned and seemingly helpless, although it is apparent that in book two she had been gadding about making a name for herself across the galaxy and fostering the reputation of someone not to be trifled with.

The plot focuses on Zita's attempts to escape her prison by finding a jump crystal with which she can power up the red-button thingy and take herself back home. Along the way she is helped out by a mysterious masked boy and her cellmates, a skeleton named Femur who possesses some very interestingly shaped digits, and Ragpile, an animated pile of rags. I absolutely loved the little twist at the end concerning Ragpile and Femur and it encapsulates the ingenuity and humour that is woven into these stories. Old friends also make an appearance, including Pizzicato, Strong-Strong and One, as well as some folk from the second book who I hadn't met before, most interesting of which being a space-pirate type lady and her mysterious cat.

Zita's adventures eventually find her back on Earth and even though it is claimed that this is the final story in the series, the ending holds a little hope that there might be more. This was an action packed way to finish the series, full of escapes, ingenious ideas and teamwork. Themes of betrayal and forgiveness loom large and the ensemble cast of characters ensures that there'll be something for everyone in Zita's final adventure.