Horn Book Review
In this follow-up graphic novel (Red's Planet), former foster kid Red establishes her home on a paradisiacal planet inhabited by an assortment of aliens. Obstacles arise: she faces off with grumpy cat leader Goose, participates in a zany election, and helps stop an invasion by alien pirates. Digitally rendered, full-color panels contain light humor and sweetness, perhaps reflecting Pittman's Disney background. An epilogue anticipates future installments. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
In this second volume, a plucky Earth girl tries to make her way on her new home planet.Picking up right where predecessor Red's Planet (2016) left off (but with a handy recap worked in to help jog memories), a young, unnamed white orphan everyone calls Red is attempting to fit in with the motley group of aliens on the strange planet on which they all have been marooned. Grouchy Goosean anthropomorphic cat with a Hawaiian shirt and a bad attituderefuses to share his supplies with the other refugees. When they decide to hold an election to determine who controls the stock, Red is pitted against Goose. After the election goes awry, the inhabitants and their newly elected leader must then band together to fend off a subsequent attack of alien pirates. Pittman's illustrations are enormously appealing, with an animated feel and imaginative worldbuilding. Although the tale maintains the lively spirit established in the previous book, this volume is somewhat uneven with its plotting. The election arc feels a bit heavy with subtext and invokes current politics, which may be beyond the reach of its intended audience. The plot eventually rights itself, and with an exciting battle and an undeniably optimistic cliffhanger, most young readers will keep reading and may pick up a little civics along the way. This sophomore effort takes a slight narrative stumble, but overall, it's a nifty addition to the series. (Graphic fantasy. 7-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Red and her fellow aliens are trying to get settled on their isolated new planet while they wait for rescue, but supplies are hard to come by though that's mostly thanks to grouchy Goose's greedy hoarding. When reasoning, cajoling, and outright thievery don't work, Red and Goose agree to an election, though the madcap political high jinks lead to a very surprising conclusion. After the dust settles on the election, everyone bands together for a friendly game of baseball, but soon they discover their little planet's under attack, and their differences are much less important than their overall survival. Pittman's comical space adventure offers plenty of slapstick humor with a nice touch of heart, and fans of the first book, Red's Planet (2016), will appreciate a nod to Red's origin in this installment's closing pages. The cartoonish artwork retains the same animated style as the first volume, and the imaginative alien designs, particularly when they play baseball, are particularly delightful. The episodic pacing, breezy tone, and engaging visuals should give this broad appeal.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2017 Booklist
