At her foster home, Red e of seven kids ver quite gets enough. That, coupled with powerful wanderlust and fierce independence, means that Red is going to strike out on her own y 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.

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