Dynamic illustrations and campy humor combine in this sci-fi graphic novel. A sassy teenage Cleopatra is yanked from first-century B.C. Egypt to the Nile galaxy thousands of years in the future. She's hailed as a messiah, destined to crush the evil Xerx. Maihack's time-warped Egypt is portrayed in crisp line art, muted jewel tones, and striking perspectives to create riveting panels.

Gr 3-5 The spunky Egyptian princess escapes her tutor and is transported to Mayet, a planet in the future. There, the 15-year-old learns that evil dictator Xaius Octavian is conquering neighboring civilizations. She discovers a Mayet prophesy about a hero who will defeat this evil and is astonished to learn the she is the foretold liberator. "Lightyears from home, millennia in the future, and&30; savior of the planet," she bemoans as she is sent to Mayet school for further education and training. Cleo is a troublemaker who skips school and performs poorly in academic subjects. However, the royal immediately takes to ray gun practice with the same zeal she anciently had for a slingshot. Her sharpshooting skills astound the student body. After four months of training, planet leaders evaluate her progress and determine that she is rash, lacks discipline, and needs two more years of preparation. But time is running out. Under the guise of a school assignment, she is sent on a dangerous mission to retrieve an important key. Plenty of action ensues as this Teflon-like heroine, seemingly oblivious to peril, fearlessly attempts to complete the task. This high-adventure fantasy, complete with a talking cat in the sidecar of a flying sphinx, is chock-full of action and attitude. Charming characters with expressive faces and disproportionately large heads seem younger than their 15 years. Although the opening time shifts are confusing, young readers will soon be caught up in the escapist fun. Barbara M. Moon, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY

Even time-displaced Egyptian queens-to-be have to finish their homework before they can save the galaxy. After inadvertently being transported to an alien world in the distant future, 15-year-old Cleopatra must balance algebra, boys, and birthdays with her prophesied destiny as the savior of all civilization. The collective knowledge and history of thousands of planets is in danger of falling to the Xerx, an interstellar conquering horde led by the malevolent Xaius Octavian, and the residents of the Ailuros System have pinned their hopes on Cleo. Maihack-s debut graphic novel sets the stage for what looks to be a series of Star Trek-style space adventures punctuated with far-future high school drama. Cleopatra smoothly slips into the role of confident, wisecracking, baddie-dispatching hero, and the supporting cast falls neatly into place as well. A good two-thirds of the book is spent getting Cleo (and readers) up to speed, with the sci-fi swashbuckling mostly limited to the last of three chapters. Maihack-s conservative designs are also something of a missed opportunity, considering the visual potential of the -Egypt in space- concept. Ages 8-12. Agent: Judith Hansen, Hansen Literary. (May)-

This Cleopatra wasn't born to rule over Egypt—she has a galaxy to save! Fifteen-year-old Cleo is playing hooky from her algebra lessons when she stumbles across a mysterious tablet that takes her on a one-way trip to the future. Upon her arrival, she learns that it's her destiny to defeat the evil aliens who have conquered half of the Nile galaxy. Cleo is remarkably nonchalant about her change in circumstances, though she grumbles about enrolling in Yasiro Academy. "Light years from my home planet, millennia in the future, and a supposed savior of the galaxy… / and I still have to go to school?!" At least the curriculum includes target practice, where her old slingshot skills prove to be transferable. Cleo's easygoing confidence makes her a likable, if not especially complex, heroine, but the real star of the graphic novel is Maihack's art. The cinematic paneling during action sequences skillfully conveys Cleo's vivacity and flair. Moreover, Cleo's novel surroundings—which include talking cats, ray guns and even a flying sphinx—feel fresh and immediate to readers thanks to Maihack's character designs and backgrounds, which manage to be winsome without being cloying. Offer this winning adventure to young fans of Ben Hatke's Zita the Spacegirl (2011). (Graphic science fiction. 9-12)

Instead of looking forward to her rule, Cleopatra s, that Cleopatra efers to skip her algebra lessons in favor of playing with slingshots. Plans to celebrate her fifteenth birthday are put on hold when she is transported to a future complete with ray guns, an adorable council of talking cats, and a dictator who has wiped out all the galaxy's electronic knowledge and kept it for himself. The good news? Cleopatra is the savior who will restore order to the Nile galaxy. The bad news? There's no way home. And she still has to take algebra. Cleo's mentor, a historian cat, is one of the best sidekicks around, and the imaginative content (example: an interplanetary space bike in the shape of a sphinx) and flow of Maihack's panels is a delight, with its exciting layout of a futuristic Egypt complete with cool pyramid skyscrapers. The origin narrative slows some of the action, but readers will still eagerly anticipate book two of this promising series.