FIELD TRIP

Following the events of their eponymous debut (2018), Sanity and Tallulah are on a class field trip to experience a scientific expedition on a real planet in the Apis system.

Living aboard a space station, the students have never been on a real planet. Tallulah is ridiculously excited. Her best friend, Sanity, not so much, as Sanity’s big sister, Prudence, is one of the trip chaperones. After landing, the class learns that their expedition site is actually a corporate mining venture run by the FootHold Corporation, a company that mass-produces a much-desired element called heavypaste. The FootHold outpost is situated in the middle of an asteroid field that’s supposed to be protected—but of course an asteroid hits the planet, leaving Sanity and Tallulah stranded on an adjoining moon until they encounter a heavypaste space pirate who kidnaps the pair and holds them hostage. When local miners warn the planet is going to explode, the stranded students utilize rock-eating spacebees and their scientific ingenuity to craft an almost impossible escape plan. Though at times the science of the mission gets a little confusing, in this second Sanity & Tallulah graphic novel, Brooks successfully combines tech, humor, and a diverse cast—Sanity and Prudence are black and Tallulah’s biracial (Latinx/white)—within a believable galactic adventure. Her well-paced panels keep the action ticking along.

A delightful read that showcases scientific problem-solving on a female-led space expedition.