Fashion Kitty versus the Fashion Queen (review)

Fashion Kitty (BCCB 12/05) introduced readers to fashionable Kiki Kittie and her superheroic alter ego, Fashion Kitty, who flies to the rescue of those suffering fashion emergencies. A new kitty at school, Cassandra, is now challenging Kiki's fashion supremacy, declaring herself the Fashion Queen and forbidding the wearing of bright colors. Cassandra even produces a fashion guide that touts her rules, claiming it's the work of Fashion Kitty; this is certainly the last straw for Kiki, but how can she redeem Fashion Kitty's reputation without giving away her secret identity? This tends to ramble somewhat, lacking the tight focus of the first book and relying on knowledge of it to succeed, but the appeals are still strong and alluring: Fashion Kitty's ability to intercede with bratty peers is the stuff of wistful fantasy, while the at-home exchanges between Kiki and her demanding four-year-old sister evince some deliciously absurd humor along with their believability. Readers will also enjoy getting to know Kiki herself better—Harper deftly weaves in some basic school-story interest as Kiki genuinely resents her bossy new schoolmate and nearly falls out with her best friend as she tries to avoid giving too much away. The graphic-novel formatting remains the same, with black and grayscale touched chicly with pink predominating in most spreads, so yellow-haired Cassandra stands out sharply and even overshadows the hero (as good villains are prone to do). Young fashionistas who have prowled through the first book won't want to miss this chic superheroine's new showing.