Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block

image via goodreads.com

Block, Francesca Lia. Weetzie Bat. New York: Harper Collins, 1989. Print.

Awards

•          2009 Phoenix Award, Children’s Literature Association
•          ALA Best of the Best Books for Young Adults
•          ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
•          ALA Best Book for Young Adults
•          Parents' Choice Gold Award

Annotation

A blonde punk princess from Los Angeles navigates her glitter-filled, fairy tale city with an ever-expanding motley crew in Weetzie Bat, the book that shares her name. This is the first book in Francesca Lia Block’s Weetzie Bat series.

Review

Lanky lizards! Weetzie Bat is not your average teen novel. Although our heroine mentions high school on the first page, we do not spend time in the classroom. Instead, we follow her on adventures across Los Angeles (with a brief pit stop in New York) with her gay best friend Dirk, his grandmother Fifi, Dirk’s partner Duck, and her beau, My Secret Agent Lover Man. A genie pops out of a lamp to grant wishes. A Witch Baby appears on the doorstep. In this surreal world, anything seems possible. 


And yet – the book feels very real. Weetzie has surrounded herself with people she loves, and who love her. Everyone speaks honestly about their emotions, passions, and fears. The book reads almost like poetry and is filled with lush descriptions and catchy slang. Block has created a vibrant, eclectic, surreal world, and I am excited that there are more books in the series to experience it. 

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