Title: Weetzie Bat
Author: Francesca Lia Block
Author's Website: http://www.francescaliablock.com/
ISBN: 978-1-41554-548-5
Publisher: Harper Collins
Copyright Date: 1989
Genre: Classics
Reading Level/Interest Age: 10th - 12th grade
Awards:ALA Notable Children's Books 1995, Horn Book, Publishers Weekly Plot Summary: This is a modern day fairytale about a funky heroine living in Los Angeles and raising a child with three of her closest friends.
Critical Evaluation: Francesca Lia Block's beautiful narrative reads as a sort of poetic stream of consciousness. While the story itself is slightly outlandish, the characters raw emotions are what most teenagers will be able to identify with. Weetzie is clearly different, which - in Francesca Lia Block's world - makes her riveting.
Reader's Annotation: Weetzie Bat is a teenager living in LA who doesn't fit in with the rest of her peers. A magic genie offers her three wishes and soon she and her best friend Dirk have met the loves of their lives (Duck & My Secret Agent Lover Man) and are living in their dream home. The foursome decide to have and raise a baby together while writing, producing and starring in several Hollywood films.
Booktalking Ideas: Dysfunctional families, illusions
Challenge issues if any (how you would defend and materials available in challenge situation: This book contains homosexuality (Dirk is gay), sex outside of marriage, and the discussion of drugs and alcohol.
Why did you include this book: Francesca Lia Block's writing style alone is enough to capture most teenage audiences. Weetzie Bat and the other kooky characters will engage them until the story's end.
Quote: "Weetzie, I love you and Cherokee and..Well, I love you more than everything. But I can't be in that city. Everything's an illusion; that's the whole thing about it -- illusion, imitation, a mirage. Pagodas and palaces and skies, blondes and stars. It makes me too sad. It's like having a good dream. You know you are going to wake up." (pg.92)
