Genres
Collection
Publication
HarperTeen (2007), Edition: Reprint, 496 pages
Description
Young Adult Fiction. HTML: The Weetzie Bat series, by acclaimed author Francesca Lia Block, was listed among NPR's 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels. This collection brings together the five luminous novels of the series: Weetzie Bat, Witch Baby, Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys, Missing Angel Juan, and Baby Be-Bop. Spinning a saga of interwoven lives and beating hearts, these postmodern fairy tales take us to a Los Angeles brimming with magical realism: a place where life is a mystery, pain can lead to poetry, strangers become intertwined souls, and everyone is searching for the most beautiful and dangerous angel of all: love. The Weetzie Bat books broke new ground with their stylized, lyrical prose and unflinching look at the inner life of teens. The New York Times declared Dangerous Angels was "transcendent." And the Village Voice proclaimed "Ms. Block writes for the young adult in all of us.".… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Kayla-Marie
My roommate loaned this book to me, saying that it was her all-time favorite series. It was unique, fantastical, strange, and wonderful. If you're looking for a book to take you out of your world for a little while, Dangerous Angels is a great choice for an escape. I immediately bought my own copy
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from Amazon, even before finishing all the books. I plan on rereading this series many times. Show Less
LibraryThing member francescadefreitas
I love-love-loved this. It made me feel all hoppity and happy. I am sorry I didn't read these stories when they first came out, and I'm almost sorry that I'll never be able tore ad them again for the first time.
Block takes stories and distils them down to their essence, slight images and words that
These fairy tales don't end with happily ever after, they end with life - life that will be happy and sad, easy and difficult, but life that has to be lived. Again and again we see love, between families, friends, lovers, and the risks we have to take to experience love, and the joys and pain it can bring.
Just splendid.
Block takes stories and distils them down to their essence, slight images and words that
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build something magical. There is no filler here, just story.These fairy tales don't end with happily ever after, they end with life - life that will be happy and sad, easy and difficult, but life that has to be lived. Again and again we see love, between families, friends, lovers, and the risks we have to take to experience love, and the joys and pain it can bring.
Just splendid.
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LibraryThing member krau0098
This is the collection of the Weezie Bat Books all into one book. I picked this up because it sounded like an interesting urban fantasy; that wasn't really what it was.
This book follows Weezie Bat's family. Each book is done from a different character's point of view. More than anything the books
What makes this book different and special is the way it is written. Block throws in so many crazy ways of describing things that it will leave your mind reeling. She tries to explain the taste of a picture, the sound of a smell, the texture of a sight. The novels are decadent purely because of the descriptions...there is so much glitter, so many feathers, petals falling, raindrops touching. With her descriptions Block turns LA into a fantasy world where one doesn't really exist. She uses this over-describing to give her characters personality. Weezie Bat is full of sunshine and everything she touches seems to turn to gold. Baby Witch is dark and chaotic and when she tells the story it is in shades of grey.
Overall I thought these were unique and interesting stories. They weren't what I expected. The characters didn't have a goal or a plot to follow, outside of obtaining their own happiness. Unfortunately like a really rich dessert, the decadent descriptions and frivolous characters started to be too much. By the end of the book, I just wanted to be done with it. The lack of a plot, the characters inability to make anything other than rash emotional decisions, and the amount of time it takes for Block to describe anything started to bug me. I know that these characters are supposed to be teaching life lessons, but they just seemed very immature. And though I enjoyed the novelty of Block's writing in the beginning, by the last story I was sick of it. I would imagine Block's books are something best taken in small doses.
Will I read another book by Block? Probably not, unless I am in the mood for something over the top, decadent, and wandering.
This book follows Weezie Bat's family. Each book is done from a different character's point of view. More than anything the books
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are about facing the difficulties of growing up and how a person's personality can affect that. For the most part the book takes place in LA. There are odd bits of magic thrown in at rare points; a genie shows up to grant wishes, Baby Witch tours New York city with her dead grandfather. These fantastical happenings are rarities in the stories though; they are written in a way that leaves you wondering if the character really did run into something magical or are they just hallucinating?What makes this book different and special is the way it is written. Block throws in so many crazy ways of describing things that it will leave your mind reeling. She tries to explain the taste of a picture, the sound of a smell, the texture of a sight. The novels are decadent purely because of the descriptions...there is so much glitter, so many feathers, petals falling, raindrops touching. With her descriptions Block turns LA into a fantasy world where one doesn't really exist. She uses this over-describing to give her characters personality. Weezie Bat is full of sunshine and everything she touches seems to turn to gold. Baby Witch is dark and chaotic and when she tells the story it is in shades of grey.
Overall I thought these were unique and interesting stories. They weren't what I expected. The characters didn't have a goal or a plot to follow, outside of obtaining their own happiness. Unfortunately like a really rich dessert, the decadent descriptions and frivolous characters started to be too much. By the end of the book, I just wanted to be done with it. The lack of a plot, the characters inability to make anything other than rash emotional decisions, and the amount of time it takes for Block to describe anything started to bug me. I know that these characters are supposed to be teaching life lessons, but they just seemed very immature. And though I enjoyed the novelty of Block's writing in the beginning, by the last story I was sick of it. I would imagine Block's books are something best taken in small doses.
Will I read another book by Block? Probably not, unless I am in the mood for something over the top, decadent, and wandering.
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LibraryThing member hoosgracie
Dangerous Angels is a compilation of the five, excellent, Weetzie Bat stories. The stories are quite simply magical and lovely. Read them, you’ll thank yourself.
LibraryThing member sonyagreen
I first read Weetzie Bat during my YA Lit class. This is all of the books in one tome.
There's an air of era to this book, but in a mixed-up all-eras way. There are so many references to different eras and cultures, it smooths over the fact that these books were written a while ago.
The stories
There's an air of era to this book, but in a mixed-up all-eras way. There are so many references to different eras and cultures, it smooths over the fact that these books were written a while ago.
The stories
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illustrate ways you can look for love, look at love, and deal with the love you have for others. That's not easy. Without hitting you over the head, I think you end up feeling like you know more about how to view yourself, and those who are around you. They're written in a way that appeals to teens, but their funky era-ness (I can't think of a better way to describe it) transcends even age. Show Less
LibraryThing member deadgirl
I searched 5 years for this book before finally hunting it down in Borders, Times Square, KL.
This really is a book of love. The lyrical and mystical stories deal with real-life issues; they sing the songs in our hearts, crying with tears of sorrow and of joy. Colourful and imaginative, descriptive
This really is a book of love. The lyrical and mystical stories deal with real-life issues; they sing the songs in our hearts, crying with tears of sorrow and of joy. Colourful and imaginative, descriptive
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and magical; I lost myself in the world of Weetzie and Dirk, Cherokee and Witch Baby, to name a few of the characters. It's a fantastic bed-side book to help you dream. Show Less
LibraryThing member callmecayce
Block's book was one of the oddest I'd ever read. It was engrossing and I tore through it, but I'm not really sure I liked it. The writing style was sometimes extremely hard to get through and not all the characters were likable. I don't regret reading it, but I'm in no hurry to read any of her
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other books. Show Less
LibraryThing member kougogo
The breadth of experience and wisdom and beauty here is astounding. I liked some of the novels better than others, but they all were written with panache and filled with spontaneity.
LibraryThing member linda-irvine
Became a sort of "bible" for my life for awhile. Wonderful.
LibraryThing member chapters
I started reading these books in high school and was totally enraptured. Picking them up more than a decade later I found all the joy in reading these fantastical tales still there. Francesca Lia Block amazes me with her ability to mix gritty urban reality and the incredible. She's still one of my
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favorite authors all these years later. Show Less
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
This falls squarely into the magical realism type of story. I would probably have enjoyed it a bit more if I was younger, but this story of a complicated family, who have complicated relationships and around whom things that are possibly magical happen. They have their own language and thinking and
The five stories are Weezie Bat - a short story that introduces the main characters in the story and their relationships with each other. Witch Baby which explores one of the children; Cherokee Bat and the Goat guys is about what happens when the parents go to make a film and the kids get involved in a band with some magical items. Missing Angel Juan is about Witch baby following her love Angel Juan to New York and finding that maybe letting go is true love. And Baby Be Bop is about Dirks' past.
Overall, it is interesting and I could see where it would influence me if I was younger but I think I was a little spoilt by the hype.
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it's about acceptance and knowing yourself.The five stories are Weezie Bat - a short story that introduces the main characters in the story and their relationships with each other. Witch Baby which explores one of the children; Cherokee Bat and the Goat guys is about what happens when the parents go to make a film and the kids get involved in a band with some magical items. Missing Angel Juan is about Witch baby following her love Angel Juan to New York and finding that maybe letting go is true love. And Baby Be Bop is about Dirks' past.
Overall, it is interesting and I could see where it would influence me if I was younger but I think I was a little spoilt by the hype.
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LibraryThing member threebeans
I wish I had read this as a teenager. I might have found myself and my sense of "home" much earlier.
These stories are beautiful and magical.
These stories are beautiful and magical.
LibraryThing member princess-starr
About halfway through reading this, I finally figured out what was bothering me about the Weetzie Bat books in general. It reminded me a lot of my feelings towards Rent. When I was sixteen, I freaking loved that musical. I thought it was so awesome, and raw, and real, and this is how real life
It’s hard reading this as an omnibus because the first three books—Weetzie Bat, Witch Baby and Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys —are incredibly weak. I do think Francesca Lia Block’s a fantastic writer, and there’s some beautiful descriptions throughout the whole series. But the first three volumes don’t do anything for me. There’s really not much to the plot and characters and a lot of the narration reads as “And then this happened. And then this happened.” It can be pulled off, but it doesn’t really work here. I also don’t like the strong emphasis on the magical aspect. There are moments of darkness sprinkled throughout the whole series, but it feels like Block has to shoehorn this fairyland of Hollywood glamour where nobody hurts. It’s part of the reason why I liked Missing Angel Juan the most, as it’s the only story to actually have its characters confront the darker aspect of the real world. With Weetzie Bat and most of the other characters, I feel like none of them ever progressed beyond the emotional age of nine years. Witch Baby feels like the only character who grows throughout the series, and the only who’s willing to leave said fairyland of Hollywood glamour. The thing I’ve liked about Block’s other books is that she’s able to blur the line between fantasy and reality a little more, and not this very overt “MAGIC MAGIC MAGIC.” And also, her dialogue feels so unnatural to me. Maybe it’s because I don’t live in SoCal in the late eighties, but I don’t get the feeling people actually talk like Weetzie and her friends. And sometimes, the slang feels like it’s saying, “Pfft, you can’t keep up with our slinkster-cool talk, you lanka.”
I really wanted to love these books, but I just couldn’t get into the story right away, which really lessened my enjoyment of the volumes I did like. And then I feel disappointed in myself because I don’t know if I’m missing something and I feel like an idiot. I don’t know.
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totally is you guys. Nowadays, I still think Rent is a good show, but at least I realize how much of it is about trust fund hipsters whining about how no one recognizes their arty-ness. And having read Dangerous Angels, I think I have a very similar reaction. I’m sure if I had read this in my teens, I would have loved it, but as I’m reading it now, I feel like it’s a treatise on real art. It’s hard reading this as an omnibus because the first three books—Weetzie Bat, Witch Baby and Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys —are incredibly weak. I do think Francesca Lia Block’s a fantastic writer, and there’s some beautiful descriptions throughout the whole series. But the first three volumes don’t do anything for me. There’s really not much to the plot and characters and a lot of the narration reads as “And then this happened. And then this happened.” It can be pulled off, but it doesn’t really work here. I also don’t like the strong emphasis on the magical aspect. There are moments of darkness sprinkled throughout the whole series, but it feels like Block has to shoehorn this fairyland of Hollywood glamour where nobody hurts. It’s part of the reason why I liked Missing Angel Juan the most, as it’s the only story to actually have its characters confront the darker aspect of the real world. With Weetzie Bat and most of the other characters, I feel like none of them ever progressed beyond the emotional age of nine years. Witch Baby feels like the only character who grows throughout the series, and the only who’s willing to leave said fairyland of Hollywood glamour. The thing I’ve liked about Block’s other books is that she’s able to blur the line between fantasy and reality a little more, and not this very overt “MAGIC MAGIC MAGIC.” And also, her dialogue feels so unnatural to me. Maybe it’s because I don’t live in SoCal in the late eighties, but I don’t get the feeling people actually talk like Weetzie and her friends. And sometimes, the slang feels like it’s saying, “Pfft, you can’t keep up with our slinkster-cool talk, you lanka.”
I really wanted to love these books, but I just couldn’t get into the story right away, which really lessened my enjoyment of the volumes I did like. And then I feel disappointed in myself because I don’t know if I’m missing something and I feel like an idiot. I don’t know.
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LibraryThing member Crowyhead
One of those magnificent-life-saving-books. I read Weetzie Bat in ninth grade, and I really think it changed my life.
LibraryThing member purplehena
I'm all about Witch Baby and Angel Juan :)
I read all the Weetzie Bat books during one summer in college ... I think it's about the only fond memory I have from that summer!
I read all the Weetzie Bat books during one summer in college ... I think it's about the only fond memory I have from that summer!
LibraryThing member amaraduende
This is like Tom Robbins (Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, etc) but not as dirty. :) Whimsical, playful use of language and charmingly one-dimensional (usually) platonic ideals of a character type make this unique and joyful.
LibraryThing member DanielleJones
5Q, 3P "Weetzie Bat" weaves a magical, fairytale like story full of truth and consequence in the colorful 1980’s urban landscape of L.A.-City of Dangerous Angels. Block’s economy of language brings to life the dynamic characters of Weetzie and her friends and the urban, punk lives that they
I gave this book a 3P by current standards. I think that there were times that this may have warranted a 5P, especially when it was fresh, new, and radical. I think that there is still an audience for it today, but not as large with other things more on teens’ minds. I would risk recommending to any teen that had recently read and loved Melissa Marr’s "Wicked Lovely" series.
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live, with the backdrop of love, loss, and betrayal. Thinking about the context of the time that it was written, Block deftly handles the issues of AIDS without ever mentioning the word but tapping into the fear and confusion that was sweeping a nation.I gave this book a 3P by current standards. I think that there were times that this may have warranted a 5P, especially when it was fresh, new, and radical. I think that there is still an audience for it today, but not as large with other things more on teens’ minds. I would risk recommending to any teen that had recently read and loved Melissa Marr’s "Wicked Lovely" series.
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LibraryThing member mermind
Enjoyable, fairytale-like, I think Los Angeles does feel like this sometimes.
LibraryThing member nimil
a very good friend of mine insisted i read this book. she insisted so much that she went to amazon and bought it for me lol. this set of stories is amazing, and heart breaking. i spent a lot of time reading it and bursting into girly tears. i recommend this to anyone and everyone...
LibraryThing member rosetyper9
This a collection of stories called 'The Weezie Bat Books' that was first released in the late 80's early 90's and now re-released in one book, with a gorgeous cover.
I assumed the ultimate goal of these stories was to raise awareness in young adults about homosexuality and other issues. I also
I coudln't handle the juxtaposition or the use and disuse of consonants in random places. If you are a young adult who usually only focus on the story than this would be an excellent book for you, if you need deep rich writing, perhaps not.
I assumed the ultimate goal of these stories was to raise awareness in young adults about homosexuality and other issues. I also
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believe that when they were written the tales were perfect for the goal audience but physically written all wrong. The stories are decent, kept a decent pace, and fit for the genre but the writing itself was atrocious. I couldn't stay with the story because it was like I was reading at a 4th grade reading level yet the stories are geared for teenagers.I coudln't handle the juxtaposition or the use and disuse of consonants in random places. If you are a young adult who usually only focus on the story than this would be an excellent book for you, if you need deep rich writing, perhaps not.
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LibraryThing member Rosa.Mill
I first read these books when I was in middle school, and while I didn't necessarily get everything that was going on, I loved the characters and they made me feel like being different wasn't such a bad thing. That even though I was different, I was and am still an amazing person to my friends and
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family. Rereading these books now as an adult, I feel like this message is more important then ever. All of the characters are interesting and creative but not exactly the most normal people in the world. From their unique living/family situation to their crazy names, they are as different from each other as can be. But they still all love each other, and Block's beautiful writing truly shows the beauty within each of the characters, and within the settings. I still love these books and hope others do too. Show Less
LibraryThing member Rosa.Mill
I first read these books when I was in middle school, and while I didn't necessarily get everything that was going on, I loved the characters and they made me feel like being different wasn't such a bad thing. That even though I was different, I was and am still an amazing person to my friends and
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family. Rereading these books now as an adult, I feel like this message is more important then ever. All of the characters are interesting and creative but not exactly the most normal people in the world. From their unique living/family situation to their crazy names, they are as different from each other as can be. But they still all love each other, and Block's beautiful writing truly shows the beauty within each of the characters, and within the settings. I still love these books and hope others do too. Show Less
LibraryThing member Rosa.Mill
I first read these books when I was in middle school, and while I didn't necessarily get everything that was going on, I loved the characters and they made me feel like being different wasn't such a bad thing. That even though I was different, I was and am still an amazing person to my friends and
Show More
family. Rereading these books now as an adult, I feel like this message is more important then ever. All of the characters are interesting and creative but not exactly the most normal people in the world. From their unique living/family situation to their crazy names, they are as different from each other as can be. But they still all love each other, and Block's beautiful writing truly shows the beauty within each of the characters, and within the settings. I still love these books and hope others do too. Show Less
LibraryThing member Rosa.Mill
I first read these books when I was in middle school, and while I didn't necessarily get everything that was going on, I loved the characters and they made me feel like being different wasn't such a bad thing. That even though I was different, I was and am still an amazing person to my friends and
Show More
family. Rereading these books now as an adult, I feel like this message is more important then ever. All of the characters are interesting and creative but not exactly the most normal people in the world. From their unique living/family situation to their crazy names, they are as different from each other as can be. But they still all love each other, and Block's beautiful writing truly shows the beauty within each of the characters, and within the settings. I still love these books and hope others do too. Show Less
LibraryThing member xicanti
An omnibus containing the first five Weetzie Bat novels, which I'll review separately below:
Weetzie Bat:
This one was far better than I remembered. This was my fourth reading, and I enjoyed it as much now as I did the first time. Block is a daring, unconventional author who manages to evoke a
I highly recommend this, but it's definitely not for everyone. Block's writing is disjointed, and it can be difficult to get a sense of the story's chronology. She also disregards many technical rules in order to create particular effects. Those with an interest in surreal stories and magical realism are most likely to enjoy this. People who prefer their books a bit more linear and grounded probably won't like it. (4 stars)
Witch Baby:
I'd read this twice before, and while I found it interesting enough it never really spoke to me. It did this time through, and in a big way. I think I'm finally in the perfect place to really understand Witch Baby.
Block does a wonderful job of fleshing out this misunderstood soul who feels like an outsider within her own family. Witch Baby's situation came alive for me. I could feel the tension between her and the others, and I could see what drove her to act as she did. The book was a beautiful portrait not only of this one character but of unconventional family life as a whole. I found it deeply affecting.
It affected me on such a personal level, in fact, that I'm not sure I can write a proper review for it. Suffice it to say that it meant a lot to me. The book finally clicked. (4 stars)
Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys:
While I enjoyed Witch Baby quite a bit more the third time through, Cherokee still didn't really do it for me. The book is much more linear than the previous two; there are clearly defined scenes that flow into one another with a definite sense of chronology, compared to the fragmentary approach Block used in the first books. There's quite a lot of buildup, and the metaphors are more obvious. It made for an enjoyable read, but not a truly affecting one. My favourite thing about Block is the way that she layers events and lets the reader determine what they mean to her. I didn't feel as though this book allowed me to become as involved as I did with Weetzie Bat or Witch Baby, and my enjoyment suffered because of it.
I sound like I didn't enjoy it. I did. It just suffers in comparison to the rest of the series. (3.5 stars)
Missing Angel Juan:
The story has a wonderful immediacy. Block uses first person present tense, which draws the reader straight into Witch Baby’s head and lets her live the story alongside the protagonist. There’s some gorgeous imagery as Witch Baby wanders the streets of New York, following Angel Juan’s trial and hobnobbing with her ghostly almost-grandfather. I couldn’t put it down the first time through. I felt everything Witch Baby felt. I went everywhere she went. Her search became my own. I emerged from the book in tears, certain that this was my favourite of the Weetzie Bat books.
I still gloried in the imagery this time through, but I found it difficult to sink all the way in. I’d be hard into the story, then a stray idea would shove me right back out again. Block gets rather abstract at times; when you’re involved with the story, it’s easy to glide right over these bits, but when you’re hovering slightly above the action they come across as much more vague and distanced.
Perhaps this is the sort of story that means more when you don’t know how it ends. Since I already knew where Witch Baby’s quest would lead here, I didn’t have that desperate need to see my worst fears confirmed or denied. Or perhaps I’ve reread it at the wrong time. Either way, it didn’t mean as much to me this time through. I could appreciate Witch Baby’s journey in an intellectual sense, but she didn’t speak to me as she once did. (3.5 stars)
Baby Be-Bop:
This one still did.
It's just gorgeous. Block's very best books illuminate her characters' inner lives in such a way that the reader can instantly relate to them, and I think this might be the best one of all.
There's so much to love. Dirk is an easy character to relate to; while not every reader will have dealt with the same issues he tackles here, I doubt there are many people who couldn't relate to his desire to find acceptance and love. Block handles these themes beautifully, and she dresses the whole package up in some of the nicest imagery around. Her vision of Los Angeles is a treat, as always, and some does some amazing things with Dirk's family stories.
I can't recommend it highly enough. And since it's a prequel, you don't have to have read the rest of the series in order to get something out of it. (4.5 stars)
Longer reviews of both Missing Angel Juan and Baby Be-Bop are available on my blog, Stella Matutina.
Weetzie Bat:
This one was far better than I remembered. This was my fourth reading, and I enjoyed it as much now as I did the first time. Block is a daring, unconventional author who manages to evoke a
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wonderful sense of feel and place by layering scenes. The story unfolds in a series of short bursts, each of which builds upon all the others to tell this beautiful, if somewhat disjointed, tale.I highly recommend this, but it's definitely not for everyone. Block's writing is disjointed, and it can be difficult to get a sense of the story's chronology. She also disregards many technical rules in order to create particular effects. Those with an interest in surreal stories and magical realism are most likely to enjoy this. People who prefer their books a bit more linear and grounded probably won't like it. (4 stars)
Witch Baby:
I'd read this twice before, and while I found it interesting enough it never really spoke to me. It did this time through, and in a big way. I think I'm finally in the perfect place to really understand Witch Baby.
Block does a wonderful job of fleshing out this misunderstood soul who feels like an outsider within her own family. Witch Baby's situation came alive for me. I could feel the tension between her and the others, and I could see what drove her to act as she did. The book was a beautiful portrait not only of this one character but of unconventional family life as a whole. I found it deeply affecting.
It affected me on such a personal level, in fact, that I'm not sure I can write a proper review for it. Suffice it to say that it meant a lot to me. The book finally clicked. (4 stars)
Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys:
While I enjoyed Witch Baby quite a bit more the third time through, Cherokee still didn't really do it for me. The book is much more linear than the previous two; there are clearly defined scenes that flow into one another with a definite sense of chronology, compared to the fragmentary approach Block used in the first books. There's quite a lot of buildup, and the metaphors are more obvious. It made for an enjoyable read, but not a truly affecting one. My favourite thing about Block is the way that she layers events and lets the reader determine what they mean to her. I didn't feel as though this book allowed me to become as involved as I did with Weetzie Bat or Witch Baby, and my enjoyment suffered because of it.
I sound like I didn't enjoy it. I did. It just suffers in comparison to the rest of the series. (3.5 stars)
Missing Angel Juan:
The story has a wonderful immediacy. Block uses first person present tense, which draws the reader straight into Witch Baby’s head and lets her live the story alongside the protagonist. There’s some gorgeous imagery as Witch Baby wanders the streets of New York, following Angel Juan’s trial and hobnobbing with her ghostly almost-grandfather. I couldn’t put it down the first time through. I felt everything Witch Baby felt. I went everywhere she went. Her search became my own. I emerged from the book in tears, certain that this was my favourite of the Weetzie Bat books.
I still gloried in the imagery this time through, but I found it difficult to sink all the way in. I’d be hard into the story, then a stray idea would shove me right back out again. Block gets rather abstract at times; when you’re involved with the story, it’s easy to glide right over these bits, but when you’re hovering slightly above the action they come across as much more vague and distanced.
Perhaps this is the sort of story that means more when you don’t know how it ends. Since I already knew where Witch Baby’s quest would lead here, I didn’t have that desperate need to see my worst fears confirmed or denied. Or perhaps I’ve reread it at the wrong time. Either way, it didn’t mean as much to me this time through. I could appreciate Witch Baby’s journey in an intellectual sense, but she didn’t speak to me as she once did. (3.5 stars)
Baby Be-Bop:
This one still did.
It's just gorgeous. Block's very best books illuminate her characters' inner lives in such a way that the reader can instantly relate to them, and I think this might be the best one of all.
There's so much to love. Dirk is an easy character to relate to; while not every reader will have dealt with the same issues he tackles here, I doubt there are many people who couldn't relate to his desire to find acceptance and love. Block handles these themes beautifully, and she dresses the whole package up in some of the nicest imagery around. Her vision of Los Angeles is a treat, as always, and some does some amazing things with Dirk's family stories.
I can't recommend it highly enough. And since it's a prequel, you don't have to have read the rest of the series in order to get something out of it. (4.5 stars)
Longer reviews of both Missing Angel Juan and Baby Be-Bop are available on my blog, Stella Matutina.
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Subjects
Awards
Gaylactic Spectrum Award (Winner — Hall of Fame — 2001)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
Physical description
496 p.; 7.98 inches
ISBN
0064406970 / 9780064406970
Similar in this library
Pages
496