Weetzie Bat [Paperback]

Francesca Lia Block (Author)

Book Description

Series: Weetzie Bat | Publication Date: July 6, 2004

Fifteen years ago Francesca Lia Block made a dazzling entrance into the literary scene with what would become one of the most talked-about books of the decade: Weetzie Bat. This poetic roller coaster swoop has a sleek new design to match its new sister and brother books, Goat Girls and Beautiful Boys. Rediscover the magic of Weetzie Bat, Ms. Blocks sophisticated, slinkster-cool love song to L.A.the book that shattered the standard, captivated readers of all generations, and made Francesca Lia Block one of the most heralded authors of the last decade.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An offbeat heroine shares a Hollywood cottage with three equally quirky companions; in PW 's words, "Block's first book is related in a breezy, knowing voice; her strange and sparkling tribute to growing up in L.A. is a rare treat for those sophisticated enough to appreciate it." Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up-- A brief, off-beat tale that has great charm, poignancy, and touches of fantasy . Weetzie, now 23, is a child of Hollywood who hated high school but loves the memories of Marilyn Monroe and Charlie Chaplin, plastic palm-tree wallets, and the roller-skating waitresses at Tiny Naylor's. She wears a bleached-blond flattop and Harlequin sunglasses, covers her '50s taffeta dresses in glittery poetry, and sews fringe down the sides of her minis in sympathy with the plight of the Indian. Nobody understands her, least of all her divorced bicoastal parents, until she meets Dirk, who takes her slamdancing at the hot clubs in L.A. in his red '55 Pontiac. When he tells her he's gay, they decide to go "duck-hunting" together. He meets his ideal blond surfer, and Weetzie finds her Secret Agent Lover Man. They all move in together, make movies that become underground successes, and have a baby. This recreates the ambiance of Hollywood with no cynicism, from the viewpoint of denizens who treasure its unique qualities. Weetzie and her friends live like the lillies of the field, yet their responsibility to each other and their love for the baby show a sweet grasp of the realities that matter. As in Rosemary Wells' None of the Above (Dial, 1974), these kids spend no time considering college or career. Their only priority is finding love and keeping it once they find it. " 'I don't know about happily ever after. . .but I know about happily,' Weetzie Bat thought." --Anne Osborn, Riverside Public Library, Calif.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen; 10 Anv edition (July 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060736259
• ISBN-13: 978-0060736255
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (131 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,282 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #40 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > General
  • #65 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Parenting & Families > General
  • #66 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Literature > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Stories

More About the Author

Francesca Lia Block, recipient of the prestigious Margaret A. Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award. has been publishing novels, short stories, essays, memoirs and poetry since 1989. Her work has been translated into many languages. Ms. Block lives in Los Angeles where she teaches writing workshops that are also available online.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This girl can't help it either, July 28, 2004

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Weetzie Bat (10th Anniversary Edition) (Paperback)

You've got to be a very particular type of person to love the book "Weetzie Bat". The right reader is the one who is (or once was) into the quirky, crazy, and bizarre. Anyone who's ever felt at any time that sometimes life is just too darn frumpy should read this story. For me, "Weetzie Bat" won me over when its protagonist and her best friend went to see "The Girl Can't Help It" starring Jayne Mansfield. Any book that mentions that splendid splendid movie (it's right up there with "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?") has my unequivocal love. If you like books that create little worlds where reality is rarely fixed and true love conquers all (eventually) then you'll enjoy taking a wild and wacky run through the insatiable "Weetzie Bat".

Weetzie lives in L.A. and has just met a very cool guy named Dirk. The two are perfectly suited for one another in every way. Dirk wears his hair in a black mohawk and drives a '55 Pontiac. Weetzie sometimes wears feathered Indian headdresses and sometimes makes her clothes out of kids' bed sheets. Together they paint the town red and have wonderful times. When Dirk confesses to Weetzie that he's gay she's delighted. Now the two can go Duck hunting. But finding the right Duck is hard, and after too many bad dates and bad Ducks (which is pretty much the same thing) the two feel bad. Weetzie's one goal is to find her Secret Agent Lover Man. Then, one day unexpectedly, she's given three wishes. After being told that world peace and "a million more wishes" never really work she wishes for a Duck for Dirk, a Secret Agent Lover Man for herself, and a house for them all to live happily ever after in. When the wishes start coming true, things start getting REALLY interesting.

Author Francesca Lia Block is a big fan of sentences that use the word "and". Here's a typical Block sentence: "They all lived together and wore red and ate plantain and black beans, or wonton soup and fortune cookies, and made silkscreened clothing they sold on the boardwalk at Venice beach". She's a fan of the extravagant explanation and the outrageous description. If you're reading this book in the right mood, they're great. I found myself loving portions of this book, much to my surprise. Consider the following sentences, appearing after Weetzie gets a really good kiss: "A kiss about apple pie a la mode with the vanilla creaminess melting in the pie heat. A kiss about chocolate, when you haven't eaten chocolate in a year. A kiss about palm trees speeding by, trailing pink clouds when you drive down the Strip sizzling with champagne".

In the end, this book's just a big ole love letter to Los Angeles and teenage dream worlds. I can see why it's so popular and I can see it getting the same kind of audience as those people who loved, "Boy Meets Boy". For anyone who thinks they're just a little different from everyone else and that's a-okay, this book is for them. It's "Stargirl" all grown up. Some people need some magic in their lives. "Weetzie Bat"
delivers that magic hand over fist.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a fun wacked-out feminist fairy tale, September 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Weetzie Bat (Paperback)

What a bizarre read! I had no idea that young adult fiction like this existed when I was a teenager, but I'm really glad to know that it does. Homosexuality, single parenthood, non-traditional families...how this book could make it onto the bookshelves in these conservative times of ours is beyond me, but it gives me hope, and really makes me admire the courage of the author. While I think that other readers in their twenties, like me, would enjoy the whimsical writing style and charming story, I think this would be a great book for younger readers (probably grades 6 and up). It conveyed the messages of acceptance, unconditional love, compassion for others, and the bonds of love and family that we create with our friends more beautifully than a lot of more serious texts I have read. Fabulous!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant and Bizarre, July 30, 2002

By 

Lawrence E. Wilson (Mayfield, East Sussex, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Weetzie Bat (10th Anniversary Edition) (Paperback)

Block's Weetzie Bat books are the ultimate in teenage rebellion, and have won all kinds of "best for reluctant readers" awards. They're modern-day Los Angeles magical realism, simultaneously gritty, au courant, absurdly impossible---and beautiful. And funny. And tragic. I'm always cautious about recommending them unless the parents are involved in the reading process, because of certain could-be-threatening plot twists (babies out of wedlock, gay heroes, Wiccan references), but they're terrifically interesting and accessible books, once you get into Block's flowing, lyrical, off-the-wall writing style.

One of the strong underlying themes of the entire series is the seeking out and assembling of alternative families, in place of the dysfunctioning genetic family. And there are a great many conservative adults out there who don't really want teenagers to become aware that this is possible...