Wetzie Bat
Block, Francesca Lia
ISBN-13 978-0060736255
ISBN-10 0060736259
Publisher: HarperCollins, 1990
Genre: Family and Childhood
Reading Level: 960 Lexile
Interest Age: 15-18
Reader's Annotation:
Weetzie is a fun loving girl trying to make it in this world. Will she find her happiness?
Plot Summary:
Weetzie Bat hated high school. She did not fit in and could not find her place in the crowd. Now, in her 20's, she is finding that the adult world is not very great either. She needs to make her life wonderful if she wants it to be. Growing up, Weetzie's dad Charlie lived in New York while she and her mother lived in Los Angeles. She never understood her parents relationship and missed her dad terribly, but he was set on staying where he was.
She meets Dirk at the beginning of the story. They quickly bond and set out to find "ducks" together. Dirk finds a blond surfer named Duck and Weetzie finds a man named Secret Agent Lover Man. The four move in with one another and start a life together. Their adventures are different from the average person but they are navigating life with each other's company. This book shows that people of all kinds can coexist and be happy.
Critical Evaluation:
Weetzie Bat is an interesting story about acceptance and growing up. Much of the book is not based in reality which could be hard for some readers to get past. Secret Agent Lover Man has a child from another woman but that woman is a witch and the child is too. The group of them live together and no one seems to have a job other than making films for an underground market. It's as if Block decided that the practical things in life and not important and that the important things are in relationships.
Because of this, the characters are well thought out in this story. Weetzie is free and loving and Secret Agent Lover Man is drawn to her from the start. Their relationship is built with little detail, but seems to be very important to both of them. Block created a bond between Dirk and Duck that is felt to the core for the reader. In very few pages, Block paints a story of what could be with a little of what is mixed in.
About the Author:
Francesca Lia Block has written 32 novels and many of them are set in Los Angeles where she has lived for years. Block likes to write about the underground and real parts of Los Angeles. There is more to the city than the glamorous part that everyone sees. Block tries to show that side to her readers.
Her books have been translated into many different languages and published all over the world. She has received many different awards for her work as well such as the Margaret A Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award and the Phoenix Award. The American Library Association has cited her in reviews and she is highly acclaimed by many literary societies.
http://www.francescaliablock.com/bio
Curriculum Ties:
Fantasy vs. Reality. Imagery
Weetzie Bat hated high school. She did not fit in and could not find her place in the crowd. Now, in her 20's, she is finding that the adult world is not very great either. She needs to make her life wonderful if she wants it to be. Growing up, Weetzie's dad Charlie lived in New York while she and her mother lived in Los Angeles. She never understood her parents relationship and missed her dad terribly, but he was set on staying where he was.
She meets Dirk at the beginning of the story. They quickly bond and set out to find "ducks" together. Dirk finds a blond surfer named Duck and Weetzie finds a man named Secret Agent Lover Man. The four move in with one another and start a life together. Their adventures are different from the average person but they are navigating life with each other's company. This book shows that people of all kinds can coexist and be happy.
Critical Evaluation:
Weetzie Bat is an interesting story about acceptance and growing up. Much of the book is not based in reality which could be hard for some readers to get past. Secret Agent Lover Man has a child from another woman but that woman is a witch and the child is too. The group of them live together and no one seems to have a job other than making films for an underground market. It's as if Block decided that the practical things in life and not important and that the important things are in relationships.
Because of this, the characters are well thought out in this story. Weetzie is free and loving and Secret Agent Lover Man is drawn to her from the start. Their relationship is built with little detail, but seems to be very important to both of them. Block created a bond between Dirk and Duck that is felt to the core for the reader. In very few pages, Block paints a story of what could be with a little of what is mixed in.
About the Author:
Francesca Lia Block has written 32 novels and many of them are set in Los Angeles where she has lived for years. Block likes to write about the underground and real parts of Los Angeles. There is more to the city than the glamorous part that everyone sees. Block tries to show that side to her readers.
Her books have been translated into many different languages and published all over the world. She has received many different awards for her work as well such as the Margaret A Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award and the Phoenix Award. The American Library Association has cited her in reviews and she is highly acclaimed by many literary societies.
http://www.francescaliablock.com/bio
Curriculum Ties:
Fantasy vs. Reality. Imagery
Book Talking:
What would it be like to live in Weetzie's world?
Challenging Issues:
If this book were to be challenged, I would go through the selection process with the challenger as well as explain the rationale for the book. There are many good qualities in this book that could be reason to have it in a collection.
Why Read this Book:
This book is different from any other book I have read so I wanted to include it in the collection. This book combines reality as well as fantasy and does it in a very fluid way. I had to read this book twice before I learned to like it. The second time through, it took on a life of its own. I think many teen readers will enjoy this book.
What would it be like to live in Weetzie's world?
Challenging Issues:
If this book were to be challenged, I would go through the selection process with the challenger as well as explain the rationale for the book. There are many good qualities in this book that could be reason to have it in a collection.
Why Read this Book:
This book is different from any other book I have read so I wanted to include it in the collection. This book combines reality as well as fantasy and does it in a very fluid way. I had to read this book twice before I learned to like it. The second time through, it took on a life of its own. I think many teen readers will enjoy this book.
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