Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block

Weetzie Bat
Francesca Lia Block
ISBN 0-06-440818-3
113 pages
Charlotte Zolotow, 1989

Genre: Mythic Reality; Urban Fantasy

Readers Annotation
Weetzie Bat, a bleach-blonde punk pixie, and her slinkster-cool best friend Dirk search for love in L.A.

Plot Summary
Weetzie Bat is a bleach-blonde punk pixie, a true original. The child of a screenwriter and a B-movie actress, Weetzie loves L.A.--Weetzie is L.A. In high school, she meets a slinkster-cool boy named Dirk. They become best friends and spend their days surfing at Venice Beach and their nights going clubbing on the Sunset Strip. They both are searching for love, but can't seem to find Mr. Right. One day Dirk's Grandma Fifi gives Weetzie what turns out to be a genie's lamp. The genie grants her three wishes: to find a boyfriend for Dirk, to find a boyfriend for herself, and to have a home where they can all live happily. Grandma Fifi dies, leaving them her Hollywood bungalow, and Dirk and Weetzie both meet their true loves. Weetzie becomes friends with a Jamaican/Chinese family of fashion designers. Together, this kooky cast of characters learns that all you need is love.

Critical Summary
How was I a teen in the 1990s without reading any Francesca Lia Block? I'm not sure. I've heard plenty of backlash against her, so I picked up this book expecting to hate it, but to my surprise, I really loved it. Francesca Lia Block has so much fun with wordplay in this book, creating expressions and slang that are just perfect. I think my favorite expression from the book is "Shangri-L.A.", which sums up her depiction of Los Angeles perfectly.   As much of a character as any of the people in the story is the city: a mixture of old-school Hollywood glamor, retroswank coolness, and '80s punk. Weetzie's dad hates it because it's a city of illusion, but that's why Weetzie loves it. From the Jetson-diner with the roller-skating waitresses to the trendy sushi restaurants to the fairytale cottage they live in, L.A. is like no place else.

But despite all the focus on style, the story is really all about love and acceptance. When Dirk comes out to Weetzie, she embraces him and says that now they can hunt for boys together. The mixed race family exists as a beautiful unit, experiencing no prejudice or hatred. When Weetzie decides to have a baby, they form a new family with three dads. Though her mother raises an eyebrow, their unconventional family unit works. Some dark threats encroach upon the book--the final chapter deals with AIDS--but the book is mostly a sunny, funny, fantastical, fantastic, dreamlike allegory about love.

About the Author
Francesca Lia Block is known for her distinctive style and her realistic fantasy books. There is an entire series of books about Weetzie and her family. Block is best known for her unconventional heroines and her love affair with the city of L.A., where she has lived her whole life. In 2005, she won the ALA's Margaret A. Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award.

Curriculum Ties
The book is not particularly well-suited for use in a curriculum, though it could be used as an example of creative wordplay and structure or as an example of mythic reality.

Booktalking Ideas
1. Tell the story of Weetzie and Dirk's early days, while trying to use as much of Block's signature style as possible.
2. Talk about the unconventional circle of friends that surrounds Weetzie.
3. Describe the character of Weetzie.

Reading Interest/Level
This book would most appeal to and be appreciated by high schoolers and above.

Challenge Issues
Weetzie Bat is frequently challenged because it deals with topics like homosexuality, premarital sex, a child born out of wedlock, and AIDS. To defend it against challenges, the librarian should be able to explain the collection policy and how this title fits into that policy. The librarian could point to the many positive reviews the book received on its initial release, as well as point out that the book is considered a young adult classic and appears on many honor lists, including ALA's "Best of the Best Books for Young Adults."

Selection Criteria
Weetzie Bat was named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults in 1990 and an ALA Best of the Best Books for Young Adults in 2005.