by Francesca Lia Block
Block, F. L. (1989). Weetzie Bat. New York: HarperCollins.
A professional style review
Her name might be unusual, but Weetzie Bat is your average girl trying to make a life for herself in sunny Los Angeles. Weetzie Bat and her best friend, Dirk, both try to fulfill one of those important life missions, finding true love. Weetzie Bat longs for her “My Secret Agent Lover Man,” and Dirk is looking for his Duck. They scour the bars and clubs of Los Angeles, but have are unsuccessful in finding their respective loves. Dirk comes to the conclusion that “love is a dangerous angel.” Their desires are finally met through a wish that Weetzie Bat makes, granted by a genie. Dirk finds his duck, coincidentally named Duck, at a bar, and Weetzie Bat is found by her My Secret Agent Lover Man. The four live together in a house once owned by Dirk’s Grandma Fifi. They live life together experiencing its joys and sorrows, while My Secret Agent Lover Man makes films starring Weetzie Bat. Francesca Lia Block describes the very real experiences of young people growing up and discovering themselves in a very quirky manner, using strong metaphors to illustrate these experiences.
Through Weetzie Bat, Block gives young readers a small taste of the delights and cruelties that this world has to offer, as well as introduces them to a family that accepts everyone. Block continues to work her magic in the accompanying books to Weetzie Bat, Goat Girls, and Beautiful Boys.
Details
- Publication date: April 30th, 1989
- Page count: 96
- Reading Level: Grades 10 and up
- ISBN: 0060736259
- Price: $6.83
- Ratings: 3Q 4P J S YA
by Holly Black
Black, H. (2015). The darkest part of the forest. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
A teen style review
Hazel Evans is nothing special. Just an ordinary girl living in the not so ordinary town of Fairfold which shares a forest with The Folk, faeries. She has longed to be a knight, a hero, particularly for the horned boy who sleeps in a glass coffin in the forest. She wants to be the one to set him free. Hazel’s brother, Ben, is special, thanks to a gift given to him by a faerie woman, a gift of music. But Ben has cast that gift aside. He shares his sister’s desire for the horned boy to wake up from his sleep, but for Ben, he sees the horned boy as a lover. When the horned boy does wake up, Hazel and Ben’s town is thrown into chaos. Hazel must rediscover herself, a secret self that came about when she made a deal with the Alder King. Ben comes face to face with the horned boy who knows all of Ben’s secrets and desires. Through it all, Hazel and Ben discover their true selves, and what they want from life besides finishing high school, and parents who don’t tell them what to do. This dark tale spun by Holly Black will leave you with a sense of wanting more from the story, and from your own life.
Details
- Publication date: January 19th, 2016
- Page count: 352
- Reading Level: Grades 9 and up
- ISBN: 9780316213080
- Price: $10.99
