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{{Short description|Young adult fiction series by Francesca Lia Block}}{{Infobox book
{{multiple issues|
| image = Dangerous Angels.jpg
{{tone|date=August 2012}}
| caption = First edition
{{POV|date=August 2012}}
| cover_artist = [[Suza Scalora]]
}}

{{Infobox book | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Novels or Wikipedia:WikiProject_Books -->
| name = Dangerous Angels
| name = Dangerous Angels
| author = [[Francesca Lia Block]]
| author = [[Francesca Lia Block]]
Line 12: Line 10:
| publisher = Harper Collins Publishers
| publisher = Harper Collins Publishers
| pub_date = 1998
| pub_date = 1998
| media_type = Print ([[paperback, e-book]])
| media_type = Print ([[paperback]], [[e-book]])
| pages = 478 (1st edition)
| pages = 478 (1st edition)
| isbn = 0-06-440697-0
| ISBN = 0-06-440697-0
| oclc = 526057852
| oclc = 526057852
}}
}}


'''''Dangerous Angels''''' is a [[young adult fiction]] series by [[Francesca Lia Block]]. It consists of seven novels: ''[[Weetzie Bat]]'', ''[[Witch Baby]]'', ''[[Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys]]'', ''[[Missing Angel Juan]]'', ''[[Baby Be-Bop]]'', ''[[Necklace of Kisses]]'', and ''Pink Smog: Becoming Weetzie Bat''. The stories are about Weetzie Bat and her friends and family's lives in Los Angeles including witches, genies, and ghosts on their journeys to find acceptance, love, and a connection.
'''''Dangerous Angels''''', also known as the Weetzie Bat series, is a [[young adult fiction]] series by [[Francesca Lia Block]]. The series consists of seven novels: ''[[Weetzie Bat]]'', ''[[Witch Baby]]'', ''[[Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys]]'', ''[[Missing Angel Juan]]'', ''[[Baby Be-Bop]]'', ''Necklace of Kisses'' and ''Pink Smog: Becoming Weetzie Bat''. The books follow main character, Weetzie Bat and her friends and family members, who all live in [[Los Angeles]].
⚫
<!-- Expand the lead paragraph above to summarize the article (but NOT the plot, which belongs in the plot introduction section below). Briefly describe distinctive characteristics of the novel, major themes, awards, and notable adaptations. Do not make any statement that is not expanded
⚫
later in another section of the article. See [[Wikipedia:Lead section]] (WP:LEAD) for guidelines. -->


The books include [[supernatural]] elements such as [[Witchcraft|witches]], [[Jinn|genies]], and [[Ghost|ghosts]], and has been described as [[Magic realism|magical realism]] or [[mythpunk]].
==Plots==


The series title first appeared on the [[omnibus edition]] of the first five books, ''Dangerous Angels'', first published in 1998. .<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 March 2011 |title=Reading Guide for Dangerous Angels from HarperCollins Publishers |url=https://www.harpercollins.com/author/authorExtra.aspx?isbn13=9780064406970&displayType=readingGuide |website=HarperCollins Publishers |access-date=26 March 2016 |archive-date=17 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717041809/https://www.harpercollins.com/author/authorExtra.aspx/?isbn13=9780064406970&displayType=readingGuide |url-status=dead }}</ref> The omnibus edition was [[Reprint|reprinted]] in 2007 and again in 2010.
''[[Weetzie Bat]]'':
⚫
Weetzie Bat meets her best friend Dirk, who happens to be gay, at school and together they have grand adventures around Los Angeles comforting each other when they get hurt on their quest to find their ducks, or soul mates. Grandma Fifi gives Weetzie a [[Jinn|genie]] lamp which gives her three wishes which are granted and their lives change forever with unforeseen ramifications.


⚫
The novel series have won multiple awards such as the 1986 [[Shrout Fiction Award]] and the 1986 [[Emily Chamberlain Cook Poetry Award.]] <!-- Expand the lead paragraph above to summarize the article (but NOT the plot, which belongs in the plot introduction section below). Briefly describe distinctive characteristics of the novel, major themes, awards, and notable adaptations. Do not make any statement that is not expanded
''[[Witch Baby]]'':
⚫
later in another section of the article. See [[Wikipedia:Lead section]] (WP:LEAD) for guidelines. -->
⚫
Witch Baby, a purple eyed girl who lives with Weetzie Bat, My-Secret-Agent-Lover-Man, and the rest of the kin does not know where she belongs in the world. As she tires of tormenting her sister, Cherokee, Witch Baby happens to meet a boy Angel Juan who she instantly knows is her soul mate and through him realizes what a family should be. She goes on a quest to find her mother in hopes of finding out where she belongs, to find out that her mother really does not care about her. In the end she misses her family and realizes it is with them she belongs.
==Plot summary==
⚫
* ''[[Weetzie Bat]]'' (1989): Weetzie Bat meets Dirk, who is gay, at school, and they become best friends. Together they have adventures around Los Angeles, comforting each other when they get hurt on their quests to find their ducks, or [[Soulmate|soulmates]]. Dirk's Grandma Fifi gives Weetzie a genie lamp which grants her her three wishes and their lives change forever.
⚫
* ''[[Witch Baby]]'' (1991): Witch Baby is a purple-eyed girl who lives with Weetzie Bat. My-Secret-Agent-Lover-Man and the rest of the family do not know where she belongs in the world. Tired of tormenting her sister, Cherokee, Witch Baby meets a boy named Angel Juan who she instantly knows is her soulmate and through him, realizes what a family should be. She goes on a quest to find her mother in hopes of finding out where she belongs, only to find out that her mother does not care about her. In the end, she misses her family and realizes it is with them that she belongs.
⚫
* ''[[Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys]]'' (1992): The adults in the family are away filming their new movie, leaving Cherokee to look after Witch Baby, who misses Angel Juan so desperately that she has locked herself in the shed refusing to eat. To lure her out, Cherokee makes a pair of wings which transform Witch Baby. The girls decide to start a band with Angel Juan and Raphael, but when they are to perform they all freeze up. Cherokee makes the rest of the band members magical items that make them very popular until they get caught up in drugs, sex, and jealousy. Cherokee takes away the magical gifts after realizing the effects they have had, and the band re-examines their choices.
⚫
* ''[[Missing Angel Juan]]'' (1993): Angel Juan leaves for New York City and Witch Baby desperately misses him. When he stops writing to her, she knows something has happened to him. She goes in search of him, staying at the apartment of Weetzie Bat's deceased father, Charlie Bat, which is also haunted by him. Together, Witch Baby and the ghost of Charlie Bat trace Angel Juan to a ‘man’ named Cake, whom she must rescue Angel Juan from without getting captured as well.
⚫
* ''[[Baby Be-Bop]]'' (1995): A [[prequel]] to the other stories, the book focuses on Dirk's life before meeting Weetzie Bat. While living with Grandma Fifi in high school, Dirk struggles with his sexuality and how to [[Coming out|come out]] to Pup, his best friend whom he thinks is his soulmate. Though Pup feels the same, he refuses to come out and starts dating a girl, leaving Dirk heartbroken. After being beaten up by homophobes, he starts dreaming of his [[Ancestor|ancestors]], who help him come to terms with who he is through their life stories.
*''Necklace of Kisses'' (2005): Disillusioned by adult life and a passionless marriage, Weetzie Bat moves to LA's Pink Hotel to find herself. There, she meets a variety of supernatural characters and regains her passion for life.
*''Pink Smog'' (2012): This prequel novel describes Weetzie Bat's life as a [[Preadolescence|preteen]], when she was still known as Louise Bat.


⚫
==Major themes==
''[[Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys]]'':
The main theme throughout all of the ''Dangerous Angels'' stories is "tolerance through love".<ref>Ramsay, Ellen. "Witch Baby". School Library Journal. 37 (1991): 277. Print.</ref> ''Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys'' is about the importance of loved ones and the natural and spiritual worlds.<ref>Richmond, Gail. "Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys". School Library Journal. 38 (1992): 274. Print.</ref> ''Witch Baby''{{'}}s story is about the "danger of denying life's pain".<ref>Ramsay, Ellen. "Witch Baby". School Library Journal. 37 (1991): 277. Print.</ref> ''Weetzie Bat'' is a transcendent [[coming-of-age story]].<ref>Hearne, Betsy. "Weetzie Bat". New York Times Book Review 21 05 1989, Print.</ref> The theme of ''Missing Angel Juan'' is stated by Michael Cart: "love, in its infinite varieties, is both humankind's natural estate and heart-magic strong enough to redeem any loss".<ref>Cart, Michael. "Missing Angel Juan". School Library Journal. 39 (1993): 148. Print.</ref> In ''Baby Be-Bop'', the theme is finding love for oneself and the book is meant as "a safety net of words for readers longing to feel at home with themselves".<ref>Morrow, Claudia. "Baby Be-Bop". School Library Journal. 41 (1995): 218. Print.</ref>
⚫
The grown-ups in the family are off filming their new movie, leaving Cherokee to look after Witch Baby who has locked herself in the shed refusing to eat because she misses Angel Juan so desperately. To lure her out Cherokee makes her a pair of wings, which transform Witch Baby. The girls decide to start a band with Angel Juan and Raphael, but when they go to perform they all freeze. Cherokee makes the rest of the band members magical items which makes them into one of the hottest bands, until they get caught up in the world of drugs, sex, and jealousy. Cherokee takes away the magical gifts after realizing what it has done to them, making them re-examine their choices.


⚫
==Literary significance and reception==
''[[Missing Angel Juan]]'':
Anne Osborn says of ''Weetzie Bat'' that "Weetzie and her friends live like the lilies of the field, yet their responsibility to each other and their love for the baby show a sweet grasp of the realities that matter".<ref>Osborne, Anne. "Weetzie Bat". School Library Journal. 35 (1989): 116. Print.</ref>
⚫
Angel Juan left for New York City and Witch Baby is desperately missing him, and when he stops writing she knows something has happened to him. She goes in search of him staying at the apartment of Weetzie Bat’s deceased father, Charlie Bat, which happens to be haunted by him. Together the ghost of Charlie Bat and Witch Baby trace Angel Juan’s steps to a ‘man’ named Cake who she must rescue him from without getting herself captured as well.


In 2005, Block received the [[Margaret Edwards Award]] "for outstanding contributions to young adult readers", for the Weetzie Bat books.<ref>"Margaret A. Edwards Award". Young Adult Library Services Association. American Library Association, 2010. Web. 5 Apr 2011.<http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/margaretaedwards/maeprevious/05block.cfm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221103051/http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/margaretaedwards/maeprevious/05block.cfm |date=2011-02-21 }}>.</ref>
⚫
''[[Baby Be-Bop]]'':
⚫
A prequel to the other stories, it takes you on the journey of Dirk’s life before meeting Weetzie Bat. While living with Grandma Fifi in high school Dirk struggles with his sexuality and how to come out to Pup, his best friend and who he thinks is his soul mate. Though Pup feels the same he refuses to come out and starts dating a girl leaving Dirk heartbroken. After being beat up by a bunch of anti-gay guys he crashes at home and starts dreaming of his ancestors, which help him come to terms with who he is through their life stories.


⚫
===''Baby Be-Bop'' controversy===
⚫
==Major themes==
In June 2009, Block's book ''Baby Be-Bop'', which deals with the life of a gay teenager, was part of a controversy in [[West Bend, Wisconsin]], where several parents' groups insisted that the book, among others, be removed from the local public library and [[book burning|publicly burned]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Laura |last=Miller |title=A teen book burns at the stake: A Christian group hopes to set fire to library copies of Francesca Lia Block's novel about a gay boy coming of age |url=http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2009/06/16/francesca_lia_block/index.html |work=[[Salon (website)|Salon]] |publisher=Salon Media Group |date=June 16, 2009 |access-date=2009-06-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090619013919/http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2009/06/16/francesca_lia_block/index.html |archive-date=June 19, 2009 }}</ref>
The major theme throughout the stories combined to make ''Dangerous Angels'' is “tolerance through love.” <ref>Ramsay , Ellen. "Witch Baby." School Library Journal. 37. (1991): 277. Print.</ref>

Individual stories have more individualized themes etched within them. ''Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys'' is about the importance loved ones and the natural and spiritual worlds.<ref>Richmond, Gail. "Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys." School Library Journal. 38. (1992): 274. Print.</ref>
== Awards ==
Witch Baby’s magical story is about the “danger of denying life's pain.” <ref>Ramsay , Ellen. "Witch Baby." School Library Journal. 37. (1991): 277. Print.</ref>
Weetzie Bat is a transcendent coming of age story.<ref>Hearne, Betsy. "Weetzie Bat." New York Times Book Review 21 05 1989, Print.
</ref> The strong theme of ''Missing Angel Juan'' Cart states best as, “love, in its infinite varieties, is both humankind's natural estate and heart-magic strong enough to redeem any loss.” <ref>Cart, Michael. "Missing Angel Juan." School Library Journal. 39. (1993): 148. Print.</ref>
In ''Baby Be-Bop'' the theme is finding love for oneself and is “a safety net of words for readers longing to feel at home with themselves.”<ref>Morrow , Claudia. "Baby Be-Bop." School Library Journal. 41. (1995): 218. Print.</ref>


{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|-
!Award !! Year !! Result
!Awards !! Year !! Result
|-
|-
| [[Shrout Fiction Award]]
| Shrout Fiction Award
|1986
|1986
|Winner<ref>"Francesca Lia Block (1962-)." Something about the Author. Vol. 213. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 11-17. Something About The Author Online. Gale. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. 7 April 2011 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SATA_Online/iulib_iupui/BH2178135006></ref>
|Winner<ref>"Francesca Lia Block (1962-)." Something about the Author. Vol. 213. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 11-17. Something About The Author Online. Gale. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. 7 April 2011 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SATA_Online/iulib_iupui/BH2178135006></ref>
|-
|-
| [[Emily Chamberlain Cook Poetry Award]]
| Emily Chamberlain Cook Poetry Award
|1986
|1986
|Winner<ref>"Francesca Lia Block (1962-)." Something about the Author. Vol. 213. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 11-17. Something About The Author Online. Gale. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. 7 April 2011 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SATA_Online/iulib_iupui/BH2178135006></ref>
|Winner<ref>"Francesca Lia Block (1962-)." Something about the Author. Vol. 213. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 11-17. Something About The Author Online. Gale. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. 7 April 2011 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SATA_Online/iulib_iupui/BH2178135006></ref>
|-
|-
|[[Best Books of the Year Citation ALA]]
|Best Books of the Year Citation ALA
|1986
|1986
|Winner<ref>"Francesca Lia Block (1962-)." Something about the Author. Vol. 213. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 11-17. Something About The Author Online. Gale. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. 7 April 2011 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SATA_Online/iulib_iupui/BH2178135006></ref>
|Winner<ref>"Francesca Lia Block (1962-)." Something about the Author. Vol. 213. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 11-17. Something About The Author Online. Gale. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. 7 April 2011 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SATA_Online/iulib_iupui/BH2178135006></ref>
|-
|-
|[[YASD]], Best Book Award, Recommended Books for Reluctant Young-Adult Readers
|YASD, Best Book Award, Recommended Books for Reluctant Young-Adult Readers
|1989
|1989
|Winner<ref>"Francesca Lia Block (1962-)." Something about the Author. Vol. 213. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 11-17. Something About The Author Online. Gale. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. 7 April 2011 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SATA_Online/iulib_iupui/BH2178135006></ref>
|Winner<ref>"Francesca Lia Block (1962-)." Something about the Author. Vol. 213. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 11-17. Something About The Author Online. Gale. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. 7 April 2011 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SATA_Online/iulib_iupui/BH2178135006></ref>
|-
|-
|[[Phoenix Award]],
|Phoenix Award
|2009
|2009
|Winner<ref>[http://www.crimewriterscanada.com/awards/arthur-ellis-awards/current-contest/winners/532-winners-2010 Crime Writers of Canada] www.crimewriterscanada.com. Retrieved 2 February 2011.</ref>
|Winner<ref>[http://www.crimewriterscanada.com/awards/arthur-ellis-awards/current-contest/winners/532-winners-2010 Crime Writers of Canada] www.crimewriterscanada.com. Retrieved 2 February 2011.</ref>
|-
|-
|[[Recommended Books for Reluctant Young-Adult Readers]],
|Recommended Books for Reluctant Young-Adult Readers,
|1990
|1990
|Citation<ref>"Francesca Lia Block (1962-)." Something about the Author. Vol. 213. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 11-17. Something About The Author Online. Gale. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. 7 April 2011 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SATA_Online/iulib_iupui/BH2178135006></ref>
|<ref>"Francesca Lia Block (1962-)." Something about the Author. Vol. 213. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 11-17. Something About The Author Online. Gale. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. 7 April 2011 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SATA_Online/iulib_iupui/BH2178135006></ref>
|-
|-
| [[ALA Best Books of the Year]]
| ALA Best Books of the Year
|1991
|1991
|Winner<ref>"Francesca Lia Block (1962-)." Something about the Author. Vol. 213. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 11-17. Something About The Author Online. Gale. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. 7 April 2011 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SATA_Online/iulib_iupui/BH2178135006></ref>
|Winner<ref>"Francesca Lia Block (1962-)." Something about the Author. Vol. 213. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 11-17. Something About The Author Online. Gale. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. 7 April 2011 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SATA_Online/iulib_iupui/BH2178135006></ref>
|-
|-
|[[Recommended Books for Reluctant Young Adult Readers]]
|Recommended Books for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
|1991
|1991
|Citation<ref>"Francesca Lia Block (1962-)." Something about the Author. Vol. 213. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 11-17. Something About The Author Online. Gale. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. 7 April 2011 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SATA_Online/iulib_iupui/BH2178135006></ref>
|<ref>"Francesca Lia Block (1962-)." Something about the Author. Vol. 213. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 11-17. Something About The Author Online. Gale. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. 7 April 2011 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SATA_Online/iulib_iupui/BH2178135006></ref>
|-
|}
|}

⚫
==Literary significance and reception==
All of the short books that are combined to make Dangerous Angels received great reviews when they were published. Osborn says of Weetzie Bat, “Weetzie and her friends live like the lilies of the field, yet their responsibility to each other and their love for the baby show a sweet grasp of the realities that matter.”<ref>Osborne , Anne. "Weetzie Bat ." School Library Journal. 35. (1989): 116. Print.</ref> Block manages to bring the most important things in life, family and love to the front of the novel making other life matters secondary, which readers find enchanting. In 2005 Block received the Margaret A. Edwards Award, “for outstanding contributions to young adult readers”, for the Weetzie Bat books.<ref>"Margaret A. Edwards Award." Young Adult Library Services Association. American Library Association, 2010. Web. 5 Apr 2011. <http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/margaretaedwards/maeprevious/05block.cfm>.</ref>

===Publication history===
*1998: 1st edition paperback. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-440697-0
*2007: Revised paperback edition. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-440697-0
*2010: HarperTeen revised paperback edition. New York: HarperTeen. ISBN 978-0-06-200740-7

===Explanation of the novel's title===
The title of this book comes from a quote from Weetzie Bat: “‘Love is a dangerous angel,’ Dirk said.” [p.&nbsp;11] <ref>"Reading Guide for Dangerous Angels from HarperCollins Publishers." HarperCollins Publishers. HarperCollins Publishers, 2010. Web. 2 Mar 2011. <http://www.harpercollins.com/author/authorExtra.aspx?isbn13=9780064406970&displayType=readingGuide>.</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


[[Category:1998 novels]]
[[Category:1998 American novels]]
[[Category:20th-century American novels]]
[[Category:American young adult novels]]
[[Category:Novels by Francesca Lia Block]]
[[Category:Novels set in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:LGBTQ speculative fiction novels]]
[[Category:Young adult novel series]]
[[Category:American LGBTQ novels]]

Latest revision as of 20:38, 24 September 2024

Dangerous Angels
First edition
AuthorFrancesca Lia Block
Cover artistSuza Scalora
LanguageEnglish
GenreYoung adult fiction
PublisherHarper Collins Publishers
Publication date
1998
Publication placeUSA
Media typePrint (paperback, e-book)
Pages478 (1st edition)
ISBN0-06-440697-0
OCLC526057852

Dangerous Angels, also known as the Weetzie Bat series, is a young adult fiction series by Francesca Lia Block. The series consists of seven novels: Weetzie Bat, Witch Baby, Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys, Missing Angel Juan, Baby Be-Bop, Necklace of Kisses and Pink Smog: Becoming Weetzie Bat. The books follow main character, Weetzie Bat and her friends and family members, who all live in Los Angeles.

The books include supernatural elements such as witches, genies, and ghosts, and has been described as magical realism or mythpunk.

The series title first appeared on the omnibus edition of the first five books, Dangerous Angels, first published in 1998. .[1] The omnibus edition was reprinted in 2007 and again in 2010.

The novel series have won multiple awards such as the 1986 Shrout Fiction Award and the 1986 Emily Chamberlain Cook Poetry Award.

Plot summary

[edit]
  • Weetzie Bat (1989): Weetzie Bat meets Dirk, who is gay, at school, and they become best friends. Together they have adventures around Los Angeles, comforting each other when they get hurt on their quests to find their ducks, or soulmates. Dirk's Grandma Fifi gives Weetzie a genie lamp which grants her her three wishes and their lives change forever.
  • Witch Baby (1991): Witch Baby is a purple-eyed girl who lives with Weetzie Bat. My-Secret-Agent-Lover-Man and the rest of the family do not know where she belongs in the world. Tired of tormenting her sister, Cherokee, Witch Baby meets a boy named Angel Juan who she instantly knows is her soulmate and through him, realizes what a family should be. She goes on a quest to find her mother in hopes of finding out where she belongs, only to find out that her mother does not care about her. In the end, she misses her family and realizes it is with them that she belongs.
  • Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys (1992): The adults in the family are away filming their new movie, leaving Cherokee to look after Witch Baby, who misses Angel Juan so desperately that she has locked herself in the shed refusing to eat. To lure her out, Cherokee makes a pair of wings which transform Witch Baby. The girls decide to start a band with Angel Juan and Raphael, but when they are to perform they all freeze up. Cherokee makes the rest of the band members magical items that make them very popular until they get caught up in drugs, sex, and jealousy. Cherokee takes away the magical gifts after realizing the effects they have had, and the band re-examines their choices.
  • Missing Angel Juan (1993): Angel Juan leaves for New York City and Witch Baby desperately misses him. When he stops writing to her, she knows something has happened to him. She goes in search of him, staying at the apartment of Weetzie Bat's deceased father, Charlie Bat, which is also haunted by him. Together, Witch Baby and the ghost of Charlie Bat trace Angel Juan to a ‘man’ named Cake, whom she must rescue Angel Juan from without getting captured as well.
  • Baby Be-Bop (1995): A prequel to the other stories, the book focuses on Dirk's life before meeting Weetzie Bat. While living with Grandma Fifi in high school, Dirk struggles with his sexuality and how to come out to Pup, his best friend whom he thinks is his soulmate. Though Pup feels the same, he refuses to come out and starts dating a girl, leaving Dirk heartbroken. After being beaten up by homophobes, he starts dreaming of his ancestors, who help him come to terms with who he is through their life stories.
  • Necklace of Kisses (2005): Disillusioned by adult life and a passionless marriage, Weetzie Bat moves to LA's Pink Hotel to find herself. There, she meets a variety of supernatural characters and regains her passion for life.
  • Pink Smog (2012): This prequel novel describes Weetzie Bat's life as a preteen, when she was still known as Louise Bat.

Major themes

[edit]

The main theme throughout all of the Dangerous Angels stories is "tolerance through love".[2] Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys is about the importance of loved ones and the natural and spiritual worlds.[3] Witch Baby's story is about the "danger of denying life's pain".[4] Weetzie Bat is a transcendent coming-of-age story.[5] The theme of Missing Angel Juan is stated by Michael Cart: "love, in its infinite varieties, is both humankind's natural estate and heart-magic strong enough to redeem any loss".[6] In Baby Be-Bop, the theme is finding love for oneself and the book is meant as "a safety net of words for readers longing to feel at home with themselves".[7]

Literary significance and reception

[edit]

Anne Osborn says of Weetzie Bat that "Weetzie and her friends live like the lilies of the field, yet their responsibility to each other and their love for the baby show a sweet grasp of the realities that matter".[8]

In 2005, Block received the Margaret Edwards Award "for outstanding contributions to young adult readers", for the Weetzie Bat books.[9]

Baby Be-Bop controversy

[edit]

In June 2009, Block's book Baby Be-Bop, which deals with the life of a gay teenager, was part of a controversy in West Bend, Wisconsin, where several parents' groups insisted that the book, among others, be removed from the local public library and publicly burned.[10]

Awards

[edit]
Awards Year Result
Shrout Fiction Award 1986 Winner[11]
Emily Chamberlain Cook Poetry Award 1986 Winner[12]
Best Books of the Year Citation ALA 1986 Winner[13]
YASD, Best Book Award, Recommended Books for Reluctant Young-Adult Readers 1989 Winner[14]
Phoenix Award 2009 Winner[15]
Recommended Books for Reluctant Young-Adult Readers, 1990 [16]
ALA Best Books of the Year 1991 Winner[17]
Recommended Books for Reluctant Young Adult Readers 1991 [18]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Reading Guide for Dangerous Angels from HarperCollins Publishers". HarperCollins Publishers. 2 March 2011. Archived from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  2. ^ Ramsay, Ellen. "Witch Baby". School Library Journal. 37 (1991): 277. Print.
  3. ^ Richmond, Gail. "Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys". School Library Journal. 38 (1992): 274. Print.
  4. ^ Ramsay, Ellen. "Witch Baby". School Library Journal. 37 (1991): 277. Print.
  5. ^ Hearne, Betsy. "Weetzie Bat". New York Times Book Review 21 05 1989, Print.
  6. ^ Cart, Michael. "Missing Angel Juan". School Library Journal. 39 (1993): 148. Print.
  7. ^ Morrow, Claudia. "Baby Be-Bop". School Library Journal. 41 (1995): 218. Print.
  8. ^ Osborne, Anne. "Weetzie Bat". School Library Journal. 35 (1989): 116. Print.
  9. ^ "Margaret A. Edwards Award". Young Adult Library Services Association. American Library Association, 2010. Web. 5 Apr 2011.<http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/margaretaedwards/maeprevious/05block.cfm Archived 2011-02-21 at the Wayback Machine>.
  10. ^ Miller, Laura (June 16, 2009). "A teen book burns at the stake: A Christian group hopes to set fire to library copies of Francesca Lia Block's novel about a gay boy coming of age". Salon. Salon Media Group. Archived from the original on June 19, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-19.
  11. ^ "Francesca Lia Block (1962-)." Something about the Author. Vol. 213. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 11-17. Something About The Author Online. Gale. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. 7 April 2011 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SATA_Online/iulib_iupui/BH2178135006>
  12. ^ "Francesca Lia Block (1962-)." Something about the Author. Vol. 213. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 11-17. Something About The Author Online. Gale. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. 7 April 2011 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SATA_Online/iulib_iupui/BH2178135006>
  13. ^ "Francesca Lia Block (1962-)." Something about the Author. Vol. 213. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 11-17. Something About The Author Online. Gale. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. 7 April 2011 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SATA_Online/iulib_iupui/BH2178135006>
  14. ^ "Francesca Lia Block (1962-)." Something about the Author. Vol. 213. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 11-17. Something About The Author Online. Gale. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. 7 April 2011 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SATA_Online/iulib_iupui/BH2178135006>
  15. ^ Crime Writers of Canada www.crimewriterscanada.com. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  16. ^ "Francesca Lia Block (1962-)." Something about the Author. Vol. 213. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 11-17. Something About The Author Online. Gale. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. 7 April 2011 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SATA_Online/iulib_iupui/BH2178135006>
  17. ^ "Francesca Lia Block (1962-)." Something about the Author. Vol. 213. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 11-17. Something About The Author Online. Gale. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. 7 April 2011 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SATA_Online/iulib_iupui/BH2178135006>
  18. ^ "Francesca Lia Block (1962-)." Something about the Author. Vol. 213. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 11-17. Something About The Author Online. Gale. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. 7 April 2011 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SATA_Online/iulib_iupui/BH2178135006>
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