Pink Smog
Becoming Weetzie Bat
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
Pink Smog, the long-awaited prequel to Francesca Lia Block's groundbreaking novel Weetzie Bat, was praised as "an intoxicating mix of mystery, fantasy, and romance" by ALA Booklist in a starred review. Weetzie Bat is one of the seminal young adult novels of the '90s and continues to be an iconic treasure for teens everywhere. Now Pink Smog reintroduces a whole new generation to the eponymous Weetzie Bat—before she was Weetzie. Against the backdrop of a Los Angeles teeming with magical realism, Louise Bat struggles to find a way to deal with life after her father's unceremonious departure.
Longtime fans and newfound readers alike will fall in love with Francesca Lia Block's beautifully crafted and brutally honest world. Maggie Stiefvater, New York Times bestselling author of The Raven Boys, proclaimed "Pink Smog sparkles and obscures; it's a glorious mirage, like the city it pays homage to."
An Iconic Prequel: Discover the world of Shangri-L.A. before the classic Weetzie Bat. This is the story of Louise Bat, a lonely thirteen-year-old learning to find her own magic.Coming of Age Angst: With a father who’s disappeared and a mother lost in her own sorrow, Louise must learn to be her own hero in this raw and honest tale.Lyrical Los Angeles Setting: Explore a hazy, dreamlike 1970s Hollywood full of punk rock, pink smog, and unexpected magic hiding in plain sight.Unlikely Friendships: From school outcasts to mysterious new neighbors, Louise discovers that finding your people is the most powerful magic of all.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this prequel to her genre-shifting 1989 debut Weetzie Bat, Block peels back the glittering surface of that hip teen fairy tale to reveal a heartfelt portrait of the artist as a grieving seventh-grader. After Louise's father abruptly decamps for New York City, she must cope with her mother's depression, a clique of mean girls, and the sinister family in Unit 13 of the Starlight Condominiums, where she lives. An attractive older boy possibly a guardian angel offers help and solace, as do two new friends from school, who are outcasts as well. As anonymous notes propel Louise on a mystery tour of her beloved hometown, Los Angeles, magic shimmers ever brighter. By the novel's end Louise leaves her given name behind and begins to grow into Weetzie, the girl who can spin pain into gold by always seeing beauty, "no matter how bad things get." Newcomers and longtime fans alike will find much to savor in this nuanced meditation on what is lost, and what is gained, in the process of becoming an artist. Ages 14 up.
