Unknown to everyone except My Secret Agent Lover Man and Weetzie Bat, Witch Baby is the daughter of My Secret Agent Lover Man and a mysterious woman who is a part of the "Jayne Mansfield Club." While watching her family celebrate the successful completion of another movie, Witch Baby sees that everyone is paired except her, even the dogs, Slinkster Dog an Go-Go Girl, and she begins to ask the question, "What time are we upon and where do I belong?" From that day on she embarks on a journey to find where she belongs. She meets a young man who could be her love, until he's taken from the country by immigration; is a stowaway to meet Duck's family; and searches the City of Angels to find her place. She works through her feelings of alienation and explores the "darker" side of herself on her way to creating her own sense of "What time she is upon and where she belongs."
Impression: I think I enjoyed Witch Baby more than Weetzie Bat. The story felt fuller and delved a bit deeper into the characters, even though it was only a few pages longer than the previous book. I love how Block covers the "important" issues of most teens in a whimsical way with a bit of magic and a bit of seriousness thrown in. It was easier to see the theme of this book, which was also nice. I like the way she approaches the themes and the imaginative quality of these books so far. The style takes a little getting used to, but it's a very creative way of using language, so that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Unless otherwise noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by me.
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I will no longer be linking to Amazon and no longer recommending Amazon as a place to purchase books I review. Amazon has repeatedly used bully tactics to reinforce its policies, even if those tactics cause harm to authors or limit customer choices. Amazon usually apologizes for the events after the fact, but that they continue to use the same methods makes those apologies hollow. I will not purchase from or encourage others to purchase from a business that chooses to take from the pockets of authors (who as a whole earn a lot less than general public realizes) and decide what the public should and should not read.
