Dirk has always known he was different. Living with his grandmother, he has a near perfect life with the beach, surfing, and a red-and-white 1955 Pontiac convertible. But to keep this peace, Dirk believes he must hide what makes him different. He searches for ways to fit in and yet never can. Then, in a night of magic and ghosts, he discovers his past and how love is always right, no matter what form it takes.
Impression: I have to admit, this one had me almost crying and I think is my favorite of the series. In Baby Be-Bop, we are told the story of Dirk, a character who we met in book one, and got to know a little better in book 2, then left behind as Block explored the lives of the children in the unique family she has created for this series. She returns to him and through his story shows how the past is part of what makes us who we are and the importance of self-acceptance and love. From the story she weaves here, we can clearly see how he became the man we see in the earlier books.
While her use of her world's magic is as heavy handed as it was in the past book (and more obvious than in the first 3 books), it is actually much better intertwined through the story, thus making it far more believable. It's also helpful that Block didn't use coincidence as a major part of the plotline for this particular book. It's very well written and a very touching story. While I haven't been too sure about the previous four books, I do recommend Baby Be-Bop. Which makes it a very good thing that it can easily be read without having read any of the previous books in the series.
