Pink Smog: Becoming Weetzie Bat

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."

Extras in this paperback edition include "The Girl in the Pink Pinto," an essay about the inspiration for Weetzie Bat, the official Pink Smog playlist, an excerpt from Francesca Lia Block's next novel, and more!

Before she was Weetzie, she was just a girl trying to survive L.A.—and junior high.

• The Prequel Fans Have Waited For: Discover the world of Weetzie Bat from the very beginning and meet Louise Bat before she found her iconic name and her happy-ever-after.
• Found Family: Amid the cruelty of junior high, Louise finds her people in fellow outcasts Bobby and Lily, creating a bond to protect them from the harsh realities of their lives.
• A Complicated Mother-Daughter Relationship: With her father gone and her mother, Brandy-Lynn, lost in a haze of alcohol, Louise must learn to take care of herself—and the woman who is supposed to be taking care of her.
• A Mysterious Guardian: A strange boy named Winter appears whenever Louise is in trouble, but is he an angel, a part of a dark family secret, or something else entirely?
• Lyrical, Unforgettable Prose: Experience the unique, poetic voice of Francesca Lia Block that has captivated readers for decades and made Weetzie Bat a literary treasure.

Despite how much Louise insists, no one will call her Weetzie. It's her dad's nickname for her, but it won't stay put. Neither will her dad. Charlie left Louise and her mom and he took everything with him: her family, her home—and her understanding of who she's meant to be.

But Los Angeles is a city full of strange angels, and Louise embarks on a journey to sift through the smog of her heartbreak, to grow her own wings, to become Weetzie.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM for WEETZIE BAT and the DANGEROUS ANGELS collection: “Transcendent.” - New York Times Book Review

“Shimmering.” - New York Post

“Magnificent.” - Village Voice

“Sparkling.” - Publishers Weekly

“One of the most original books of the last ten years.” - Los Angeles Times Book Review

“Pink Smog sparkles and obscures; it’s a glorious mirage, like the city it pays homage to.” - Maggie Stiefvater, #1 New York Times bestselling author, for the New York Times Book Review

“The prose both charts and matches Weetzie’s transformation from ordinary girl into someone who deliberately creates the world she wants to live in; as she changes, so does the language, from a straightforward reporting of events to the more dreamlike, haunting quality of Block’s signature style. This canny introduction to Weetzie is the perfect prep for younger readers to get to know someone they can grow with.” - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“This canny introduction to Weetzie is the perfect prep.” - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“A fresh gem for Weetzie fans, Pink Smog stands comfortably alone as well.” - Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (Starred Review)

“In the early ‘90s, Weetzie was Teen Lit’s alternative princess, and Pink Smog aims to introduce a new generation to her fantastical world.” - School Library Journal

“The beloved star of Block’s Weetzie Bat (1989) is back in this charming prequel. Block’s new novel is an intoxicating mix of mystery, fantasy, and romance told in her signature poetic style and peopled by guardian angels, witches, a goddess, and a demon. Yet all is rooted in a sometimes dark reality of a sensitive young girl who desperately misses her father and is the object of scorn at school. There is hope in new friendships and, as in all of Block’s books, there is love, which may be a dangerous angel but is also a life-saving and affirming force to be reckoned with.” - Booklist (starred review)

“An intoxicating mix of mystery, fantasy, and romance told in her signature poetic style and peopled by guardian angels, witches, a goddess, and a demon.” - Booklist (starred review)

“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.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Teens... will relate to the heroine’s universal feelings of being on the fringe. Louise’s uplifting example proves that only from the outside can one forge her own true path.” - Shelf Awareness