MISSING ANGEL JUAN
Dangerous Angels Book IV
By Francesca Lia Block
Atom (Time Warner UK) - November 2002
ISBN 1904233066 PB
Teenage - Contemporary/Fantasy
New York / Christmas and New Year

Reviewed by Rachel A Hyde, MyShelf.com
Buy a US || UK Copy

Those cool slinkster dudes are back for a fourth helping of teenage angst and fantasy. I mean Weetzie Bat and her amazing family, of course. This time the attention again falls on Witch Baby, the odd one out in Weetzie's happy home, whose boyfriend and soul mate, Angel Juan, has gone to New York to find himself. Trouble is, Witch Baby has lost herself and the only way to find her missing other half is to go look for him. Armed with her roller blades and trusty camera, she heads to the Big Apple, where she meets Charlie Bat's ghost and embarks on a bizarre search for not only her lost love - but to find out more about herself.

As usual, there is much to admire in this admirably short but nicely packed story. The fact that it is told in the first person by Witch Baby herself, the way she has of putting her innermost feelings into teenage-friendly words, the lyrical but realistic descriptions of the people she sees in New York and the mixture of the factual and the fantastic. This book manages to tackle teenage issues while remaining beautifully written and icy cool - I wish these books had been around when I was a teenager to offer their oddly compelling mix of poetry and wisdom.

Still probably the best teenage fiction I've ever read, hitting the spot that others miss.

Check out the website at www.atombooks.co.uk