From: Ginny Moore Kruse <gmkruse>
Date: Fri, 10 Jun 2005 11:22:53 -0500

My memory of my initial encounter with Weetzie Bat in 1989 is how refreshing Weetzie's voice was at that particular time and how evocative her attitude, life view and story were. I was intrigued by the other characters, too: Dirk, Duck and
"My-Secret-Agent-Lover-Man. I also remember being relieved that Block hadn't skirted some of the harsher realities of her characters' lives.
  Applause for Emily's exquisitely expressed memory of what reading "Weetzie Bat" meant to her and her high school girlfriends!
  Cheers for Francesca Lia Block as the winner 2005 Margaret Edwards Award!
  Congratulations to her former editor Charlotte Zolotow who really heard Weetzie's fresh voice and appreciated Weetzie's "blissful energy" on behalf of so many future young readers!
  Best, Ginny
 

Ginny Moore Kruse gmkruse at education.wisc.edu
 



I'm a HUGE fan of the Weetzie Bat books. I found Weetzie on my school library shelf one day, checked it out after reading the first chapter, and then shared it with my punk rock girlfriends. If you read our memories in our senior yearbook (class of 1994), you'll find phrases like "slinkster cool" sprinkled throughout. Weetzie and her gang were an extension of the carefree times my friends and I shared at the skate park, the dance club, and even at school. I was so happy to find books that reflected the giddiness and "joie de vivre" that we felt. The books also encouraged me to consider stereotypes, confront prejudices, and broaden my definition of what it means to have a fulfilling life.

The Margaret Edwards award is well deserved, and I hope it helps to bring Block's books to new readers today. I'm sure others had or will have very different experiences with the books (I'd love to hear them!) but for me it's all about love and blissful energy. Thanks, Francesca, for everything.

Emily Jones
Received on Fri 10 Jun 2005 11:22:53 AM CDT