2. Plot Summary. Witch Baby and Angel Juan have been together since they were kids. Now, suddenly, Angel Juan tells Witch Baby that he feels the need to go to New York to pursue his music by himself. Devastated, Witch Baby, eventually goes to New York to try to find Angel Juan to either be with him there or to bring him back home. With nothing to go on but one postcard which she received from him, Witch Baby sets off to find Angel Juan, which is like finding a needle in a haystack. Assisted by the ghost of her "almost grandfather" and a host of unusual characters and fantastical objects (a magic camera, for example), Witch Baby scours the streets of New York looking for the love of her life and the meaning of her existence.
3. Critical Analysis. Missing Angel Juan is part of the "Weetzie Bat" series, which has received much critical acclaim, including awards such as "ALA Best Book for Young Adults," "School Library Journal Best Book," and "ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers." Reviews often focus on Block's writing. The New York Times says, "The writing continues to dazzle" and Sassy states "As always, Francesca Lia Block's writing is a dream - minimalist yet poetic." When it comes to Block's prose, I would agree: "Morning. Strawberry sky dusted with white winter powder-sugar sun. And nobody to munch on it with." (p. 37) In reading reviews on Goodreads and Amazon, which are written by readers of all ages, I discovered this work to be many readers' favorite Witch Baby book. When comparing it to other Weetzie Bat books, readers felt this one developed the character of Witch Baby better than other stories that involve her. For example, from Goodreads, Cera commented, "My favourite of the Weetzie Bat books; it's Witch Baby's coming of age, and does a pitch-perfect job of being a fairy tale in which the fantasy elements dramatise psychological development." I found the character of Witch Baby to be unusual. She is wearing rollerskates all around New York City as she searches for Angel Juan, but the unusual part of that for me is that fact that she doesn't seem to have any shoes with her at all. She is either wearing the skates or she's wearing nothing but socks and her feet are freezing, and her tangled mass of hair and purple eyes paint a pictures of a teen who is vastly different from the "average" young adult in a way that makes her both interesting and odd.
This story flows in and out of reality. Witch Baby is staying in the abandoned apartment of her "almost grandfather," and his ghost continues to reside inside. He leads her around the city, in and out of real and fantastical places inhabited by real people and ghosts. The movement in and out of reality and fantasy is seamless. As such, it makes the creepy ending when Witch Baby discovers Angel Juan in the basement filled with the mannequin children difficult to understand. What exactly is going on? It reminds me of the horror movie "House of Wax" with Vincent Price where the sculptures are actually made out of real people, but it's difficult to tell if the mannequin children are all filled with the real children or not. I think so, but in some cases their are several mannequins that are based on the same child, and Angel Juan is one of the children that has been reproduced numerous times. However, the night after escaping from the macabre place, Witch Baby asks Angel Juan who the man was. "'He was our fear,' says Angel Juan. 'My fear of love and yours of being alone. But we don't need him anymore.'" I'm confused.
The structure of the story is done in an interesting way. Scattered through the book are letters Witch Baby has written to Angel Juan. Again, there is some confusion on my part as to when she wrote the letters - they include information about what is happening at the moment, so it is unclear whether she wrote the letters after the story is finished, before it started and it just fits here, or whether we readers must seriously suspend our understanding of the convention of letter-writing and know that this is just a way for Block to convey information in an interesting and unusual way. However, I found one of Witch Baby's letters about what is meant by the phrase "soul mates" to be particularly interesting. The concept of soul mates is the topic and it's a topic under constant discussion in TV, movies, other stories, and conversation - whether or not we believe in soul mates, how do we know if we've found our soul mate, etc. I found Witch Baby's thoughts on soul mates to be interesting: "your souls get married without even meaning to - even if you can't be together for some reason in real life, your souls just go ahead and make the wedding plans." Perhaps an intriguing explanation for why so many people seem unhappy in their marriages - their souls are actually married elsewhere when the physical marriage didn't work out for some reason.
If asked if I like the Weetzie Bat books, I would have to say no. The stories are on the weird side to me. Generally in fantasy where the reader must suspend their beliefs, the plots still seem cohesive, and even with odd, unpronounceable names of people and places, the characters are mostly believable and the conflicts and resolutions are understandable. I find this not to be the case with the Weetzie Bat books. While I haven't read them all, this is my third one, and I cannot say I liked any of them. Perhaps it is simply my age. This will be my last attempt to read books from the Weetzie Bat series barring any school reading that requires me to break that pledge to myself. However, if the positive comments from critics and reader alike are any indication, I'm definitely in the minority.
4. Review Excerpts.
School Library Journal: "Missing Angel Juan is an engagingly eccentric mix of fantasy and reality, enhanced-this time-by mystery and suspense. It is also magical, moving, mischievous, and-literally-marvelous. It establishes, once again, that Block is a brilliant visionary who imagines worlds where paradise is a possibility; where every sight and sound is a blessing; and where love, in its infinite varieties, is both humankind's natural estate and heart-magic strong enough to redeem any loss."
Booklist: "This third story in the Weetzie Bat saga exhibits Block's ability to combine romantic language, poetic slang, and character eccentricity into a viable plot (complete with tree spirits, a "truth" camera, and sexual passion); and it packs an emotional wallop that makes it a strong choice for young adults."
Kirkus Reviews: "In her fourth book, Block's lyrical interplay of leitmotifs and artful allusions (statues, mannequins, drag queens; photos, mirrors, ghosts; pimps, wholesale butchers, vegetarians; and, of course, angels) continues to be uniquely fascinating and provocative."
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