Missing Angel Juan (Weetzie Bat)

One of kids' favorite characters in Francesca Lia Block's Weetzie Bat series is Witch Baby: a tangly haired, purple-eyed girl who can curl her toes into cashew shapes. She's a bit of an outsider, more in touch with feelings and portents than the rest of the gang from Shangri-L.A. In Witch Baby and Missing Angel Juan, we're able to watch Witch Baby work through some of her feelings of alienation. Her willingness to explore darker emotional realms is a real inspiration, and, in fact, she seems more evolved and "whole" than the others. In Missing Angel Juan, Witch Baby finally finds a way to create her own sense of belonging. She finds out more about her history and her unique needs to push through some of the shyness and moodiness that has always kept her separate from others.