Witch Baby

Readers of Weetzie Bat , Block's effervescent first novel, will recall that Witch Baby is the daughter of My Secret Agent Lover Man and the villainess Vixanne Wigg--leader of the sinister Jayne Mansfield Fan Club. Left as an infant on the doorstep of Weetzie's nearly enchanted cottage, Witch Baby was raised by Weetzie and the rest of her bohemian household. Dark-eyed and intense, and angry at the world's injustices, Witch Baby isn't sure that she really has a place in the resolutely carefree life of the cottage dwellers. Donning her cowboy-boot roller-skates, she glides through L.A. in search of her mother. Witch Baby's commitment to the truth--no matter how difficult--serves to uncover some of the blind spots of California's reigning counterculture. Innocent yet never naive, the narrative is spiked with images of potent beauty. Sparkling writing and exuberant listings of hip accessories are only one side of the story; the seriousness of Witch Baby's quest is underscored by carefully wrought metaphors and delicate allusions to fairy tales. Block's second novel is even richer and more delightful than its predecessor. Ages 12-up. (Sept.)