Weetzie Bat
#7783.89 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 7 books Status Unfinished 1989–2012 Reading commitment High Francesca Lia Block Last reviewed 2026-11-02
Overview
The Weetzie Bat books are magical-realist novels by Francesca Lia Block set in a dreamlike Los Angeles called Shangri-L.A. Weetzie Bat appeared in 1989. In it a genie grants Weetzie three wishes, and the story follows her, her best friend Dirk and their chosen family. Witch Baby, Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys, Missing Angel Juan and Baby Be-Bop followed between 1991 and 1995, and the first five were collected as Dangerous Angels in 1998. Necklace of Kisses (2005) returns to Weetzie at forty, and the prequel Pink Smog (2012) shows her as a teenager. Magic appears throughout in lamps, ghosts, ancestors and enchanted objects.
Urban fantasy · For YA
Core Canon: Reading Order (7 works) counts toward ranking
Weetzie Bat Francesca Lia Block
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Weetzie Bat; First book of the series; the first five books were collected as Dangerous Angels in 1998. | 1989 | 1 | core | 3.75 (15,138 ratings) |
 | Witch Baby | 1991 | 2 | core | 4.18 (3,932 ratings) |
 | Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys | 1992 | 3 | core | 3.97 (2,485 ratings) |
 | Missing Angel Juan | 1993 | 4 | core | 4.16 (2,415 ratings) |
 | Baby Be-Bop; Set before Weetzie Bat, although it was published fifth. | 1995 | 5 | core | 4.06 (2,452 ratings) |
 | Necklace of Kisses | 2005 | 6 | core | 3.91 (2,607 ratings) |
 | Pink Smog; Prequel about Weetzie's early teens; the series lists it as book 0. | 2012 | 7 | core | 3.75 (1,406 ratings) |
Seven linked novels about Weetzie Bat and her chosen family in a magical Los Angeles.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Weetzie Bat? Weetzie Bat's Core Canon is 7 books.
- What is the reading order for Weetzie Bat? Publication order, starting with Weetzie Bat. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Weetzie Bat finished? Unfinished (1989–2012).
- How much reading does Weetzie Bat take? High reading commitment (estimated from 7 Core Canon books).
- How is Weetzie Bat ranked? #778 in this site's official ranking, based on 30,435 reader ratings across 7 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #778?
Ranked #778 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.89 across 7 core books.
- A smaller readership (30,435 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.75 to 4.18.
- Less than 0.01 behind #777, Falcon (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 7 books · Unfinished · 30k ratings · Ranks #778 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running urban fantasy universe.
Reading order
Publication order (7 Core Canon books)
- Weetzie Bat (1989)
- Witch Baby (1991)
- Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys (1992)
- Missing Angel Juan (1993)
- Baby Be-Bop (1995)
- Necklace of Kisses (2005)
- Pink Smog (2012)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- Phoenix Award, 2009: won: Weetzie Bat
- Lambda Literary Award (Young Adult/Children's Book), 1996: nominated: Baby Be-Bop
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.89 across 30,435 ratings on 7 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 28 universes; Greyhawk gains three novels; 2 candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-02
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Dangerous Angels Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Francesca Lia Block Tier 2
- Rising Shadow: Necklace of Kisses Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Rule: Core Canon = the Weetzie Bat novels, Weetzie Bat (1989) through Pink Smog (2012). The Dangerous Angels, Goat Girls and Beautiful Boys omnibus editions are excluded.