I know this author is pretty out there, but I have a soft spot for her fiction for young people. She has a knack for writing about loopy, eccentric teenagers that I am completely charmed by. The setting is always some magical-realism rendering of L.A., and I fall for it every time even though I know it's pretty ridiculous. Then again, I was a kid who loved unicorns, so of course I fall for this stuff. ( )

Bee felt different from the others, out of place. Everyone felt that way at some time, she understood, but somehow this was different, she could feel it. She felt displaced in the world, but it wasn't until she saw herself standing at the end of her bed claiming that she was an impostor did she really start to believe that maybe she really didn't belong.

Hayze and Sarah were just as different as Bee, just as strange. Yet somehow they still belonged. One by one Hayze and Sarah are drawn to Bee and her acceptance of their differences; one by one Hayze then Sarah begin to find that their differences are what makes them unique. But in order to gain this wisdom something must be lost.

the Waters & the Wild brings together three outsiders forming a bond of friendship through understanding where magic is created. A girl who sings like and angel, a boy who quotes poetry and a doppelganger make up the heart of a story about fitting in, standing out and being who you were born to be. A story that will charm and enchant with a fairy hand in hand. ( )

Bee has never felt like she belongs in Los Angeles, and the doppelganger she keeps seeing only gives more credence to her fears. Her friends Haze and Sarah don't belong either--Haze is convinced he's an alien, and Sarah is the reincarnation of a slave girl. Together they find a sense of belonging they've never known before, but Bee's changeling nature threatens to take her away from them all.

Francesca Lia Block has a writing style that you either love or you hate--but the wild lyricality is toned down somewhat here, making the book more accessible. You still have to follow the leaps from character to character, but it works. There's a brief poetic interlude with references to 9/11 and the Pacific tsunami, but I wonder if teens would pick up on them--it's history to them, not current events.

Recommended for fantasy and fairy-tale fans looking for a quick read. ( )

There is no way I could resist a book by FLB that took its title from my favorite Yeats poem. There's some Tam Lin woven in as well. An otherworldly, tinkly, dancing story that, as one expects from FLB, manages to work in intense love of Los Angeles among the magical fairy dust. It was a lot of fun, light and frothy and suffused with that especial Southern California magic that Block has built a career on. ( )

This novel had interesting ideas that could be relatable to a young adult reader. The idea of an identity crisis between the main character and her friends was the central topic. As a early childhood teacher, I would not recommend this novel. Some details were not completely explained and it was hard at times to get a good visual on what the author was wanting the reader to see. ( )