The Waters & the Wild

Francesca Lia Block is one of my favorite writers for a reason - her smart, poetic prose easily transports you to an alternate reality, layering real issues with surreal context. In her latest, we explore the possibilities of a doppelganger, as thirteen-year-old Bee has begun to see herself at

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night, claiming to be the real her. Turning to the weird kid at school, Haze (he's rumored to believe he's an alien) she discovers that she might not belong in L.A. - in more ways than one. Picking up Sarah, a street-singer with a gorgeous voice who believes she's a reincarnated slave girl, the trio embark on a mission to save Bee, and to understand their own realities. Like Block's other works, The Waters and the Wild is tightly written, with an ethereal feeling that leaves you feeling pleasantly disoriented. Don't miss this wonderful opportunity to be enchanted.

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Uh...

The Good: The writing style has a certain quality that makes you interested in reading the book and it compels you to turn the page. Also, the characters are very good.

Bee is her own person and though she might not be completely normal, she's sometimes, surprisingly relateable. Also, I adored

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Haze and Sarah. If I actually met them I'd probably think that they are absolutely crazy. I mean, Haze thinks that he's an alien and Sarah thinks that she's a reincarnation of a 1800's slave girl. But strangely, I really liked them and I absolutely enjoyed reading about them.

The Bad: The beginning attracts your attention, that's for sure. When I first read it, I almost put the book down. Seriously, it creeped me out a little. Maybe creeped is too strong of a word, but if if I was in a book store, I would've put it down.

Also, this book really dissapointed me. The summary looks so interesting and the cover is really pretty... but the book itself just fell flat. Another probably that I had was that it was too short! It's like I blink and the story's over, it's not worth paying 16.99 that's for sure.

Overall: Though the writing is very good, when I finished, I didn't feel satisfied or happy that I finished the book. The first thing that popped into my head after I finished was, "What the hell did I just read?"

Grade: B-

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Title: The Waters & The Wild Author: Francesca Lia Block Publisher: Harper Teen Number Of Pages: 111 Publication Date: June 2nd, 2009

Synopsis from back of book: When Bee woke up, there was a girl standing in her room. “You are me,” the girl said. Then she was gone.

Thus begins thirteen-year-old

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Bee’s discovery that her life is not what she thought it was. In this compellingly eerie new teen novel from critically acclaimed writer Francesca Lia Block, Bee’s never felt like she really belongs in this world. When she encounters her dark and ethereal double, she realizes she may be right…

Review: The Waters & The Wild was okay. I didn’t enjoy it all that much. I felt like I was always missing something important. It took me a few hours to finish The Waters & The Wild and it was not something I will read again. One thing I did like was the supporting characters Haze & Sarah. They were a lot more interesting to read about than the main character Bee.

I think that the length of this was a downfall. Maybe, if it was longer I would have enjoyed it more? I am not totally sure. I felt there wasn’t enough depth. Another problem, I felt confused through the novel. All in all, this was a minor disappointment.

I recommend this novel if you like faery changelings, Francesca Lia Block books, and young adult novels.

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Bee is 13 and has never felt like she fits in. However, this is more than just your average teenage angst... amongst Bee's many odd characteristics, she has the urge to eat dirt from her garden and is frightened by metal objects. One night she wakes up to find a girl in her room, a girl who looks

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just like her and tells her "You are me," before disappearing. Bee finds her world unraveling after this visit, and she reaches out to two unlikely people at her school: Haze, a boy who believes he is an alien, and Stephanie, a girl who thinks she is a reincarnated slave named Sarah. The three loners become friends, crashing a party and practicing magic. They realize that Bee is actually a changeling, an elf who took the place of the real Bee at birth. The real girl haunts Bee, lurking in mirrors and demanding her life back. Bee grows weaker as time passes and soon leaves her friends to return to her own world.

This short novel may appeal to those who have trouble fitting in and reluctant readers. Block's writing style is beautiful and keeps the book moving, but the story itself is underdeveloped. There are some creepy moments, particularly when Bee is being followed and threatened by the real Bee, but overall the plot is flat and changes tone too quickly from mystery to fairy-tale to love story. We know from the get-go that Bee is a changeling, which undermines the mystery and makes the other characters seem slow for not realizing it. The characters act much older than they are, often having far too unrealistic interactions. There's potential in this story, but while the fairy aspect may appeal to some, this is not a must-read.

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This book has a very goo dunderlying story. This book was confusing because of the roundabout way it is written. AHS/TP

Completely different from anything I've ever read before. Hauntingly beautiful this story deals with paranormal things and a bit of fantasy. What initially drew me to pick this book was the amazing cover art and all in all, the story was pretty good too. :)

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

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hard at times to get a good visual on what the author was wanting the reader to see.

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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