I Was A Teenage Fairy by Francesca Lia Block

• ISBN: 0-060277475

• Plot summary: As a young girl, Barbie is upset by the coaching of her mother to become the model she used to be. After a visit to a modelling agency, Barbie has photos taken by a photographer who turns out to be a pedophile who preys on his young subjects. We find out later that he has done this to many of his young models. All of the difficulties Barbie experiences (turmoil with his mother, feuding parents, shady photographers) are confided to her pinky sized fairy friend Mab who cuts through her sorrows with her acerbic wit and challenges Barbie to push against her mother. Cut to a few years later as a teen, Barbie is the hot model her mother has always wanted and wildly successful. Her notoriety helps her gain entry into the hottest LA parties, her being underage not an issue, and she soon falls for actor Todd Range, only to find out she's one of a dozen girls that has captured his heart. Barbie seeks something larger from life, and with the help of Mab and another victim of the pedophilic photographer, attempts to avenge the painful memories that taunt her from childhood.
• Critical evaluation: This book has all the gritty realism and magical elements contained in most of Francesca Lia Block's novels. The relationship between Barbie and her mother is uncomfortable to endure, and a bit flat to begin with, but with the asides from the fairy Mab, we learn quite a lot about the way Barbie truly feels about her mother. Mab was an interesting character in that she wasn't the most supportive imaginary friend a young girl might dream up. Instead, Mab is verbally acerbic and not overtly nice to Barbie, but in the end, the two strike up quite a balance and learn to navigate one another's personalities. Seeing the fearlessness of Mab mirrored in Barbie's actions by the end of the novel is a gratifying experience as a reader.
• Reader's annotation: Barbie must endure the life of an only child to an overbearing mother, that is, until Mab comes along.
• About the author: Francesca Lia Block just happened to fall into the YA category. She continues to publish books for all ages and lives in Los Angeles.
• Genre: Fiction/supernatural
• Curriculum ties, if any: None
• Booktalking ideas: None
• Reading level/interest age: 13+
• Challenge issues: Sexuality
• Why was this item included? Francesca Lia Block was my chosen author.