Best Books of 1995 (Publishers Weekly)

1996 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA)

Finalist, Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Award for Lit. 1996 (ALA)

1996 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library)In this novel set prior to Weetzie Bat, teenager Dirk McDonald, Weetzie's best pal, has always known he is gay. What he doesn't know is how to tell his grandma Fifi—until one night, when all the wild and powerful story-images from the past begin to flow out of a magic lamp. "Fleshing out one of the colorful characters introduced in Weetzie Bat, Block displays the brilliant, original vision that makes all her books unforgettable."—K. "Here, more purposefully than ever before, Block weaves a safety net of words for readers longing to feel at home with themselves."—SLJ.

Best Books of 1995 (Publishers Weekly)

1996 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA)

Finalist, Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Award for Lit. 1996 (ALA)

1996 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library)

Dirk McDonald's life was almost perfect. He lived with this grandmother, Fifi, in a beautiful gingerbread cottage in Hollywood. He had the beach, and his surfboard, and Fifi's red-and-white 1955 Pontiac convertible.

But Dirk wasn't happy. Inside, he was harboring a deep, dark secret. And he was afraid that if he admitted it to anyone - even Fifi - he would never be accepted again.

Then one night, Dirk's magic lamp came to life. Suddenly, all the stories from Dirk's past came flowing out of it. On that night, his life changed forever. At last, Dirk learned who he really was, and that any love that is love is right.