Literature Association as the best English-language children's book that did not win a major award when it was originally published twenty years earlier. It is named for the mythical bird phoenix, which is reborn from its ashes, to suggest the book's rise from obscurity. Weetzie Bat has attracted controversy, including efforts to challenge or ban the book. For instance, in Texas, an organization critiqued Block's "ideas and views on a variety of issues surrounding alternative lifestyles" according to the B.G. Censorship Watch of American Libraries. Weetzie Bat describes gay marriage, children born out of wedlock, abortion, common-law marriage, and the AIDS epidemic, in language that makes it accessible to the pre-teen and early teen reader. Critics have countered by arguing that books like Weetzie Bat can provide a vital resource for lesbian, gay, transgender, and HIV-positive teens growing up in what is still largely a homophobic society. Michael Cart states "Francesca Lia Block's Weetzie Bat (HarperCollins) is not only a classic of gay fiction but also one of the most memorable of all young adult novels." Another critic, Rebecca Platzner, noted that while the material is suggestive, the dialogue that it establishes about these depictions is vital to a developing young adult’s perspectives on difficult social issues. Platzer wrote: See also References 1989 American novels 1989 fantasy novels 1980s LGBT novels American young adult novels Novels by Francesca Lia Block Novels set in Los Angeles Debut fantasy novels LGBT speculative fiction novels American LGBT novels 1989 debut novels LGBT-related young adult novels