Brian Katcher

‘Almost Perfect’ was selected by the American Library Association as one of the Best Books for Young Adults, 2010. The bribes were so worth it.

From Forever Young Adult. As a bonus, check out the ‘Sweet Valley High’ drinking game.

From the January, 2010 edition:

After a painful breakup with the only girl he ever loved, senior Logan Witherspoon is gun-shy when it comes to romance. New girl Sage, however, makes him reconsider, even though she makes it clear early on that she can’t offer anything more than friendship, and even though her parents keep her under strange and severe strictures. When Logan and Sage find their attraction rising, she tells him her secret: she was born male. Katcher, author of Playing With Matches, manages a delicate balance here: Sage is utterly credible and utterly sympathetic, but so are Logan’s shock and reservations. His narration explores the emotional issues—does this mean he’s gay? Can he face his small Missouri town if people know?—while the story conveys the daunting details of Sage’s everyday realities, such as going to great lengths to avoid showing her driver’s license, which classifies her as male. Though the book is programmatic at times and gives Logan too much responsibility for Sage’s well-being and identity, this is a solid, reality-based exploration of transgender issues and the possibly insurmountable task of facing them as a teenager in a small town. While transgender readers will find support here, the book’s focus on a bystander broadens the book’s relatability, and the message of acceptance is thoughtfully conveyed.

From www.greenbeanteenqueen.com :

I read this one because it was on the Gateway premlinary nominee list and I’m so glad it was. I’m not sure if I would have come across it otherwise. I wasn’t sure what to expect-I’ll admit when I first saw it on the list, I thought “oh, it’s just on there because it’s a Missouri author.” But I was blown away by this book.

Brian Katcher packed so much emotion into this story-I found myself tearing up at parts and honestly, I don’t cry that much in books. The characters are all well drawn and the writing flows easily. I wanted to keep reading this one and found myself staying up late to do so.

Things moved a little fast, but I reminded myself I was reading about teens. I did like that it didn’t take long to get the book going-I hate when the book jacket tells you a main plot point that doesn’t happen until halfway through. That is not the case here-the story starts right away.

The only complaint I really had was Amy’s character wasn’t what I expected. I thought the way she turned out was a little unrealistic. I did like that she surprised me and had more depth though. (I don’t want to spoil the book, so I won’t say much else).

I would give this one to readers who have enjoyed John Green’s novels-I can see the audience being the same. I’m looking forward to reading Brian Katcher’s latest novel, Almost Perfect, and I’m very proud to say he’s a Missouri author!

I just found out that Playing With Matches has been nominated for the Gateway Award from the Missouri Association of School Librarians. During the 2010-2011 school year, Missouri high school students will vote on their favorite of fifteen nominated books. As they say in Chicago, vote early and vote often!

A small-town Missouri boy’s world is rocked when he falls for the new girl at school, and she eventually confesses that she is a biological male. Logan’s world is small, as is his mind at first, but throughout the book he grows to accept and love Sage for who-not what-she is. This remarkable book takes a hard look at the difficulties and pain experienced by young male-to-female transsexuals from an easily relatable perspective, as Julie Ann Peters did in Luna. Logan is a conservative 18-year-old Everyman whose generic voice isn’t-and doesn’t need to be-anything special; although readers follow his growth, it is Sage’s story that is truly important. A remarkably “clean” book dealing with sexuality and identity, this is neither preachy nor didactic while directly challenging prejudice and intolerance. With realistic characters and situations, it is a first purchase for all high school collections, and could easily be given to middle school readers who are undaunted by its length.

Almost Perfect has been nominated for the American Library Association’s list of best books for young adults, 2010. While I won’t find out if I made the list until mid-winter, I’m thrilled just to be nominated. But I have a feeling I’m going to blow the competition away in the evening gown competition.