Brian Katcher

Had a wonderful time speaking at Columbia Barnes and Noble, the Daniel Boone Regional Library, and the Boone County Historical Society. Thanks to everyone who made this happen!

Pictures from the Buenos Aires book release. Thanks, everybody!

Ana and Zak are polar opposites: she’s a brainy, straight-A student focused on meeting her parents’ expectations, and he’s a geeky slacker coasting through high school on his way to community college. An extra-credit assignment throws them together at a quiz bowl championship in Seattle, where they spend a hectic all-nighter on a rescue mission after Ana’s younger brother runs away to a science fiction convention. With Zak as her guide, Ana plunges into the world of Washingcon, filled with cosplaying nerds of every stripe, where they are targeted by an angry mob of card-game collectors, hunted by a Viking, and held captive by a drug dealer—all before dawn. Peppering his novel with references to delight die-hard SF fans and pop-culture aficionados alike, Katcher (Almost Perfect) pens a love letter to fanboys and fangirls everywhere. On the surface, the story is a lighthearted and entertaining romance, but serious undertones explore the fractured side of parent-child relationships and misfit characters desperate to find a tribe. A delightful romp for anyone still figuring out where they belong. Ages 14–up.

Two teens discover that their improbable chemistry is just what it takes for a probable relationship. Still adjusting to a new stepdad, slacker Zak has anxiously been awaiting Washingcon, a science fiction, fantasy, and comic book convention in Seattle. But when his health teacher (and quiz bowl sponsor) notices that he plagiarized his health paper, she offers him two options: fail health and not graduate or serve as an alternate on the quiz bowl team for their big tournament. Who really fails health? So he begrudgingly chooses the latter, despite it being the same weekend as his con. Hyperfocused Ana, who must be perfect to show her parents she’s not like her older sister who dropped out of high school to have a baby, has her doubts about Zak. After Ana’s younger brother and fellow quiz bowl member, Clayton, sneaks out to attend Washingcon, Zak and Ana begin a humorously whirlwind night searching for him. Their alternating viewpoints narrate how they dodge and outwit parents, felons, and other outlandish con characters. While Clayton constantly eludes them, Zak and Ana do find a connection through mutual loss, courage to stand up for themselves, and first love. There’s even fun at a “mixed” [my quotes] marriage (between a Star Wars and a Star Trek enthusiast)! Fans of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist will find con-tentment here. (Fiction. 14 & up)

Thanks to my wonderful editors, THE IMPROBABLE THEORY OF ANA AND ZAK will also be released in Spanish (Spain and Latin America), Portuguese (Brazil), German and Turkish! Wow!

By fellow librarian John Clark. Read it here.

The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak, Katherine Tegen Books, May 2015!