Books By Brian Katcher
Almost Perfect:Logan Whitherspoon recently discovered that his girlfriend of three years cheated on him. Since then--much to his friends' dismay--he has been despressed, pessimistic, and obessed with this ex, Brenda.
But things start to look up for Logan when a new student breezes through the halls of his small-town high school. Tall, unconventionally pretty, and a bit awkward, Sage Hendricks somehow appeals to Logan even at a time when he trusts no one. As Logan learns more about Sage, he realizes that she needs a friend as much as he does, if not more. She has been homeschooled for several years, and her parents have forbidden her to date, but she won't tell Logan why. The mystery of Sage's past and the oddities of her personality intrigue Logan, and one day, he acts on his growing attraction and kisses her. Moments later, however, he wishes he hadn't. Sage finally discloses her big secret: she's actually a boy.
Enraged, frightened, and feeling betrayed, Logan lashes out at Sage and then refuses to speak to her. For weeks, he berates himself for being so easily fooled and worries that their kiss means he's no longer straight. Yet after some time passes, he reaches out to Sage in an attempt to understand her, as well as his own reaction to her revelation. But Logan has no idea how rocky the road back to friendship will be, or how many unexpected, exciting, and excrutiatingly painful places he and Sage will visit along the way.
Almost Perfect, Delecorte Press for Young Readers (October, 2009). ISBN 978-0-385-73664-0
Playing With Matches: Some guys are born handsome, but seventeen-year-old Leon Sanders has a mug that looks like it should be hanging in a post office with the caption "wanted for shoplifting and credit card fraud". Thanks to his twisted sense of humor, he's managed to go from nerdy to unknown. Leon's new locker neighbor is Melody Hennon, an unfortunate girl whose face was horribly disfigured from a childhood accident. When Leon takes a chance and makes her laugh, he discovers that underneath the scarred skin, Melody is a funny, smart, and interesting person. Leon never predicted that he and Melody would become good friends...and maybe more.
Although Leon second-guesses his own growing feelings for Melody and worries about what people will think of the two of them dating, he's happy to have someone in his life who treats him like he's special. But when Amy Green, cheerleader and Leon's long-time crush, asks him out, his devotion to Melody hangs in the balance. Leon tries to find a way out of this dilemma without hurting anyone, but soon realizes--a little too late--that playing with someone's heart is as dangerous as playing with matches. Book Reviews
Playing With Matches received an An American Library Association 2009 Best Book for Young Adults.
Playing With Matches, Delacorte Press For Young Readers (July, 2008) ISBN: 978-0385735445