The Improbable Theory of Ana & Zak by Brian KatcherThe first chapter is Zak's. We meet his stepfather, Roger, and we find out that Zak is NOT into sports. He's not into school so much. He's into games, and comics, and stuff like that. And he misses his Dad.
Then, in the next chapter we meet Ana. Here's what we learn about Ana. She does a lot of stuff and she does it all well and she does it ALL because it will look good on her college applications. And she doesn't have time for fun. Her sister was the fun one. "I don't have a sister anymore."
If these two characters were a Venn diagram, their edges would barely touch. That touch would be the fact that they go to the same school. That is ALL they have in common. Oh, and they are both smart.
So, Zak lifts his health essay straight from Wikipedia. And his flustered-seeming health teacher catches it. And his punishment is to serve as the alternate at the Quiz Team - of which Ana is captain - tournament. This is a HUGE punishment because the tournament is on the very same weekend as the Annual Washingcon - the comic con event that Zak has not missed in 5 years.
Then Ana's younger brother - also on the Quiz team - goes AWOL from the hotel. And Ana - whose parents are kind of scary - has to find him. And Zak helps because he knows that Younger Brother, Clayton, has run off to Washingcon. So, Zak gets to go after all. And there are a lot of people in costumes and some mayhem, and a wedding and a battle and an altercation with an underworld figure of the criminal persuasion - not of the supernatural sort. And Clayton is Super at eluding capture. And Zak is a Washingcon celebrity of sorts and Ana learns a LOT. And, oh wookies! Are they in a bunch of trouble!
Also, some parental drama occurs in which things get dealt with. 'Nuff said.
The parent in me wants to add: Do NOT try this at home. But if you do and you find a lost valuable item, leave it where it is, ok? Just report it to the front desk and go your merry way.
Cons look like fun. For younger people. I'll just don my Chrestomanci bathrobe and pour another mug of coffee, right here, at home.
We're excited to welcome to the blog today author Brian Katcher. Brian's The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak has been described as a hilarious he said/she said romance about two teens recovering from heartbreak and discovering themselves on an out-of-this-world accidental first date! He's here to share with us what scares him about writing.
The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak: What Scares Me As A Writer by Brian Katcher
Writing is similar to acting. You take on the persona of someone you are not, and have to make that persona believable. You work at it for months, even years, and in the end, you either nailed it or you didn't. There's very little middle ground.
As a YA author, the challenge is twofold. The hurdle I face with every book is how to realistically portray young characters. As I just turned forty, I constantly fear that I'm going to end up writing about how things were back in my day, rather than with the voice of a present-day seventeen year old. On the other hand, some things never change. While speaking to a high school once, I said "When I was your age, we used to hang out at the mall, watch MTV, and try to meet girls. I have no idea what you all do now." A boy responded "We hang out at the mall, watch MTV, and try to meet girls."
When writing for a YA audience, never mention these things: current slang, celebrities, or technology. They'll have all changed by the time the book comes out.
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Title: Almost Perfect
Author: Brian Katcher
US Release Date: October 13, 2009
Summary (from Amazon): Logan Witherspoon recently discovered that his girlfriend of three years cheated on him. But things start to look up when a new student breezes through the halls of his small-town high school. Sage Hendricks befriends Logan at a time when he no longer trusts or believes in people. Sage has been homeschooled for a number of years and her parents have forbidden her to date anyone, but she won’t tell Logan why. One day, Logan acts on his growing feelings for Sage. Moments later, he wishes he never had. Sage finally discloses her big secret: she’s actually a boy. Enraged, frightened, and feeling betrayed, Logan lashes out at Sage and disowns her. But once Logan comes to terms with what happened, he reaches out to Sage in an attempt to understand her situation. But Logan has no idea how rocky the road back to friendship will be.
Why I'm interested: Books about relationships from a male perspective seem to be rare, which is really a shame, so I'm looking forward to this one. I also think it should be interesting to see how Brian Katcher deals with gender identities and phobias.
This book sounds so good and I love how different it is. Can't wait to read it. :D
Yikes. Sounds like a heavy read. Not sure how I feel about the topic. I'll wait to see your review! :)
The cover is perfect though. :)
Indeed the book sounds wonderful, i don;t know about the cover... :)