Almost Perfect

by Brian Katcher

Book Overview

This winner of the first Stonewall Award for Children's & Young Adult Literature will make you marvel at the beauty of human connection and the irrepressible nature of love.

Everyone has that one line they swear they'll never cross, the one thing they say they'll never do. We draw the line. Maybe we even believe it.

Sage Hendricks was my line.

Logan Witherspoon befriends Sage Hendricks at a time...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385736657
• ISBN13: 9780385736657
• Release Date: November 2010
• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.1" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

Such a good book

This book is a perfect depiction of the intersection of queer and southern identities and it hit home so well for me. Definitely read this is you’re a LGBTQ+ southerner lol

Love it

I read Almost Perfect several years ago and I continue to reread it. I love it.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Logan Witherspoon recently broke up with his high school girlfriend of three years, Brenda. He thought they were both in love, but it turns out that she cheated on him. Now he's depressed and lonely, and his friends aren't sure he'll recover. Then along comes Sage, a quirky and odd new girl in the tiny town of Boyer. Although she doesn't completely fit in, Logan is instantly attracted to her. Their relationship grows, becoming more and more complicated. Neither is sure whether they want a friendship or something more. When they finally go farther and kiss, Sage reveals a huge secret that will literally effect both of them for the rest of their lives. Sage is a boy. Logan has no idea how to respond, and he leaves Sage alone just when she needs him the most. What comes after is an incredibly complicated relationship that pulls Logan in so many directions. Questions are answered, lines are crossed, and friendships are made and broken. Brian Katcher has done an incredible job of approaching a touchy subject with absolute sincerity. The novel was completely honest and dealt with the subject tastefully, all while showing true emotions. Logan was a real person who experienced real feelings. All of his reactions were understandable and realistic. Sage was an entrancing character who was so easy to feel for. Her situation was incredibly difficult, and her pain really jumped out of the pages. She was easy to feel for, and I always wanted the best for her. ALMOST PERFECT was simply wow. Such a heavy topic that was never shied away from, and I wholeheartedly enjoyed the story. This book was a real eye-opener. It teaches you that one should never judge and just how valuable true friends really are. This is a must-read for everyone! Reviewed by: McKenzie Tritt

A real page turner!

I truely enjoyed this book from the first page. The story line was thought provoking and true to the characters. There are very few books that have captured the feelings and life experiences of people with alternative lifestyles. I feel that this book has done that and more. Thanks, Brian for giving me a great book to read!

I very good exploration of feelings

This book deals so well with a subect that is surrounded by ignorance and lack of compassion. The author really captures the problems and feelings of being transgender and dealing with a transgender person. This book can help TG teens by showing the reader the issues involved. I highly recommend this book.

Highly Recommended Poignant Read

A scanty "review" since I don't want to spoil anything for current and future readers. Let me just say that I loved this wondrous, gut-wrenching, thought-provoking book (and still can't stop thinking about it). Please, please, please read it.

A Cutting Edge Powerful Read!

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. I requested to review this book wayyyyy back in June when I found out about it's existence on Brian Katcher's website. His first book, Playing With Matches is one of my all time favorite books and I was super excited to read anything he had to offer! Obviously, after reading the plot summary there's no getting around the fact that the topic of this book is very controversial/sensitive/emotional (insert your own adjective here). Luckily Brian has an obvious talent for writing about these emotional issues...his first book Playing With Matches is about a boy who befriends and ultimately falls for a girl whose face was horribly disfigured in a childhood accident...so I expected nothing less and am more than a little impressed with his writing in Almost Perfect. I'm sure that a lot of you are questioning the possibility of any teenage boy especially one from a small town in the middle of the United States being open to befriending a transgender teen, let alone the friendship blossoming to anything else. It seems unlikely but the author does an excellent job of laying a foundation, giving a history and background to Logan that shows how it is completely possible. The lack of basically any male role model, being raised by two strong, emotionally available women and the fact that he is on the rebound from having his heart completely broken. Despite his later intentions, Logan is only human and his first reactions to Sage's disclosure is verbally brutal. As far as the plot goes I will tell you this and I'm telling you this because I do NOT like books (or movies for that matter) that have THE scene...you know, The Boys Don't Cry scene that is so violent you avoid it like the plague. I know, I know sometimes it needs to done but that doesn't mean I have to like it! I was really afraid that I was going to have to deal with it here but don't worry it doesn't go that far. Does Sage deal with hateful, potentially violent people? Yes. Do you have to worry about a teen reading this book and being scarred for life? No. Katcher does an excellent job of making the poi