Almost Perfect »

Brian Katcher is the author of Playing with Matches, and a school librarian. He lives in Missouri with his wife and daughter. You can visit him on the Web at www.briankatcher.com.

You only hurt the ones you love.

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.

Children's Literature

Logan is having a hard time with the end of his long relationship with Brenda. But when a quirky new girl walks into Logan's biology lab, he takes notice. It is obvious to his friend, Tim, that the new girl has noticed Logan, too, since "[t]hat new tall, crazy, and yes, cute girl had been flirting with him." So, why not ask Sage out? After all, "[o]ne date would be fun." Becoming Sage's friend has problems, though.— While a senior in high school, she is not allowed to date. Still, over time, the two develop a friendship and more. They kiss "[f]or ten wonderful seconds . [and] the world vanished." Then, Sage shares an awful truth with Logan, "the reason [she] can't date...the reason [they] can't kiss...the reason why [she] was home-schooled." Sage is a boy! Rage, disgust and fear make Logan lash out at Sage, saying "Just stay the hell away from me. I don't ever want to see you again, faggot." Curiously, he finds himself remembering her at odd times and, in the end, reaches out in an attempt to understand the agonizing situation of a young man who has always thought of himself as a girl. In doing so, Logan will come to better understand himself as well. This is a sensitive look at two young men's struggle with their sexuality. The author addresses homophobia, hate crimes and gender/transgender identity issues with compassion and understanding. This would be an excellent addition to any collection of books about alternative sexuality. Highly recommended. Reviewer: Anita Barnes Lowen