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Almost Perfect (novel)

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Almost Perfect is a young adult novel by Brian Katcher, published October 13, 2009 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers.

Almost Perfect
AuthorBrian Katcher
LanguageEnglish
GenreYoung adult fiction
PublisherDelacorte Books for Young Readers
Publication date
October 13, 2009
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardcover, paperback)
Pages280
ISBN9780385736640

The book follows Logan, a high-school senior, who, after discovering his girlfriend cheated on him, befriends the new student, Sage. Logan gradually develops romantic feelings for Sage until she informs him she's transgender. Logan must then work through complicated feelings regarding his attraction to Sage.

Characters

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Protagonists

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  • Logan Witherspoon: A highschool athlete who breaks up with his girlfriend of 3 years after finding out she cheated. He befriends a mysterious new girl in town whom he has romantic feelings for.
  • Sage Hendricks: A mysterious stealth transgender new girl in town, she becomes Logan's new friend and love interest.

Supporting

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  • Jack Severson: Logan's annoying bestfriend who serves as a comic relief.
  • Brenda: Logan's ex-girlfriend whom he dated for 3 years before breaking up after her Infidelity.
  • Mrs Witherspoon: Logan's struggling single mother of two who is a waitress at a local restaurant. She had to take care of her children on her own after her husband walked out on them.
  • Tim Tokugowa: The only Asian student in Boyer and a friend of Logan's, He is very wise yet sloppy, messy and loves eating snacks. He has certain obligations to destroy Asian stereotypes.
  • Laura Witherspoon: Logan's big sister who moved out after getting a scholarship to the University of Missouri.
  • Tammi Hendricks: 15 year old freshman who is Sage's younger sister.
  • Tanya: A pretty girl who is in the cheerleading squad.

Reception

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Reviews

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Almost Perfect received starred reviews from Kirkus,[1] as well as a positive review from Booklist.[2]

Kirkus Reviews applauded the book for tackling "issues of homophobia, hate crimes and stereotyping with humor and grace in an accessible tone that will resonate with teens."[1] Booklist echoed the sentiment, stating, "Teens—both those familiar with transgender issues and those who are not—will welcome the honest take on a rarely explored subject."[2]

Accolades

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Accolades for Almost Perfect
Year Accolade Result Ref.
2010 American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults Selection [3]
American Library Association's Rainbow Project Book List Selection [4]
2011 James Cook Book Award Honor [5]
Stonewall Book Award Winner [6][7]
2012 YALSA's Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults Selection [8]
2013 American Library Association's Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults Selection [9]

Censorship

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In a report conducted by the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, Almost Perfect was named the 81st-most banned and challenged book in the United States between 2010 and 2019.[10]

When Where Outcome Notes References
2023 Forest Hills Public School, Michigan Removed Banned alongside 9 other books by superintendent, challenged by National Coalition Against Censorship, superintendent offered an apology and retired. As of April 2023, some books have been added back, but some are still removed [11]
2022 Alpine School District, Utah Removed Banned alongside 52 other books, after Utah law H.B. 374, banned books containing “Sensitive Materials In Schools,"

42% of books removed featured LBGTQ+ characters and or themes, and were removed because they were considered to contain pornographic material according to the new law, which defines porn using the following criteria:

  • "The average person" would find that the material, on the whole, "appeals to prurient interest in sex"
  • The material "is patently offensive in the description or depiction of nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, sadomasochistic abuse, or excretion"
  • The material, on the whole, "does not have serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value."
 [12][13][14][15]
2022 Polk County Public Schools, Florida Retained Removed initially along with 15 other books, National Coalition Against Censorship brought it to the attention of the school district, and after being reviewed by two committees and the district, all 16 books were returned, but as of May of 2022, they were 'quarantined' and not accessible to students [16]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Almost Perfect". Kirkus Reviews. 2010-06-24. Archived from the original on 2022-01-07. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  2. ^ a b 2009-12-08. Archived from the original on 2022-01-07. Retrieved 2022-01-05 – via Booklist.
  3. ^ "Almost Perfect | Awards & Grants". American Library Association. 2010-01-21. Archived from the original on 2022-01-05. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  4. ^ "2010 rainbow project booklist | Awards & Grants". American Library Association. January 11, 2011. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  5. ^ "James Cook Book Award". Ohio Library Council. Archived from the original on 2022-01-28. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  6. ^ "Almost Perfect | Awards & Grants". American Library Association. January 10, 2011. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  7. ^ Morales, Macey (2011-01-10). "'Almost Perfect' wins 2011 Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Award". American Library Association. Archived from the original on 2014-05-19. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  8. ^ "Almost Perfect | Awards & Grants". American Library Association. May 2, 2012. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  9. ^ "Almost Perfect | Awards & Grants". American Library Association. February 1, 2013. Archived from the original on 2020-06-19. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  10. ^ "Top 100 Most Banned and Challenged Books: 2010-2019". Advocacy, Legislation & Issues. 2020-09-09. Archived from the original on 2020-09-27. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  11. ^ NCAC (2023-02-23). "NCAC Identifies Books Secretly Banned By Michigan School District | Updated". National Coalition Against Censorship. Archived from the original on 2024-04-24. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  12. ^ "Ban on 52 Books in Largest Utah School District is a Worrisome Escalation of Censorship". PEN America. 2022-08-01. Archived from the original on 2022-08-05. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  13. ^ "School District Removes 52 Books From Libraries". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on 2022-08-05. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  14. ^ "Ban on 52 Books in Largest Utah School District is a Worrisome Escalation of Censorship". PEN America. 2022-08-01. Archived from the original on 2022-08-05. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  15. ^ Mullahy, Brian (2022-07-28). "Alpine School District pulls dozens of books from school library shelves". KUTV. Archived from the original on 2022-08-05. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  16. ^ NCAC (2022-02-11). "Polk County, Florida, School District Removes Sixteen Books From School Libraries | Updated". National Coalition Against Censorship. Archived from the original on 2024-04-24. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
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