Almost Perfect (review)

After a painful breakup with the only girl he ever loved, senior Logan Witherspoon is gun-shy when it comes to romance. New girl Sage, however, makes him reconsider, even though she makes it clear early on that she can't offer anything more than friendship, and even though her parents keep her under strange and severe strictures. When Logan and Sage find their attraction rising, she tells him her secret: she was born male. Katcher, author of Playing with Matches (BCCB 9/08), manages to a delicate balance here: Sage is utterly credible and utterly sympathetic, but so are Logan's shock and reservations. His narration explores the emotional issues—does this mean he's gay? Can he face his small Missouri town if people know?—while the story conveys the daunting details of Sage's everyday realities, such as going to great lengths to avoid showing her driver's license, which classifies her as male. Though the book is programmatic at times and gives Logan too much responsibility for Sage's well-being and identity, this is a solid, reality-based exploration of transgender issues and the possibly insurmountable task of facing them as a teenager in a small town. While transgender readers will find support here, the book's focus on a bystander broadens the book's relatability, and the message of acceptance is thoughtfully conveyed.