The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak

Ana and Zak are polar opposites: she’s a brainy, straight-A student focused on meeting her parents’ expectations, and he’s a geeky slacker coasting through high school on his way to community college. An extra-credit assignment throws them together at a quiz bowl championship in Seattle, where they spend a hectic all-nighter on a rescue mission after Ana’s younger brother runs away to a science fiction convention. With Zak as her guide, Ana plunges into the world of Washingcon, filled with cosplaying nerds of every stripe, where they are targeted by an angry mob of card-game collectors, hunted by a Viking, and held captive by a drug dealer—all before dawn. Peppering his novel with references to delight die-hard SF fans and pop-culture aficionados alike, Katcher (Almost Perfect) pens a love letter to fanboys and fangirls everywhere. On the surface, the story is a lighthearted and entertaining romance, but serious undertones explore the fractured side of parent-child relationships and misfit characters desperate to find a tribe. A delightful romp for anyone still figuring out where they belong. Ages 14–up. (May)