Image Map

Jul 27, 2015

My Thoughts: The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak by Brian Katcher

4 yummy frosted maple cookies.

Cover Love:  Sort of.  I like that it looks geeky and all, but there really is no math in this book.

Why I Wanted to Read This:
You know that contemporary teen romances are my bread and butter.  This one was mailed to me by Harper Collins in the spring and I decided to read it to help get me out of my reading slump!  Here's the synopsis from GoodReads:
It all begins when Ana Watson's little brother, Clayton, secretly ditches the quiz bowl semifinals to go to the Washingcon sci-fi convention on what should have been a normal, résumé-building school trip.

If slacker Zak Duquette hadn't talked up the geek fan fest so much, maybe Clayton wouldn't have broken nearly every school rule or jeopardized Ana’s last shot at freedom from her uptight parents.

Now, teaming up with Duquette is the only way for Ana to chase down Clayton in the sea of orcs, zombies, bikini-clad princesses, Trekkies, and Smurfs. After all, one does not simply walk into Washingcon.

But in spite of Zak's devil-may-care attitude, he has his own reasons for being as lost as Ana-and Ana may have more in common with him than she thinks. Ana and Zak certainly don’t expect the long crazy night, which begins as a nerdfighter manhunt, to transform into so much more.
Romance?: Yes, of course!

My Thoughts:
One reason I loved this book is because both Zak and Ana are so relate-able.  Zak is a geek with a capital G but so comfortable in that position.  He reminds me so much of one of my own children!  Ana is a hard working middle child who is terrified of upsetting her parents (who seems awfully hard to please).  While Zak is always on the look out for a girl and does have his eye on Ana, Ana knows she can't date so she doesn't even let herself be distracted.

I love the atmosphere of the Washingcon!  It totally makes me want to go to a convention.  I love that Zak is totally popular at the convention.  One subtle lesson in this book is that you cannot judge someone on the outside, both Ana and Zak learn this lesson well.

Some of the situations are totally outlandish, but this would make for a fun movie or TV movie.  You wouldn't even need to add action scenes because it is full of them already.

I like that one of the voices of reason is Ana younger brother.  He sees way more than anyone realizes.

The romance between Zak and Ana is super sweet, slow moving (in book time, but since this all takes place in one evening it's actually quick).  The author does a great job alternating between Zak and Ana and does a good job with both their voices. When an author does it well this is a great way of telling a story and developing a romance!

To Sum Up:  Sweet romance and a great story about high-shcoolers on the cusp of taking the next step in their lives.

Book sent by Harper Collins.  Thanks so much!

No comments:

Post a Comment