Yes, Almost Perfect Is Banned!
📖 Why You Should Read This Book
Katcher's novel was one of the first YA books to center a relationship with a trans character. It's honest about the messiness of attraction, prejudice, and small-town expectations. Imperfect and important.
Brian Katcher’s Almost Perfect follows Logan Witherspoon, a small-town Missouri football player still stinging from a breakup, who falls for Sage Hendricks, a new girl at school. When Sage reveals she’s transgender, Logan’s feelings collide with everything he’s been taught about gender and attraction. The novel is told from Logan’s perspective, and Katcher doesn’t sugarcoat his protagonist’s confusion, anger, or prejudice. Logan isn’t always likable, and that’s the point. The book tracks his slow, painful reckoning with the gap between who he wants to be and the biases he’s absorbed from his community.
Almost Perfect has been challenged 10 times across Florida, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, North Carolina, and Texas, objected to for LGBTQ+ themes. When it was published in 2009, it was one of the first YA novels to center a romantic relationship involving a transgender character. Katcher won the Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award for it. The challenges have concentrated in 2021 and 2022, as part of the broader wave of removals targeting trans-inclusive books. Pulling it from shelves erases a story that shows what it costs, emotionally and socially, when a trans teenager trusts someone with the truth.
Why Was It Banned?
Where Was It Banned?
Read It Anyway
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Almost Perfect banned?
Yes, Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher has been banned or challenged in 10 documented instances across 6 states in the United States, including Florida, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, North Carolina. It remains one of the most frequently challenged books in America.
Why was Almost Perfect banned?
Almost Perfect has been challenged and banned for the following reasons: LGBTQ+ Themes. These challenges have come from school boards, libraries, and parent groups seeking to restrict access to the book.
Where is Almost Perfect banned?
As of 2025, Almost Perfect has been banned or challenged in Florida, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, North Carolina, Texas. Notable bans include Escambia County Public Schools (2022), Pleasant Valley School District (2022), Beaufort County School District (2022).