Playing with Matches

by Brian Katcher

Book Overview

"Recommend this to fans of John Green's books." --Booklist Leon Sanders has a mug that looks like it should be hanging in a post office with the caption WANTED FOR SHOPLIFTING AND CREDIT CARD FRAUD. His new locker neighbor is Melody Hennon--class outcast and certified freak. Everyone at school keeps their distance from Melody because she was burned in a childhood accident. Leon has avoided her too, until the day he takes a chance, tells her a bad...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385735456
• ISBN13: 9780385735452
• Release Date: October 2009
• Publisher: Laurel Leaf Library
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.9"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

Addictive story!

Leon Sanders: at times you hate him, at times you love him. Most of the time you are frustrated by his decisions and then he does something wonderful to redeem himself. He's the lead character in Brian Katcher's Playing with Matches. Leon isn't the smartest, best looking, most popular guy in his high school, he's just average. But he wants above-average Amy Green to be his girlfriend. What he doesn't plan on is falling for Melody, a girl scarred on the inside and out. Melody and Leon become close just at the time that Amy Green notices him. Will Leon choose beauty on the inside or beauty on the out? Brian Katcher does an amazing job of creating these multi-dimensional charcters that most people can relate to. I related to Leon's struggles to fit in and be popular and his struggle of finding that one person that completes him. He acts like a typical teenage boy, obsessed with beauty and the superficial. Of course, he then redeems himself by falling for a girl that is far from being pretty or popular. His journey is at times heartbreaking and triumphant. At one part in the book, I was so disgusted with his actions that I just quit reading. I didn't want to live through the consequences with him. But the book is so readable, I soon picked it back up and read some more. It really sucks you in from the beginning. I must caution, there is language and sexual situations. But it's a great read! And it's only Katcher's first book! Lots more to look forward to!

"That's exactly what high school is really like!"

The book is certainly entertaining, but what I most enjoy are the insights about human nature in general, and about adolescence in particular. The author has either an amazing memory or an astounding capacity for observation and empathy. The characters, their motivations, and their actions are entirely believable. The pacing is even, and the plot a perfect recipe for absorbing readers' attention. The humane, respectful, and accessible manner in which Brian Katcher approaches his characters--and his topic--will win readers' hearts. Several of my students are choosing to read this book, and they admire the way the author describes the events, personalities, and emotions of high school life with accuracy and compassion. I hear them laugh aloud as they read, and I see their reluctance to put the book away. This behavior is quite an endorsement.

Not just for teens

As I read this Young Adult novel I was brought back to my own years in high school with all the angst and emotions that entailed. I was rooting for Leon so strongly that it was painful to see him make the inevitable teenage boy mistakes. I was also constantly reminding myself that it was written by a man. The writer was able to capture the emotions of both the male lead and the female characters which was fascinating to read. This is more than YA fiction. It is a seriously good read for anyone.

Playing with Matches is a playful match for any YA reader

I am a teacher of young adults and a YA writer, myself. I ordered the book because I'm also writing a story about a burn victim. When I picked it up, I thought it might provide me some research material that may be useful, but what I got was much more. I literally read it in one evening, because I was dying to know how things turned out with Leon and Melody. Katcher's voice is astounding, and I was instantly rooting for Leon. The empathy and seriousness of the topic regarding burn victims is touching, but the author wrote the book in such an entertaining manner, that I didn't feel preached to. Katcher understands popular teen culture and language. His use of slang is right on the mark, and he describes the high school experience quite effectively and believably. I am very impressed by Katcher's first novel. I believe he will be a YA writer to watch. Although his protagonist is male, I feel that girls will love this book. In fact, it may be more geared to a female audience because of the romantic elements. This is quite a feat for most male authors--to close in on an opposite gender audience. I feel that males will like the book as well. They will undoubtedly relate to Leon and his dating dilemmas. The sexual tension in the story is also right on the mark for YA. Katcher's voice reveals this tension...the male yearnings for sexual experience and its preoccupation. The characters are diverse and enjoyable, and the book is a delightful and insightful read. I will definitely encourage my students to read this book, and I'll look forward to more from Brian Katcher. Bravo!

A Touching, Heartfelt, and Genuinely Funny Novel

With his debut novel, Brian Katcher has successfully crafted the bittersweet tale of a teenage boy's quest to find love in the tragicomic world of a typical suburban high school. The novel's protagonist, Leon, is one of a new breed of literary subject: the iconoclastic and self-professed nerd, comfortable in his own skin, but yearning, ultimately, for something more than his circle of male friends can provide. While his long-held crush on the popular cheerleader Amy Green blossoms into something more real (and inconvenient) than he could've ever dared imagine, it is the budding relationship between Leon and Melody Hennon that forms the beating heart of the book. Melody's character is a marvel. Mr. Katcher manages to write a profoundly scarred young woman with such depth that you often forget, as does Leon, that she is scarred at all. While the reality of Melody's disfigurement is always acknowledged, it never overwhelms what is a truly astonishing character. The reader never questions why Leon would be drawn to Melody's wit and warmth, nor do we question her interest in him. In the end, the plot resists easy answers to the many questions it poses about self-esteem, trust, love, and the great yearning all young people feel for acceptance by their peers. The author mixes laughter and tears in equal measure to produce a nuanced and deeply heartfelt look at young love in all its complex glory. Bravo to Mr. Katcher for a fine debut to his literary career.