Teens Read, Review, Recommend

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Dutton Juvenile, September 21, 2006, Teen/Social Issues

Colin is a former child prodigy whose girlfriend just broke up with him. Not unusual, except she was K-19, the latest in a very long line (19 to be specific) of Katherines that have dated and dumped Colin. Now Colin and his best friend set off on a road trip for some introspection and new direction in life. Their trip leads them to Gunshot, Tennessee, where Colin tries to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, a method of predicting in any relationship who will be the Dumpee or Dumper and when. Anagrams and math formulas both meander through this novel, but neither interfere with the enjoyment of this candid coming-of-age story. The math and graphs are completely optional, but can also be explored further in the footnotes. Take a peek at the author’s website (www.sparksflyup.com) to chart your own relationship! But only after finishing this engaging story of a geek coming into his own in that unique brief time between high school graduation and college.

Amanda Stone
SC State Library