The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak

Gr 7 Up—When slacker and sci-fi enthusiast Zak Duquette meets type-A scholar Ana Watson, he is strangely attracted; unfortunately, Ana has no time for anything but academics, as her parents' demands for perfection will ensure. But the two are forced to work together when Zak is coerced by a teacher to join the quiz bowl team with Ana and her whiz-kid younger brother, Clayton. Unfortunately for Zak, the quiz bowl takes place on the same weekend as WashingCon—the sci-fi convention where Zak has had many amazing adventures every year. After Zak extols the glories of the fest, Clayton sneaks away to experience it for himself. In order to keep Clayton's disappearance from her overly controlling parents, Ana must team up with Zak and brave the gathering of geeks, zombies, Vikings, and aliens to find her brother before curfew. In alternating chapters, as they meet one obstacle after another, this seemingly incongruous couple slowly begins to open up and to appreciate each other's talents. While Zak's devil-may-care attitude may be a response to his father's death and his mother's rather hasty marriage to a man with whom he is still not comfortable, Ana feels pressured by her parents to make up for her sister's transgressions that caused her to be banished from their home years ago. Strong personalities, a cast of out-of-this-world characters, and a fast-paced manhunt in an imaginative setting make this an appealing title for tweens and teens.