Geography Club
By Brent Hartinger

Book 1 in the Russel Middlebrook Series

Russel Middlebrook is convinced he’s the only gay kid at Robert L. Goodkind High School. Then his online gay-chat buddy turns out to be none other than Kevin, the popular but closeted star of the school’s baseball team. Soon Russel meets other gay students too. There’s his best friend, Min, who reveals she‘s bisexual; Min’s soccer-playing girlfriend, Terese; and Terese’s politically active friend, Ike.

But how can kids this diverse get together without drawing attention to themselves?

“We just choose a club that’s so boring nobody in their right mind would ever in a million years join it. We could call in the Geography Club!”

Geography Club is for anyone, gay or straight, who’s ever felt like an outsider — a fast-paced and funny tale of teenagers who may not learn any actual geography in their latest club, but who discover plenty about the treacherous social terrain of high school, and the even more dangerous landscape of the human heart.

Awards and Honors

• A Two-Time Book Sense 76 Pick
• A Banned Books Book Sense Top Ten Pick
• A USA Today “Great High School Book”
• A Children’s Book Award “Notable Book”
• A 2003 Lambda Literary Award Finalist
• An ALA “Popular Paperback”
• A Nancy Pearl (Booklust) “Very Best Teen Novel”
• A New York Public Library “Book for the Teen Age”
• A Booklist “Top Ten Best First YA Novel”
• A Teenreads.com “Best of 2003″
• Volunteer State Book Award (Tennessee), 2nd Place
• A Texas HS Reading List (TAYSHAS) Pick
• A Connecticut Library Association “Best Book”
• A Rhode Island Teen Book Award Nominee
• An Eliot Rosewater Award (Indiana) Nominee
• A Tri-State “Book of Note”
• An Evergreen (Washington) Young Adult Book Award Nominee
• A Flume Award Nominee
• A Maryland Library “Great Book”
• A YALSA “Must Read” Book

Reviews

“A compelling look at the high school scene and the serious consequences of being ‘different.’ The plot never falters. Dialogue flows smoothly and is always completely believable….Characterization is excellent…This author has something to say here, and his message is potent and effective in its delivery. Many teens, both gay and straight, should find this novel intriguing.”
– School Library Journal

“This honest, emotional and funny story follows a gay teen as he struggles and triumphs during his sophomore year. (His adventures are continued in The Order of the Poison Oak and Double Feature: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies/Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies.) The books are entertaining for all readers, regardless of their sexuality.”
– USA Today

“Hartinger has crafted a truly hilarious and original novel that is every bit as complex and engaging as the last good adult book you read…It’s a credit to Hartinger that you can be as straight as uncooked pasta and not remember anything of high school beyond your school colors, and still find this book thoroughly enjoyable.”
– Spokane Inlander

“A breath of fresh air — mainly because, with all of his foibles, Russell is such a likable guy, with a wonderful sense of humor.”
– Seattle Times

“This is such a masterly crafted novel…[Hartinger] is also a playwright; perhaps that accounts for the story’s solid structure and for its author’s skills at building the intensity and complexity of the plot and the fortunes of its characters to an unexpected, almost third-act crescendo at the end.”
– Nancy Garden (author of Annie on my Mind) in Lambda Book Report

“Geography Club deserves every bit of praise it’s been receiving.”
– Dallas Voice

“What gives [Geography Club] distinction is Russel’s pointed narration, pitch-perfect as the slightly superior, world-weary, and ironic gay boy who you know will make a grand success of himself once he manages to get past adolescence…this is the most artful and authentic depiction of a gay teen since M.E. Kerr’s groundbreaking Charlie Gilhooly in [1978's] I’ll Love You When You’re More Like Me.”
– Horn Book Magazine

The Order of the Poison Oak
By Brent Hartinger

Book 2 in the Russel Middlebrook Series

Summer camp is different from high school. Something about spending the night. Things happen.

Geography Club’s Russel Middlebrook is back, and he and his friends are off to work as counselors at a summer camp. Brent Hartinger’s third novel is the story of Indian legends, skinny-dipping in moonlit coves, and passionate summer romance. It’s also the story of Russel’s latest club, The Order of the Poison Oak, a secret society dedicated to helping its members see life’s hidden beauty, and accept its sometimes painful sting.

Awards and Honors

• A Bookspan Book Club Main Selection
• A Book Sense 76 Pick
• An ALA “Popular Paperback”
• An ALA “Rainbow List” Pick
• A TeenReads.com “Best of 2005″
• A BookLoons “Best of 2005″
• A Gaywired.com “Best of 2005″
• A “Teen Squared” Best Book of 2005
• A BiMagazine “Must Read” Book
• A Bookslut.com Holiday Pick
• A “Mostly Fiction” Top Novel of 2005
• A YALSA “Teen Top Ten” Nominee
• A Maryland Library “Great Book”

Reviews

“[When I finished the book], I was sniffling and my eyes were moist: It’s what’s meant by the phrase ‘being moved to tears.’…the book is beautifully written, authentic-sounding and smart….all the right traditional values are underscored: honesty, cleverness, generosity, trust.”
– Philadelphia Inquirer

“Superb. 5Q (Highest Rating)”
– VOYA

“A touching and realistic portrait of gay teens. The characters are three-dimensional, and Russell narrates in a perfect teen patois that is often hilarious. Teens — gay and straight — will connect.”
– Kirkus Reviews

“Hartinger is a master at crafting a high school setting, and Russel, Min, Gunnar and all the rest are just great characters … A brave, bold book.”
– Bookslut.com

“This storyline could have easily become maudlin and sappy, but he kept it crisp and authentic … While his books are aimed primarily at a teen audience, kids of all ages will love his realistic and relatable tales of teenaged angst … Must read. (Highest Rating)”
– Mogenic.com

“Hartinger [is one of the] big success stories in YA lit.”
– The Advocate

“Lest any of this sounds angst-ridden, it’s all leavened by Russel’s chatty, sometimes sarcastic, sometimes enthusiastic teen voice. He addresses the reader like one teen telling his story to another, lending the story an immediacy and sense of reality, and his observations can be funny as well as refreshingly honest.”
– Kliatt

“The story transcends queer kid romance angst … The Order of the Poison Oak, with its easygoing emphasis on the virtue of tolerance and the value of friendship, is a well-pitched novel for teen readers — but one that will appeal to grownups with a yen for intelligent, humorous coming-of-age fiction.”
– Richard Labonte’s Book Marks

“A delight … funny, touching … With this third novel from Brent Hartinger, I can see that he is an author who is only becoming more accomplished. (Highest Rating)”
– Midwest Book Review

Double Feature: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies/Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies
By Brent Hartinger

Book 3 in the Russel Middlebrook Series

(Previously published under the title Split Screen)

It’s a horror-movie extravaganza in this, the second sequel to Brent Hartinger’s Geography Club! Two complete books in one recount the stories of best friends Min and Russel who sign up to be extras on the set of a zombie film — and learn that there’s nothing scarier than high school romance!

In the first book, Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies, Russel must choose between his long-distance boyfriend and a close-to-home ex named Kevin who wants to get back together. In the second book, Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies, Min struggles to accept her cheerleader girlfriend’s decision to stay in the closet.

But beware! Russel and Min’s separate stories affect each other in surprising ways — and you’ll have to read both books together to find out the whole story!

Winner of the Lambda Book Award!

Other Awards and Honors

• An InsightOut Book Club “Alternate Selection”
• An InsightOut Book Club Bestseller
• A TeenReads.com “Best of 2007″
• Winner of the National Best Book 2007 Award
• A 2008 New York Public Library “Book for the Teenage”
• A Flamingnet “Top Choice”

Reviews

“I really think this guy could be the next Judy Blume.”
– Pop Candy

“Hartinger has a knack for teen dialogue, and his characters spring to life — even in costume as the undead. At the heart of Zombies is the teen friends’ respect and caring for each other, which, these days, is downright refreshing.”
– USA Today

“Both stories stand alone, yet each compliments the other. To be expected, the action is fast and funny … [Hartinger] puts his best humor skills to use, and no doubt the same teen fans who formed their own geography clubs will be dubbing their dissenters soul-sucking zombies.”
– Kirkus Reviews

“Imaginatively delightful … Hartinger makes clever use of the fact that no two people live through — or recall — shared events the same way.”
– Richard Labonte’s Book Marks

“The best writing of the season … a great read for any dreary afternoon.”
– OutSmart Magazine

“Hartinger uses a clever idea to show that perspective is everything … Hartinger’s handling of Russel’s parents is spot-on as well … Hartinger handles his characters with the right amount of angst and humor, making this a valuable read.”
– VOYA

“The vast appeal of a Brent Hartinger novel lies in the way the author captures young men at their most vibrant and comical. Since the debut of his Geography Club in 2003, there has been no stopping his literary success.”
– Bay Area Reporter

“What is intriguing about the book is how very differently these two characters interpret the same events, and how oblivious each one can be to what is happening to the other…. There is a lot of humor in this book. The characters’ narrative voices sound authentically teen, and the section in which Russel tells about his coming out to his parents, their reaction, and his subsequent talk with the family priest particularly rings true. Min Wei’s story is equally well told.”
– School Library Journal

“I got a huge kick out of the differences in perspective. Russel describes Kevin Land’s smile as ‘impish’, while Min says ‘smug’ … Way fun … Good pick for fans of the rest of Brent Hartinger’s books, as well as for fans of GLBT lit that doesn’t feature a gay character being run over and of course, teens who enjoy breezy romantic comedy.”
– Bookshelves of Doom

Coming in 2012! Books 4 and 5 in the Russel Middlebrook Series!

Check back for details