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Geography Club
By Brent Hartinger
(For readers 13 and up)
Synopsis
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.
Now in paperback!
Available in Italian and Thai!
Awards and Honors
A Two-Time
Book Sense 76 Pick!
A Banned Books Book Sense Top Ten Pick!
A Powells.com Daily Dose!
A Children's Book Award "Notable Book"!
A 2003 Lambda Literary Award Finalist!
An IRA "Notable Book"!
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"!
A InsightOut.com "Best of 2003"!
An About.com "Book Club" Selection!
A GayToday.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 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
"One of the best gay novels of the year...Face-paced, heartfelt,
funny, and compulsive, it's hard to put down."
-- XY Magazine
"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
"With honest talk of love and cruelty, friendship and betrayal,
it's Russel's realistic, funny, contemporary narrative that makes
this first novel special. The dialog is right on; so is the
high school cafeteria; so is the prejudice. Booktalk this."
-- Booklist
"A lively and compelling story...There's heart-palpitating romance,
and there's plenty of humor in the witty writing and unexpected
events. Hartinger is particularly strong in his insightful
but funny depictions of Russel's double dates...Readers who like
their humor with some thoughtful underpinnings will want to join
the club."
-- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Geography Club deserves every bit of praise it’s been receiving."
-- Dallas Voice
"Hartinger does a brilliant job...Even as an older adult, I found
the story totally engrossing, way beyond my expectations...Russel
holds our interest with his poignant and witty narration, and his
subtle yet powerful tale of personal self-discovery and acceptance."
-- Q-Zine
""Most impressive is that Hartinger has managed to create a narrator
who will ring true to teenagers and who should get the seal of approval
from most parents."
-- The Oregonian
"First lines are an art. Yet from 'Call me Ishmael' to 'It was a
dark and stormy night,' the range of quality is vast. You'd think
a writer would work hardest at luring the reader into his literary
web. Brent Hartinger is one who did."
-- Spokesman Review
"Believable, frank, and damn fun."
-- Instinct Magazine
"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
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