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.
For the last twenty years, I have made my living writing just about everything that involves words.
I've been writing books since college, but I didn't sell any of them until the summer of 2001. Since then, I've sold a whole bunch of them--with many more in the works.
I like to write for all ages, but I particularly like writing for and about teenagers. I think it's because I identify so strongly with them (whenever I hear an adult complain about a teenager, I almost always take the side of the kid, even without hearing his or her version of the story!).
For the record, I try hard to write books that people *like* to read. (The most frequent comment I get from readers is that my books are "page-turners," which makes me very happy, because that is exactly what I want them to be!) My biggest complaint with books I hate is that they don't get to the point (or, worse, they don't *have* a point!).
My second great love is the theatre. My plays have been performed at dozens of theaters across the country. And I was recently asked to adapt Geography Club into a stage play, which was first presented (very successfully!) in Seattle in April 2004. I've also written a play version of my thriller Grand & Humble. (If you're involved with a theater and want a copy of either script, contact me at brentsbrain@gmail.com.)
I also have several screenplays under option, and there is a feature film version of Geography Club in the works.
And if that's not enough, I've written over five hundred published articles, essays, short stories, newspaper columns, cartoons, and even a few greeting cards!
I also sometimes teach writing, in the MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College and elsewhere.
I live in Seattle, Washington, with my partner since 1992, Michael Jensen. Michael is also a writer, the author of two terrific gay westerns, Frontiers, and its sequel, Firelands. Together, we also helped found a very successful entertainment website called AfterElton.com (but we don't work there anymore).
I answer all emails (eventually), so if you have a question or a comment, or if you're interested in having me speak to your school or group, contact me brenthartinger.com.
Or if you want to send me something by mail, or if you'd like to request a signed bookplate, you can reach me here:
Brent Hartinger PO Box 30542 Seattle WA 98113-0542
My "Official" Biography
BRENT HARTINGER is the author of a number of novels for children and teenagers, including Geography Club (HarperCollins, 2003); two sequels to Geography Club called The Order of the Poison Oak (HarperCollins, 2005) and Double Feature: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies/Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies (HarperCollins, 2007); The Last Chance Texaco (HarperCollins, 2004); Grand & Humble (HarperCollins, January 2006); Project Sweet Life (HarperCollins, winter 2009); and Shadow Walkers (Flux, 2011).
Mr. Hartinger's many writing honors include being named the winner of the Lambda Book Award, the Scandiuzzi Children's Book Award, a GLAAD Media Award, the National Best Book Award, and a Book Sense Pick (four times).
Also a playwright and screenwriter, Mr. Hartinger's ten plays have been produced in dozens of theaters nationwide (twice in New York); his screenplays have won many awards, including a 2009 Writers Network Fellowship and the $5000 Fort Lauderdale Film Festival Screenwriting in the Sun Award. He has several scripts under option and in the process of studio or network development, including a film version of his novel, Geography Club.
Mr. Hartinger lives in Seattle with another novelist, Michael Jensen, his partner since 1992. He has counseled dozens of teenagers, both as co-facilitator of Oasis, a 200-member gay teen support organization he helped found, and as a counselor at a group home for young people.
Mr. Hartinger is a co-founder of Authors Supporting Intellectual Freedom (or AS IF!), an anti-censorship group, and speaks frequently at schools, bookstores, conferences, churches, and civic groups on the subjects of censorship, writing, and social tolerance. He sometimes teaches creative writing, most recently at Vermont College in the MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults.
Oh, and there's lots more information about me at my website. Check it out! www.brenthartinger.com
Brent Hartinger is funny and tender and real. Although this book (and his others) feature a gay teen, ALL teents and adults who like to read young adult books should read him. No matter your sexual prefernce, you will appreciate his messages of acceptance and understanding and his great writing.
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I am a huge fan of Geography Club, the previous book by Brent Hartinger involving gay teen Russell, so when I heard there was going to be a sequel I was really worried(especially since it had the title Order of The Poison Oak, sorry Brent sounded a lil corny), however as I read my copy which I purchased from amazon.com wink wink, I soon realized it was even better than Geography Club. The characters and events just draw you in, and the part when Russell finally has someone look at him in the way that Peppermint Patty looked at the red haired girl, brought tears to my eyes. But this book, even if you are not gay, you will relate to how hard it is growing up and you will be smiling when you finish the book.
P.S. To Brent: Thanks for not including Kevin in this book!
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I loved "The Geography Club," so I had trepidations when I eagerly snatched up the sequel. But they were quickly short-lived as I quickly got involved in the machinations of Russel, Min and Gunnar at a summer camp.
This sequel is a rarity in that the main character actually grows in a new direction from the previous book. Usually, the character just seems to go through the exact same journey. But we see Russel grapple with the whys and hows of expanding his romantic horizons and himself into the outside world from the confines of high school. His relationship with a caddish counselor is very compelling as is Gunnar's journey towards FINALLY getting a girlfriend.
It's a real story well-told. Fast, funny and touching.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
I was surrounded by fires, angry blazes raging all around me. Read the first pageKey Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Rainbow Crow, Order of the Poison Oak, Camp Serenity, Bisexual Alliance, Kepler's Homestead, Waterfront Trail, Peppermint Patty, Little Red-Haired Girl, Web Bastian, Charlie Brown, Leo the Lion, Outstanding Camper, Cove of the Ever-Changing Rock Formation, Goodkind High School, Rock of Gibraltar, Russel Middlebrook
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