The Order of the Poison Oak (Hardcover)

by Brent Hartinger (Author) "I was surrounded by fires, angry blazes raging all around me..." (more)
Key Phrases: Rainbow Crow, Order of the Poison Oak, Camp Serenity (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 8 Up–Sixteen-year-old Russel Middlebrook hopes to escape his identity as the token gay guy at school by spending the summer as a counselor in a camp for burn victims. At first he finds that controlling eight hyperactive, 10-year-old hellions is grueling, but once he charms them with a retelling of a fable based on Native American legend in which a multicolored crow is burnt black by fire, he has no trouble taming them. And with their cooperation and enthusiasm, he creates the Order of the Poison Oak, a special club dedicated to outcasts of all types. With its titillating cover, high dramatics, and steamy romance triangles, Hartinger's novel will definitely score big with teens hankering for a sequel to Geography Club (HarperCollins, 2003). But even with improved characterizations and fast pacing, it's not enough to cloak the author's less-than-subtle attempt at equating burn-scar victims with victims of homophobic bigotry and prejudice. Unfortunately, this well-intended yet domineering metaphor smothers many of the novel's better elements, and ultimately will render more groans than shouts of triumph from its readers.–Hillias J. Martin, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

From Booklist
Gr. 7-10. In this sequel to Geography Club (2003), 16-year-old Russel, now openly gay and tired of being the freak at school, tries to escape as a counselor in a rural summer camp with his two best friends. The camp kids are 10-year-old burn survivors, scarred and disfigured, and Russel identifies with them. They also have fun together, once he stops seeing them as "all nervous and noble." But Russel fights with his friends, especially after discovering that he and bisexual Min are attracted to the same gorgeous counselor guy--who tries to have unprotected sex with each of them. There's too much metaphor and message, including the stories Russel tells the kids about raging fires, hidden beauty, and developing toughness. What readers will like best is the honest, tender, funny, first-person narrative that brings close what it's like to have a crush and hate a friend. In one unforgettable scene, some teenagers call the scarred kids freaks, and to his lasting shame, Russel says nothing. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen; Book Club edition (March 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060567309
• ISBN-13: 978-0060567309
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #742,139 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book For All Teens, November 10, 2005

By	starchick - See all my reviews

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best gay themed book...ever, March 28, 2005

By	Eric Danforth (Westminster, Maryland) - See all my reviews

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!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mesmerizing and edgy look at life at a Summer Camp, March 29, 2005

By	Condiment Grrl (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews

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.