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.jpg) First edition cover | |
| Author | Brent Hartinger |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | Russel Middlebrook |
| Genre | Young adult fiction |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
Publication date | March 4, 2003 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 226 (trade paperback) |
| ISBN | 0-06-001223-4 |
| OCLC | 55065943 |
| Followed by | The Order of the Poison Oak |
Geography Club is a 2003 young adult novel[1] by American author Brent Hartinger.[2] It is the first book in The Russel Middlebrook Series. The novel follows a group of high school students who feel like outsiders, some because of their sexual orientations. The narrator, Russel Middlebrook, then finds himself helping his friend Min to form an after-school club for the students, so that they can hang out together for support.[3]
The novel received mostly favorable reviews. Publishers Weekly noted that "Hartinger credibly captures high school pressure and intolerance . . . Overall, this novel does a fine job of presenting many of the complex realities of gay teen life, and also what it takes to be a 'thoroughly decent' person."[4]
Writing in the Detroit Free Press, Ellen Creager wrote: "Hartinger can write. The account of Russel fending off a girl who likes him and pining over a jock with a secret is beautifully written and funny. For gay teens, it is a warm, welcoming kind of book. That said, it also may make a straight audience squirm."[5]
In a review in The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), Dori Hillestad Butler said the novel "is not an in-your-face book about gay teens, but it does capture perfectly the loneliness and isolation that gay teens feel. In fact, it's a good book for anyone who's ever felt completely alone."[6]
- ^ "The Geography Club on Goodreads". Goodreads.
- ^ Laughtland, Amanda (March 2, 2003). "Gay teen novel fills a void". The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington). p. D9. Retrieved May 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Barton, David (June 11, 2003). "A novel approach to the world of gay teens". Sacramento Bee. pp. E1–E2. Retrieved May 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Geography Club". Publishers Weekly. February 3, 2003. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
- ^ Creager, Ellen (March 23, 2003). "A teenager looks past another's appearance". Detroit Free Press. p. 5E. Retrieved May 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Butler, Dori Hillestad (May 4, 2003). "Young adult fiction delves into angst". The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa). p. 5L. Retrieved May 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.