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Hartinger, Brent
6 Reviews
(4)
YA
Two teenage couples, one gay and one straight, embark on an unsupervised trip to an isolated Washington State cabin. After they participate in various forms of indulgence and ultimately a game of "Three Truths and a Lie," their getaway becomes a fight for survival. Horror-movie clichés, including graphic sex and violence, mark this psychological thriller, though Liam and Rob's relationship is a refreshing high point.
Reviewer: Grace Enriquez
(3)
YA
Three friends, instructed by their fathers to find summer jobs, instead concoct "Project Sweet Life." This means finding a quick way to earn money, then pretending to be working while enjoying the "absolute freedom" their summer should rightfully entail. The boys' friendship, expertly depicted, drives the book. Their smartly plotted moneymaking schemes are creative, hijinks-filled, and hilariously almost effective.
Reviewer: Claire E. Gross
Hartinger, Brent
Split Screen: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies / Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies
(3)
YA
There are two novels in one in this gimmicky but sweet "flip the book" about gay teen Russ and bisexual Min (Geography Club). While acting as extras in a zombie movie, they deal with closeted soulmates, skeezy ex-boyfriends, intolerant parents, and long-distance relationships. As with his previous books, Hartinger's character development is top-notch and humor comfortably coexists with pathos.
Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin
(3)
YA
Eager to flee high school gay-baiting, Russel joins his two best friends as a counselor at a summer camp for young burn survivors. Russel struggles to work with his charges, eventually using his own outsider status to connect with the kids. In this sequel to Geography Club, Hartinger revisits some familiar ideas while enriching the portrayals of Russel and his friends.
Reviewer: Norah Piehl
(4)
YA
A rebellious handful in the foster care system, Lucy knows that Kindle Home is her last chance before reform school. Although both Lucy and the overcrowded plot are formulaic, this old-fashioned problem novel is readable and will appeal to fans of Go Ask Alice and the like.
Reviewer: Roger Sutton
(2)
YA
When Russel finds out he's not the only gay kid at school, he joins with his cohorts to start an after-school support group, code-named the Geography Club. What gives this book distinction is Russel's pointed narration, pitch-perfect as the slightly superior, world-weary, and ironic gay boy. This is the most artful and authentic depiction of a gay teen since M. E. Kerr's I'll Love You When You're More Like Me.
Reviewer: Roger Sutton
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2003
6 reviews
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