FINISHED:
Hartinger, Brent. (2003). The geography club. New York: HarperCollins.

[REALLY liked this one, and I'm excited to find out that it is the first in a series of novels about the central character, Russel.  Russel and 4 other students at his high school come together in solidarity over the fact that they are all either gay or bisexual and have no one else to talk to about this fact.  SO, they decide to start a fake geography club at school - believing that the name implies that the club is so boring that no other students will actually inquire about joining - where they can hang out together.  This is a FANTASTIC portrayal of high school dynamics that teachers should ABSOLUTELY have young students read in an effort to combat bullying, and to promote acceptance and tolerance.  Nothing is cut and dry, Russel is complex and conflicting, and there are SO MANY talking points around cliques and the treatment of others that this is a great read for kids who have outgrown James Howe's The Misfits (Atheneum, 2001).  Oh, if only this funny and spot-on portrait of a young teens coming out was around when I was growing up...]

STARTED:
Stephens, John. (2011). The emerald atlas. New York: Knopf.

[.]

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