Brent Hartinger facts for kids

Brent Hartinger (born 1971) is an American author, playwright, and screenwriter. He is well-known for writing books for young adults. Many of his stories explore themes of friendship, identity, and finding your place in the world.

Early Life and Education

Brent Hartinger was born in 1971 in Washington state. He grew up in a city called Tacoma. He went to Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, and earned a bachelor's degree. Later, he studied psychology at Western Washington University.

Writing Career

Brent Hartinger has written many books, especially for young adults. His first published book was Geography Club in 2003. This book became very popular. He later wrote several more books that continued the stories of the characters from Geography Club. Some of these books, like The Thing I Didn't Know I Didn't Know (2014), were written for older readers. They show the teen characters as adults in their twenties.

Other books by Hartinger for young adults include:

• Grand & Humble (2006)
• Project Sweet Life (2008)
• Three Truths and a Lie (2016)

Books Becoming Movies

Geography Club, Hartinger's first novel, was made into a movie. The film came out in November 2013. It even featured actor Scott Bakula. Now, the Geography Club book is being developed into a television series.

Brent Hartinger also writes screenplays for movies. Several of his screenplays have been chosen to be made into films. Some of these include:

• The Starfish Scream, a drama about young people.
• Decked, an animated story about playing cards.
• Project Sweet Life, a fun teen adventure movie based on his own novel.

Awards and Recognition

Hartinger has received many awards for his writing. Some of his honors include:

• The Lambda Literary Award
• A GLAAD Media Award
• The Scandiuzzi Children's Book Award
• An Edgar Award nomination

He has also won awards for his screenplays. These include the Screenwriting in the Sun Award and first place in several screenwriting contests.

Teaching and Other Work

Brent Hartinger has shared his knowledge by teaching creative writing. He taught at Vermont College of Fine Arts. He also helped start an entertainment website called AfterElton.com. This website was later sold to MTV/Viacom in 2006.

Life Adventures

In 1990, Brent Hartinger helped create one of the first support groups for young people in his hometown of Tacoma, Washington. This group helped young people connect and find support.

Today, Hartinger does not have a permanent home. Instead, he travels the world with his husband, Michael Jensen, who is also a writer. They call themselves "digital nomads." Their travels have been featured on TV shows and in magazines. You can learn more about their adventures on their website, Brent and Michael Are Going Places.

List of Works

The Russel Middlebrook Series (Young Adult)

• Geography Club (2003)
• The Order of the Poison Oak (2005)
• Double Feature: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies/Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies (2007)
• The Elephant of Surprise (2013)

Russel Middlebrook: The Futon Years (Adult Series)

• The Thing I Didn't Know I Didn't Know (2014)
• Barefoot in the City of Broken Dreams (2015)
• The Road to Amazing (2016)

The Otto Digmore Series (Adult Series)

• The Otto Digmore Difference (2017)
• The Otto Digmore Decision (2020)

Other Books

• The Last Chance Texaco (2004)
• Grand & Humble (2006)
• Project Sweet Life (2009)
• Shadow Walkers (2011)
• Three Truths and a Lie (2016)