The latest installment in the Russel Middlebrook series takes a bit of a different turn in terms of presentation. While I can understand that some might think the idea of reading a story and then reading it again from another character's perspective, I contend that Hartinger's choice and method were both ingenious and well-done. Thus far readers have seen everything through Russel's eyes (thus is the nature of first-person narration). Since a number of things happened to Russel's friend Min that he didn't know about, it makes sense that the only way to present them to readers is to have Min tell her story. By doing so, Hartinger also helps us to understand Min even better - her narration is in a distinct voice that is in line with what we know of her character and gives us more insight into her life.

I enjoyed this just about as much as I enjoyed The Order of the Poison Oak and am looking forward to the latest book, The Elephant of Surprise. ( )

Russel Middlebrook and friends get work as extras in a zombie film.

I liked the way the story was told in two first-person narratives, giving us first Russel's point of view and then Min's, though it did make me wonder for a few seconds whether something had gone wrong with the download for my ebook. ( )

This book is not inherently flawed; it deals with many important issues about being a gay teenager, such as dealing with peers and coming out to parents. I read Brent Hartinger's books despite his writing. An immature writer, he sorely needs a stronger editor to cut out his cheesy lines and to force him to rework his stilted dialogue. Nevertheless, the characters and their lives are intriguing enough for me to continue with the series. Russel's coming-out to his parents is believable, as they confront him, he skirts around the issue, and they react far worse than any of his expectations. Unlike other authors though, Hartinger doesn't vilify the parents into cruel, extremist homophobes; he balances their horror at their son's homosexuality with the fact they still love him and are decent people - even if they do attempt to convert him to heterosexuality by sending him to "talk about it" with the priest. "Split Screen" has the gimmick of two stories in one - a "flip book" - or, rather, two perspectives of the same story. If you skip over the repetition, cheesiness, and overt messages, the story is worthwhile, although not terribly great. I appreciated that characters are more complex than they seem, although much complexity cannot be expected from a writer who is better at pop culture columns (Hartinger's other job is AfterElton.com columnist) than exploring the intricacies of the human mind and English language. Still, there are many books out there that explore the issues Hartinger's do, which is why they're more important than their literary quality should deserve.

Another sequel to Hartinger's The Geography Club, Split Screen tells two concurrent stories from different narrators--the familiar narrator Russell, and then his friend Min. While skimming the surface of real issues for queer teens in high school, readers familiar with this series will enjoy the fluff of this plot as they go along with Russell, Gunnar, Min, Otto, and Em as they work as extras during the local filming of a new teen zombie movie. ( )

(2007) (ROMANCE)

Min needs advice about Leah, the new girl she has met, but her best friend Russel has other things on his mind – he has to decide between Kevin, the guy who broke his heart, and Otto, the “right” guy for him who lives 800 miles away. In the meantime, they are all extras on the movie set of a new horror film, Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies, which provides the backdrop for much romantic tension.

This two-in-one novel is fairly fast-paced, with clever dialog and two differing perspectives. Min introduces her experiences as an extra on a low-budget monster movie set, meeting the “perfect” girl between makeup and multiple takes. On the flip side, Russel presents his experiences juggling the hunk who dumped him to stay in the closet, the “perfect” guy from summer camp who was coming for a visit, and his parents, who have just found out that Russel is gay and are not pleased. The way the stories mesh makes for interesting reading.

Awards: Lambda Literary Award (Bisexual, 2007)