A review by williamsdebbied
Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd by Cecil Castellucci, Holly Black

4.0

A collection of short stories that celebrate multiple ways to be a geek, written by some of my favorite YA authors.

Obviously, readers will relate to some stories more than others, but here are some of my favorites:

"Once You're a Jedi, You're a Jedi All the Way" is by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci. A girl dressed as a Klingon and a guy dressed as a Jedi wake up together after meeting at a convention. Even though they seem to have little in common, they discover that they like each other.

In "One of Us," by Tracy Lynn, a cheerleader asks a group of geeks to teach her about the stuff they like so that she can relate to her boyfriend (who likes similar things). Loved it!

"Definitional Chaos," by Scott Westerfeld, features a couple who used to date, but no longer trust each other, and a large amount of cash. Everything this guy writes grabs me.

"I Never," by Cassandra Clare, features a girl named Jane who fantasizes about the romantic hero of her favorite book. She meets a guy online, and discovers that an online persona is not always what you get in real life.

In "The King of Pelinesse" by M.T. Anderson, a boy shows up at the home of his favorite author after finding a letter addressed to his mother indicating that the two had an affair.

"The Wrath of Dawn" by Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith, is about a geek who finds some unexpected support from her non-geek stepsister.

"Quiz Bowl Antichrist" by David Leviathan centers on a teen boy coming to terms with both his geek status and his sexuality.

In "The Quiet Knight" by Garth Nix, a boy who seldom talks participates in medieval battle simulations. Before he knows it, his fantasy life collides with his real life in an unexpected way. Excellent!

"Everyone But You" by Lisa Yee tells the story of a very peppy and popular girl who is treated like an unpopular geek at her new school.

"Secret Identity" by Kelly Link is a letter written by a girl to the much older guy she met online when she was pretending to be her older sister.

"Freak the Geek" by John Green is about two girls who are the object of a prank.

"The Truth About Dino Girl" by Barry Lyga is darker than most of the stories in this collection, about how a nerd gets revenge on a popular girl.

"This is my Audition Monologue" by Sara Zarr is a rambling speech given by a girl desperate to get a part, any part, in the school play.

"The Stars at the Finish Line" by Wendy Mass uses combines astronomy and romance in a creative way. Loved it!

"It's Just a Jump to the Left" by Libba Bray describes a pair of best friends who go to The Rocky Horror Picture Show every week. I wanted to love it, but just couldn't relate.

The comics between each story were actually my favorite part of the book. Highly entertaining.

Most of these stories were excellent and thought-provoking. There is some mature content that makes the collection more appropriate for high school and up.