Geektastic: Stories From the Nerd Herd by Holly Black and Cecil Castelucci

Cover of the book Geektastic

Geektastic is a compilation of short stories of all things geek and nerd inspired. This is a quick and creative read edited by Black and Castelluci. This is My Audition Monologue by Sarah Zarr  was a personal favorite. The beauty of this anthology is their is certainly something for everyone. Whether or not the reader will be enthralled from page 1 to the end is left for the reader to decide.

Insight:

I enjoyed the variety of authors this book offers, but to be honest I was not all that smitten with most of the stories. A select few held my interest and others I just skimmed.

Suggested Library Activity:

Use this book for a book club. The variety of stories and topics discussed will get students talking.

Bibliographic Citation:

Black, H., & Castellucci, C. (2009). Geektastic: Stories from the nerd herd. New York: Little, Brown and Co.

Additional Book Review:

From Trekkers to science geeks, Buffy fanatics to Dungeon Masters, nerds of all persuasions are sure to find themselves in the pages of this anthology. It contains fun reads such as Black and Castellucci’s “Once You’re a Jedi, You’re a Jedi All the Way” in which a Klingon wakes with a Jedi in her hotel room while at a sci-fi convention, and Tracy Lynn’s “One of Us,” in which a cheerleader enlists the school nerds to teach her the basics of geekdom so she can impress her Trekker boyfriend. The collection also includes more profound fare such as Kelly Link’s moving and masterful “Secret Identity” about a 15-year-old girl who has pretended to be her 32-year-old sister on an online RPG. She must face the consequences of her lies when she arranges to meet the man with whom she has developed a relationship. Also included are stories by YA lit greats such as John Green, Libba Bray, Scott Westerfeld, and M. T. Anderson. Each story is followed by a comic-book-style illustration offering information or advice such as “What Your Instrument Says About You” and “How to Look Cool and Not Drool in Front of Your Favorite Author.” Simultaneously addressing the isolation and loneliness that geeks can feel as well as the sense of camaraderie and community that can be found when one embraces a world or ideology in which he or she can completely invest, Geektastic is a completely dorky and utterly worthwhile read.—Heather M. Campbell, formerly at Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, CO

Campbell, H. (2009, August 1). Grades 5 and Up [ Book Review of Geektastic: Stories from the nerd] Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6674059.html