I couldn't resist this book. I mean, the title alone sucked me in. I hardly noticed the jolly and amazing cartoon cover; barely spared a glance for the illustrious and amazing author line up. By the time I got over the fact that someone had actually used the phrase "stories from the nerd herd" in a title, the book was already in my hands and resistance was utterly, spectacularly non-existent.

According to good old Webster, a geek is an enthusiast or an expert (or a carnival performer who bites off the heads of live chickens and/or snakes, no doubt with both enthusiasm and expertise). Maybe you don't know the difference between an RPG and an MMORPG. Maybe you haven't seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and maybe you could care less about the distinctions between a Klingon and a Storm Trooper. But if you haven't experienced the blinding joy of a singular enthusiasm, if you've never felt a moment of vast and terrible awkwardness, then you probably have a heart of stone and I can assure you that you won't enjoy this book.

These short stories are by some of the most interesting, most daring writers of young adult fiction out there. All of them are, at the very least, enjoyable and fun. Some of them are fully wonderful, bizarre, and brilliant. My favorites were "The King of Pelinesse" by M. T. Anderson and "Secret Identity" by Kelly Link, but that's just me. You should take a look and find your own.

Reviewed by Megan

Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd (Hardcover)

By Holly Black, Cecil Castellucci

$16.99

ISBN-13: 9780316008099
Availability: Special Order - Subject to Availability
Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 8/2009

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