This book is a collection of wildly diverse geeky stories--Con-going nerds, theater geeks, RPG-ers, Rocky Horror fans, Buffy fans, and just about every other flavor of geek out there. Interspersed between the stories are little comics making geeky jokes and offering advice on things like how to cosplay with common household objects, and how not to look like an idiot in front of your favorite author.
Citation
Black, H., & Castellucci, C. (2009). Geektastic: Stories from the nerd herd. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.
I really liked this collection. I could relate to all the stories to varying degrees--my favorite was Sara Zarr's "This Is My Audition Monologue", because as a recovering theater kid I could totally relate--the character's desire to do theater, to have any excuse to be in a theater and be show-adjacent was completely spot-on. I also really liked the little comics between sections.
Reviews
"With the recent spate of anthologies featuring the hottest YA authors, it was only a matter time before a celebration of all things geeky/nerdy found its way into a short story collection. Geektastic defines the geek not by his costume, but by his motivation for stepping into it. For instance, M. T. Anderson's heart-wrenching standout tale of a kid visiting his favorite author's home, not to stalk him, but to ask why he's been writing love letters to his mother is a lovely statement about sensuality and loneliness. Throughout, this all-inclusive love fest pays homage to the classics of D&D and Star Trek, but there's plenty of room for fans of new faves such as the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica and Joss Whedon-verse as well. Even geeks not affiliated with a TV show or movie can see themselves represented in David Levithan's Quiz Bowl Antichrist or Sara Zarr's drama-geek ode, This is My Audition Monologue, to name just a couple. Geeks, old and new school, will appreciate this collection written by their own."
Jones, C. (2009, September 1). [Review of the book Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd, by H. Black and C. Castellucci (Eds.)]. Booklist. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com
"One needn't already know that "Qapla!" is Klingon for success or be a weekend LARPer to appreciate this mostly entertaining collection of 15 short stories from authors John Green, Scott Westerfeld, Lisa Yee and M.T. Anderson among others, as well as numerous illustrated interludes (final art not seen by PW). The offerings cover a range of nerdy terrain: tensions within geek communities (the coeditors' story about a Star Wars fan who hooks up with a Star Trek fan at a convention; Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith's piece involving a divisive Buffy character); the gulf between online personalities and real-life interactions ("I Never" by Cassandra Clare; Kelly Link's cautionary tale about a 15-year-old girl waiting at a hotel for the 34-year-old she met online); and academic rivalries (Wendy Mass's "The Stars at the Finish Line" follows two intellectuals vying for the top spot at school; David Levithan inserts a closeted gay character into a national trivia competition in a quietly touching, layered story). Beyond the Stargate and MMORPG references, the stories often hit at the insecurities, camaraderie and passions at the heart of geekdom. Ages 12-up."
(2009, August 3). [Review of the book Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd, by H. Black and C. Castellucci (Eds.)]. Publisher's Weekly. Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com
Uses
This sort of anthology is perfect for introducing kids to various authors. Anthologies could be a perfect kick-off to a teen book club, as they would introduce kids to a variety of authors, whose books they could then go on to read as a group.
Uses
This sort of anthology is perfect for introducing kids to various authors. Anthologies could be a perfect kick-off to a teen book club, as they would introduce kids to a variety of authors, whose books they could then go on to read as a group.
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