Herein resides short stories from a host of authors proudly proclaiming their geek status. Each story is set off by a comic of varying nerdy context.

My overall impression of the stories is the overwhelming passion with which these stories have been written. They seem very real and personal to their authors. There are way too embarrassing moments, situations of excruciating personal growth, and even some geeky accomplishments to be proud of. My favorites feature a Cyrano character, a cheerleader fully trained in geekspeak, a role playing gamers meetup, a fan's surprise visit to an author, a blind date for a stepsister, a quiz bowl competition, a knight incognito, and a personal competition sans stargazer gathering.

If you view yourself as a geek, you're likely to find a home within the pages. Certainly, if pop culture places you within that realm. The underlying threads are crosscultural, as the cheerleader will attest. If not, you may be curious to see what makes them tick. Their hearts are exposed here, as well as weaknesses they'd rather not claim. Peeking within the world where they feel safest, you'll likely never believe the robotic stereotype again. There is too much passion here for it to be true.

related-Holly Black, Cecil Castellucci, Tracy Lynn, Scott Westerfeld, Cassandra Clare, M.T. Anderson, Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith, David Levithan, Garth Nix, Lisa Yee, Kelly Link, John Green, Barry Lyga, Sara Zarr, Wendy Mass, Libba Bray, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Hope Larson
RL=YA-adult