This was an interesting collection of short stories plus some amusing one page panels (my favorite being about lucky dice). Some are are tinged with romance (including some LGBT), others are funny. Some heartbreaking, some very realistic. From roleplaying, anime, comics, sci-fi, astonomy, theatre and even your more commonplace school nerd, this book has a wise variety of stories. Not all are up my alley, and others I really liked. A little something for everyone. Here are my thoughts on the stories: 
 Once You're a Jedi, You're a Jedi all the Way. 
 by Holly Black & Cecil Castellucci 
 4 stars 
 What happens when a Jedi sleeps with a Klingon? Trouble. Quick story in learning to work past differences. Or....Not... As a fan of both I felt conflicted here. 
 One of Us 
 by Tracy Lynn 
 5 stars 
 Montgomery is no geek. but her boyfriend has some tendenceis in that direction so she pays the school geeks some money to teach her. I related to so many references! All the things they teach her are things I love. How she gets into RPG games cracked me up and when she is asked what she likes by Mica, I fully get where his question came from. Reminded me a bit of 'The Summer I Became a Nerd.' 
 Definitional Chaos 
 by Scott Westerfield 
 2.5 stars 
 Wasn't much a fan of this one. Strange train ride involving, alignments and $84,000. What I want to know is what committee lets a member run around with that kind of cash?! Guns, betrayal and gaming all come into play in this strange, slightly confusing tale. 
 I Never 
 by Cassandra Clare 
 4 stars 
 An overall non-geek girl joins a Game of peron pretending to be someone else online, another famous character from a movie, game, etc. She is more the hopeless romantic and when she meets some of her fellow gamers in real life, things take some interesting turns. Mild romance, sex and drinking in this one. 
 The King of Pellinese 
 by MT Anderson 
 2.5 stars 
 So far the strangest of the tales. A boy runs away from home to meet his favorite comic author. But not for the usual reasons. More mature things in this one that are a bit disturbing in their own right. And the author is just plain bizarre. 
 The Wrath of Dawn 
 by Cynthia & Greg Leitich Smith 
 3.5 stars 
 Very short story about sisterhood and Buffy. Interesting viewpoint on this one but I felt I needed more to really appreciate this one to it's fullest. 
 Quiz Bowl Antichrist 
 by David Levithan 
 3.5 stars 
 A guy (wasn't sure about gender at first) joins Quiz team because his crush is on it. But he and the leader do not get along and his nerdy side does not align to the others. Interesting viewpoints and story. This definitely more toward the school Nerdy Geek side of the spectrum. 
 The Quiet Knight 
 by Garth Nix 
 4 stars 
 I liked this one quite a bit. I wanted more here. A must for Larpers! Tony doesn't like to speak. He has no friends outside his Larping group and even then, one one of them knows who he really is. This one had me sad until where I finished with a happy grin. 
 Everyone But You 
 by Lisa Yee 
 4 stars 
 When you change school, the transfer isn't always a fun one. In this story felicity is isolated, and teased without mercy. From a challenged brother, cruel hot guys and good grades, Felicity needs to stand strong! Not something I would expect in this book, but I really enjoyed it. 
 Secret Identity 
 by Kelly Link 
 2 stars 
 The longest story in the book and my least favorite. A strangely written letter filled with flashbacks. Honestly I was very confused through much of this book. I even resorted to skim reading part of it because the confusion had me about ready to skip it entirely. 
 Freak the Geek 
 by John Green 
 3.5 stars 
 These girls didn't seem like they would top the lst at the Geekiest kids but it is hard to tell in this short story. First time seeing Ork spelled in this manner in a story. In this, bullies will be bullies and but friendships matter! 
 The Truth about Dino Girl 
 by Barry Lyga 
 4 stars 
 A future paleontologist deals with her first crush. Cute story about desire and revenge. Although she really is single-minded in her thought patterns. For her to comprehend things, every thing must be translated to dinosaurs and paleontology. Still, I enjoyed it. Very well written! 
 This is My Audition Monologue 
 by Sara Zarr 
 4 stars 
 Interesting and different. A girl uses her own monologue to share how she is feeling and what she wants. I have been in this girl's shoes to an extent. She is easy to relate to. Can't say too much here without spoilers. 
 The Stars at the Finish Line 
 by Wendy Mass 
 4.5 Stars. 
 My second favorite in this book. A boys wants claims he wants to be an astronaut when he feels a classmate is outdoing him. Years later the competition is still on. But the rules are changing as they look toward the stars together. Very cute and well written. 
 It's Just a Jump to the Left 
 by Libba Bray 
 3 stars 
 Boys, coming of age and Rocky Horror Picture Show. Need I say more? Why are 8th graders doing these things?! This story was good but part of me was horrified that girls so young would act this way. Forget first kisses! Lets turn it up a few notches! Well written but I would have felt out of my element as a teen and as an adult, I worry for the young girls out there now if they act this way. 
 So most of these I enjoyed. This is a more mature Young Adult novel with several of the themes. I feel Holly Black and Cecel Castellucci did a good job selecting these stories. Good variety!