Book Review: Geekhood: Close Encounters of the Girl Kind

Geekhood: Close Encounters of the Girl Kind

by Andy Robb

Published: June 2012 by Stripes Publishing

Version: Paperback bought myself

Rating: 4.5 Sofas

If you haven’t worked it out yet, girls don’t do this. They don’t come to the Hovel. They don’t like goblins and dragons. They don’t paint miniatures. They don’t play role playing games or re-enact fictional battles. And they don’t talk to Geeks like me especially if they’re pretty. And this girl is pretty. What do you do if you’re a fourteen-year-old Geek, and a Beautiful Girl has appeared in the midst of your geeky world? And she seems to like you… For Archie, the natural reaction would be to duck and cover … run for the hills … buy a new model elf… Anything but risk stepping into the Real World. But even Geeks have to put their heads above the parapet at some point. With his mum barely able to contain her excitement that her son is about to join the human race, and his step-father, Tony the Tosser, offering crass advice, it’s time for Archie to embark on a daring Quest to win the Beautiful Girl’s heart and shake off his Geekhood for good…

Something that always makes me like or remember a book more is when the author is nice. I was lucky enough to catch Andy at a book signing about a month or so ago. Although I hadn’t read the book at the time, we spent ages chatting about the book and he didn’t hate me for not having read it! Although I was a bit nervous in case I didn’t like it, I had actually bought the book before reading any reviews about it. I know it was shortlisted for the Waterstones Childrens Book Award last year, but I’m not one to generally follow award lists so this certainly wasn’t a deciding factor. Thus for me to have bought it, the blurb and cover must have really convinced me that I was going to enjoy the book.

Luckily, I wasn’t disappointed. Told from a 14-year-old boy’s point of view, Geekhood gives a real insight into the mind of a teenage boy. And not just any adolescent; a geek. Oh the struggles of a geek! Bullied by the cool kids, embarassing parents, geeky hobbies and first conversations with girls- Geekhood has it all.

When I met Andy we talked a bit about the cover and I commented how much I loved the artwork and typography, and how it stands out. And I am SO pleased that the cover matches the book entirely. Quirky and funny, this book had me in giggles the whole way through. There are parts where I was just shouting at Archie in frustration, but I cannot complain, because boys can really be that stupid. 

I also loved the addition of the role playing world into the book. A world not often (if ever) highlighted in novels, it was interesting to learn more about figure painting and game playing. 

The only disappointment I had is that I read this book on holiday and didn’t take the second with me. Don’t make my mistake; have the second one ready, because no doubt you will want to devour that upon finishing this one. I am proud to own this book and declare myself as a fellow geek. I know that Geekhood will be a book I will reread over and over again, and is definitely one of my go-to books for a laugh. I cannot wait to delve into the second one, and will do so the first chance I get! 4.5 sofas 🙂