Warp Speed by Lisa Yee tells the story of Marley Sandelski, a seventh grade Star Trek geek at Rancho Rosetta Middle School.  Marley has some great friends and loves being in AV club with the other geeks.  They could spend all day debating the merits of Star Trek vs. Star Wars, but sadly, that is only one period of the day.  The rest of the time he is avoiding bullies like the Gorn, who shove him into lockers and chase him after school.

He has named them the Gorn after the evil beasts that appeared in an original Star Trek episode (or TOS for fans) and they live up to their namesakes, chasing him every day after school and even beating him up.  On top of that there is Digger, who forces Marley to do his homework for him and threatens to put his dad's old movie theatre out of business.

All the running away makes Marley realize that he's actually really fast!  He always gets picked last in gym but he never realized he could run at warp speed!  The track coach notices his talent and asks him to go out for the team.  Could this be his ticket to popularity?  Could it help him win over his crush, Emily Ebers and stand up to all the bullies?

This is a great story for any kid getting through their tween years, but especially for those in social fringe groups.  Everyone can relate to at least one of the large cast of characters, but Marley is an endearing hero for everyone.  Fans of sci-fi, especially Star Trek are encouraged to grab a copy at their local branch.