Leaving a thin trail of blood, some wisps of ripped garment, and the heavy and heady scent of desire, vampires, werewolves and other paranormal lovers seem to be slipping off the bookshelves of preteens to be replaced by something very Earthbound: geeks.

Greg Heffley, aka the Wimpy Kid, is merely one of a new gang of heroes with self-definingly geeky names such as Norm and Stan, while on the horizon are books with titles such as Geekhood and – more surprisingly, in a genre that's so heavily boy-led – Geek Girl.

Undersized and (when male) undershaved, these confused but sensitive heroes wallow in self-doubt and self-flagellation. These qualities make them comforting to underdogs of all kinds and also to girls, who love to protect them. Even the bullying big boys seem to find a better them when they learn how it feels to care. Ahhh!

For boy readers, this move to the swotty side may be an antidote to the derring-do of underage spies, detectives and action heroes. For girls, it must come as something of a relief to know that the boy with the seemingly essential geek characteristics of clumsiness, bad clothes sense, glasses (usually) and unfashionable hobbies (always) – especially role-playing games – can offer a gentle and touching kind of love. After all, not every girl wants the hot-breath steaminess of a vampire as their close encounter of a book-sex kind.

Are geeks here to stay? Not for the paranormal-obsessed crossover market; few twentysomethings will be reading them on the train, as part of their style is self-conscious immaturity. But for their target audience, geeks could be huge. They offer a restful place to be in the increasingly socially and educationally pressurised world of growing up. And, they have the advantage of looking like what your mum wants you to read while slipping in a lot of vital yearning.