The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak

 

Billy Martin is a fourteen year old, just starting high school where he didn't make any of the cliques.  He doesn't care about sports, he is too shy to be popular with the girls and he isn't one of the brains.  He's just an average kid making it through with two best friends, Alf and Chase.  If anything sets Billy apart, it's his new found hobby, a Commodore-64 he and his mother won in a contest.  He loves reading about programming, he loves putting in the programs and getting them to run and he even has been programming his own ideas.  

Everything changes when Playboy features Vanna White in its monthly edition.  She is every teenage boy's dream woman and Billy and his buddies know that they have to get their hands on a copy.  They make impossible plans but the magazine remains out of reach.  The only place to get it is Zelinsky's Newstand and Mr. Zelinsky isn't about to sell an adult magazine to teenagers.  As they plot schemes, Alf decides it would be a great opportunity to make money.  Soon he is taking orders for copies of Vann's pictures to guys in school and the pressure is on.

When Billy goes to the store to scope things out, he meets Mary Zelinsky, the owner's daughter, his age.  She is in the back where they kept the computers and as he talks with her, he realizes she shares his interest in programming and probably is even better than him.  Billy starts going to the store every day making friends with Mary so the boys can get the security code.  But something happens along the way; he starts having feelings for Mary.  This is his first crush and he doesn't know if she shares it but she is the most optimistic person he's ever met and she seems to believe in his ability to create the best game ever.  

This is a new author for me and a charming book.  The author is an Edgar nominated writer who is also an editor at Quirk books.  The book brings back memories of growing up, that first love and all the anxieties of high school.  Since I was in the IT field, it also brings back memories of those early days of computing.  It's a sentimental look back and an exploration of friendship, growing up and how easily things can go awry.  This book is recommended for those interested in looking back and remembering their younger days.