The Impossible Fortress (Jason Rekulak)

It's 1987, the dawn of the internet age, and Billy Marvin is right on the ball. Armed with his computer, Billy is ready to take on the new era as a computer programmer. There's just the slight problem that he is failing the lowest remedial classes in the ninth grade. Billy is desperately searching for a solution, and when he and his friends cook up a plot to get rich by stealing magazines from a local store, he stumbles upon Mary Zelinsky, and learns of the nationwide video game contest that just might buy him his future. But then again, there's Mary Zelinsky.

This book is fresh, funny and sweet, and that alone makes it an enjoyable read. But look a little closer and you'll find mature themes, hard questions and an earnestly written story about falling in love and growing up.