The Secret Life of Jamie B, Hero.com

Jamie B deals with reality according to the rules of a computer game, at the centre of which is himself as hero, cyberj.

He’s on bad terms with his mum and disinterested in school life. Punishment and detentions have no effect on him so the head teacher decides what he needs is responsibility. She suggests he works with Anna, the editor of the school paper, on a news story. She is the daughter of his teacher Mr Tempus, of whom, to his disgust, his mother is becoming fond.

In a world of his own, he dives headlong into his imaginary game. And, just as in a game, he takes on battles at different levels and with different adversaries – his mum, cyberM, Mr Tempus, the Evil Time Warrior, and Anna, Queen of the Palindromes. When the newspaper story he’s researching involves another adversary who’s out to cheat the local community of its park, the game level goes up several notches and he fights the battle like a real hero.com

This is a hugely entertaining book. It moves at a cracking pace and is remarkably skilful, successfully transferring computer speak and game situations to tell a story.