Billy Marvin

Billy Marvin is the protagonist of the novel. The novel is written entirely from Billy's perspective. Billy is a 14-year-old high school freshman who is obsessed with making video games and who dreams of being a successful video game designer. Billy lives with his single mother, who struggles and works hard to support the household finances.

Billy befriends a local girl named Mary Zelinsky, who is the same age as him. Together, they make a video game to enter in a contest for young programmers. Billy develops romantic feelings for Mary, but his attraction to her becomes complicated by his friends' plan to steal magazines from Mary's father's store, as Billy has agreed to help in these plans.

Mary Zelinsky

Mary Zelinsky is the daughter of Sal Zelinsky, a local store owner. Like Billy, she is obsessed with programming and with computer games. Mary attends a local...