A Very Personal Computer

by Justine Rendal

What if one day you were sitting in front of a computer and the impossible it started communicating with you and actually offered to do your homework for you? Just when twelve year-old Pollard Gunning is giving up on almost everything—eighth grade, the Red Sox, his lousy home life—that's just what happens. And that's only the beginning. Next Pollard is learning how to be a dream batter—and how to ask a girl out on a date. Suddenly, Pollard's mixed-up world takes a techno-turn and the "year of weird" also becomes the year a very personal computer comes to the rescue. Justine Rendal has written a fresh, funny, and moving novel about loss and love and unlikely friendships that shows how sometimes even the impossible can be wonderfully possible. 1996 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library)

224 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1995

Reviews

[Dave Persson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is how i read it:
a VERY 😏 personal computer 😉

That's as far as I got. Five stars

[Literature3!Amateur · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first looked at the cover image of this book, I didn't like what I saw, but when I looked in the inside of this book, I liked what I saw, and when I read the last page of the book, I liked what I... Well, you get the point now. :)

This book tells the story of Pollard and his life, I liked the characters in this book, (especially Pollard), and the plot.

My favorite scene was when he was in his room and the loneliness seemed to be getting to him. It was a very special scene and it made you feel his pain. And hwo he hit his leg to distract himself. :( But it's a good thing he gets it off his chest a few moments later. :D

Anyways, I thought it was good. :) :D ^_^!!

[LauraW · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree with another reviewer - this book turned out to be better than I expected. The silly looking cover and the breezy narration starts you off thinking that this will be another shallow klutzy-teen-learns-to-accept-himself book. And, in a way, it actually stays true to that stereotyped genre. But it is enough more that it changes what could have been a trivial book into something more to think about. I rarely give out 5 stars, so this is a good rating for me.

[John Ralston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was surprisingly better than it seemed like it was going to be.