Hacker by Malorie Blackman

When Vicky's father is arrested on a charge of stealing over a million pounds from the bank where he works, she is determined to prove his innocence. Helped by her brother and his best friend, Vicky decides to try to find the real thief by hacking into the bank's computer system.

This was a very short at only 200 pages, but caters and plays to its young target audience with its dramas, family troubles and over-the-top attitude that EVERYTHING IS MY FAULT! Oh yeah, I remember that stage of my teens! So, Victoria's father works at a bank and just after her first exam of the season, he is arrested for stealing money. She and her family know he can't have done so, so Victoria, with her computer skills, goes about proving his innocence.

A short but sweet story of a young teen hacking into the bank's details, proving her dad's innocent, hopefully finding the real culprit, you know the normal! Written in the 90's, it was quite nostalgic to read, but even the old-school computer stuff went over my head! Luckily, it wasn't bogged down with details and I was able to skim over them and still get the gist, still continue with the story without getting myself confused.

I really liked Victoria. Adopted, she had quite a few personal issues to work through; her douche brother didn't help but what can you expect from a teenage boy? But she was determined to do the right thing for her family, which was incredibly sweet and admirable. A little naive that she thought she could do it alone, but can't win them all. The whole 'we must save the day without telling our parents' seemed a little too easy, but there were realistic bumps in the road and moments when I thought they wouldn't make it, but of course the good guys always win. 

All in all, a nice quick story about hacking that manages to smoothly brave bigger issues like crime, family and colour. A little young for me, a typical middle grade book, but still an enjoyable read.  

Published 1st August 1993 by Transworld Publishers.