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Description
Emma Avery, a seventh-grader who loves solving puzzles, joins a group of codebreakers to find magical objects in a ghost town, but when their rivals close in on an object that grants unlimited wishes, they must race to get it first.
Emma Avery has always loved solving puzzles and codes, and now that she's processing a recent autism diagnosis and facing down seventh grade at a new school, they're even more important to her.
Then Emma meets Nate Lin. He's popular and funny and . . . loves codes, too. He introduces Emma to the Codebreakers, a group of his friends dedicated to cracking codes that have been discovered in the ruins of a nearby ghost town, which are believed to lead to magical objects. But they're not the only ones on the hunt, and when their sinister rivals close in on an object that grants unlimited wishes, the Codebreakers must race to beat them to it before they use it for dark magic.
A suspenseful mystery novel with a carefully and convincingly drawn protagonist.
School Library Journal
Starred Review
Gr 3-6--In her latest middle grade, Ott introduces readers to a group of young codebreakers who are bound for an adventure. It's her first day at Afton Academy, and seventh-grader Emma Avery, who has brown hair and pale skin, feels as awkward as ever. She's autistic and that makes it difficult for her to connect with her peers--until she meets Nate Lin, a dark-haired kid who loves codes as much as she does. Nate and his friends invite Emma to join them in solving the mystery of Sablewood, a ghost town that succumbed to dark magic years ago. Emma must decide whether to trust her new friends and soon because a rival group is closing in on the Sablewood mystery, and their intentions may be sinister. Ott adeptly brings Emma's perspective to life, showing how autism impacts her in the classroom, at home, and in her daily interactions. Emma's passion for codebreaking is palpable, helped along by Ott's examples of how to solve a Playfair or Vigenère cipher. The plot moves quickly despite the book's complex subject matter. Although Emma is the most vivid character in the book, readers will be excited to follow both her and her friends into their next adventure. VERDICT Recommended for readers who enjoy puzzle mysteries and female lead characters with a unique perspective.--Talea Anderson
Copyright 2026 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Publishers Weekly
Starred Review
A sweet-natured, cryptology-loving middle schooler builds confidence solving magical puzzles and mysteries in this smart series launch from Ott (Legend of the Realm). Following a recent autism diagnosis, Emma Avery is feeling especially nervous about starting seventh grade at Afton Academy. As she struggles to make eye contact and converse with most of her classmates and teachers, a literal hallway collision with kind and popular Nate Lin becomes a turning point in her social landscape when she learns that he's a fellow codebreaker aficionado. Nate invites Emma to his lunch table and, more interestingly, into the Codebreakers, his crew of puzzling pals, who are intent on cracking a series of ciphers that purportedly lead to enchanted artifacts buried in the ruins of a nearby decimated village. Though she's skeptical about magic, Emma relishes the challenge of solving a tricky mystery to obtain a supposedly wish-granting ring, a task that becomes all the more urgent when it's discovered that an evil splinter group of adult codebreakers also seeks the item. While adult reactions to a climactic denouement strain credulity, fans of interactive, puzzle-filled volumes will enjoy the ciphers and code symbols embedded throughout. Experience-informed prose, per an author's note, portrays Emma's neurodivergence with care and clarity, while suspenseful ambiance keeps the pages turning. Characters are described as having varying skin tones. Ages 8-12. Agent: Victoria Doherty Munro, Writers House. (Feb.)
Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Alexandra Ott is the author of the Codebreakers trilogy and the Rules for Thieves and Seekers of the Wild Realm duologies. She lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with her tiny canine overlord.
