The Hacker's Key

September 1, 2020
When a global techno-apocalypse looms, can three savvy kids save the world? Ada is the daughter of Remy Genet, a notorious hacker, thief, and current inmate at a Supermax prison. Ada attends the Springfield Military Reform School with her friend Jace Winslow, a tech whiz, and multilingual frenemy Cody Francesco. Ada learns that a horrible cyberweapon called the Hacker's Key has been stolen, and in its place was left a message for her father. Ada, Jace, and Cody are soon whisked into an international whirlwind of danger, espionage, and criminals, leading them from America to Iceland, Ireland, and the Czech Republic. The trio must carefully follow clues and discern whom to trust, even within their own group. Skovron's spy thriller reads at a breakneck pace, imbued with tech know-how, covert ops, and heart-pounding action scenes. Alongside the thrills, there is a hearty dose of pop-culture references from the '80s and beyond, including retro Nintendo games and classic science-fiction mentions. Perceptive readers should be able to easily suss out the identity of the supervillain, but that doesn't render this any less gripping. Ada is White, with a French father and American mother; Jace is Black; and Cody is Chilean. Secondary characters are diverse in ethnicity and nationality. Reads like Alex Rider meets Ready Player One. (author's note) (Thriller. 8-12)

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