WIKI’S WONDER CREW

Four bright youngsters vow to upend a gang’s cyber-attack on their city in Dan and Danielle O’Connor’s YA caper.

A field trip to the Museum of Natural History in Seaside, Florida, offers a learning opportunity to an eighth-grade class. But for schoolmates and lifelong best friends Melvin “Wiki” Jones and Kayla, the museum is a site for geocaching—using GPS to find boxes that others have hidden. It’s also the place where Wiki, who’s known for his brains and observational skills, meets a stranger who asks him to test a company’s “educational software program.” This is a ruse; the Blackout, a covert group, has a sinister plan to steal a powerful Artificial General Intelligence from Wiki’s scientist father. Once they get their hands on the AGI, they reprogram it to do their nefarious bidding. The Blackout seizes control of computers and electronic devices across Seaside; citizens can either wait 45 days to get everything back or pay a Bitcoin ransom for early access. Wiki and his crew, including Kayla, her older sister, Olivia, and Wiki’s 10-year-old brother, Matthew, dig up what they can on the Blackout (courtesy of Wiki’s still-secure home computer). Finding them may be even easier than Wiki’s crew originally thought as yet another evil plan (swiping specific artifacts from the museum) is executed. With help from a military-grade quadcopter drone that Wiki built himself, the kids try to identify Blackout members, recover the stolen artifacts, and shut down the evil AGI, all while hopefully keeping themselves safe.

A lively cast headlines the O’Connors’ debut novel. Wiki’s crew engages in good-natured banter; Matthew, not fully comprehending some tech-laden discourse, suggests his brother is “talking Klingon.” In many other instances, the youngsters champion one another and offer words of encouragement. The Blackout-centric chapters showcase assorted codenamed baddies, including leader Osiris; Sphinx, who aspires to take over that position; and new recruit/intern Gary, who’s saddled with the nickname Pup-Pup. Younger readers will have no trouble understanding the relatively simple technology (such as a few details on hacking). The story offers educational value—the museum has exhibits on the Plains Indigenous tribes and the Dead Sea Scrolls—but no real mystery, as it’s obvious early on what the bad guys are plotting. Still, it’s a treat to follow these youthful characters as they use their wits and tenacity to take down the Blackout. They’re brave without repeatedly putting themselves in unnecessary danger, and they’re fiercely loyal, as when Kayla quickly responds when a bully thinks Wiki is an easy target. A late-in-the-story romance, while not surprising, is delightful and something that will hopefully evolve in subsequent installments. The ending makes it apparent which direction the next entry will likely take, and readers will surely yearn for more of Wiki, Kayla, Olivia, and Matthew. A series of colorful, cartoon-like, occasionally repetitive illustrations accompanies the text.

An entertaining introduction to some gifted adolescent heroes who will easily win fans.