SOLVED. YA Science Fiction about several young children hired in a secret society to solve cyphers and cryptic messages. [s]

[Nina]

I found this book in a bookstore and lost it when we moved houses. Range of the year I read it in was 2018-2019. It had the picture of either a pixelated skull or the cicada 3301. It was about the main character (can't remember gender) who lives in a broken down town. But they are very good at technology and tinkering. This character wants access to a quantum computer in order to find a family member who has been missing for a long time. That's when their inventions are noticed by a very underground hacker group who also happen to have a quantum computer. They put several of these exceptional children through trials of puzzle solving and figuring out crypic messages and there is a prize. The book would also show the puzzles and the codes inside as a fun way to engage the reader. One of the puzzles was the cicada 3301.

[Gabriella]

Sounds kind of like Genius by Leopoldo Gout

[Gabriella]

Very similar plot, but the cover is a brain, not a skull

[Nina]

That's the one, thank you so much!

[Capn]

for the trackables. ;)