The Chaos of Now

Book excerpt: From the author of Butter comes an emotional coming-of-age novel about teen coder who gets roped into a dangerous hack, perfect for fans of John Corey Whaley and Adam Silvera. Eli is coasting through high school, spending most of his time writing code. Each day is as boring as the next--until he receives a cryptic message in binary code, leading him to Seth and Mouse. They're seeking a third member for a prestigious hacking competition, after their teammate and friend Jordan committed suicide last year. Intrigued by the challenge, Eli agrees. But soon it becomes clear that Seth and Mouse are after more than winning a competition--they're seeking revenge for the abuse that caused Jordan's suicide. Eli is in way over his head, but he's also hiding a dangerous secret that could lead to even more trouble if he isn't careful. In a story about the shift of power from those who rule at school to those who rule online, the difference between bully and victim is blurred and Eli--whose coding skilled have taught him to make order out of chaos--will find the real world is much harder to control.