The Jump

Four Seattle teens team up to take down a powerful multinational enterprise that threatens their livelihoods in this ambitious tech-driven mystery by Morris (The Cost of Knowing). Black teenager Jax is the leader of Team Jericho, a group of ingenious scavenger hunt enthusiasts passionate about solving the cryptology riddles posted to online urban exploration forums. When the Order, an infamous organization of anarchist crypto-vigilantes “bent on bringing justice to the untouchable elite,” serendipitously devises a challenge to recruit new members, Jax convinces his team to participate. He hopes that joining the Order will provide them the resources to stop Roundworld, a megacorporation whose growing presence threatens marginalized communities across Seattle. But each new clue, and the appearance of ruthless rivals, complicates the team’s mission. And as the teens uncover more about the Order, they begin questioning whether the institution is everything it seems. Morris intersperses a middling mystery plot with affecting personal drama, notably sketching a warm, supportive neighborhood caught in the undertow of gentrification. Propulsive action scenes thrill, but it’s the complex, impressively drawn characters, their individual motivations, and their unwavering loyalty to each other that steal the show. Ages 12–up. Agent: Quressa Robinson, Nelson Literary. (Mar.)