THE WISH RING CIPHER, by Alexandra Ott, Norton Young Readers, Feb. 3, 2026, Hardcover, $17.99 (ages 8-12)
A group of puzzle–solving friends races to find a powerful ring before their rivals can use it for dark magic in The Wish Ring Cipher, by Alexandra Ott.
Emma Avery has always loved solving puzzles and codes, and now that she’s processing a recent autism diagnosis and facing down seventh grade at a new school, they’re even more important to her.
Then Emma meets Nate Lin. He’s popular and funny and . . . loves codes, too. He introduces Emma to the Codebreakers, a group of his friends dedicated to cracking codes that have been discovered in the ruins of a nearby ghost town, which are believed to lead to magical objects. But they’re not the only ones on the hunt, and when their sinister rivals close in on an object that grants unlimited wishes, the Codebreakers must race to beat them to it before they use it for dark magic. —Synopsis provided by Norton Young Readers
The Wish Ring Cipher is the first book in the new Codebreakers series that will appeal to kids who like solving puzzles.
The story centers on Emma, a girl with autism who would have much rather stayed at her old school than transfer to a new one — even if the new school has more accommodations.
The Wish Ring Cipher is one of the stronger middle-grade books with an autistic protagonist. Emma is thoughtful in general, and having an insight into how she reacts, with her often working to hide her condition, provides context for both the character and life outside of the novel.
While The Wish Ring Cipher does have fantastical elements, it takes a while to get to them. This, and slower pacing overall could be a deterrent for some. On the other hand, there are a lot of ciphers sprinkled throughout that allow for readers to solve some clues on their own.
Though The Wish Ring Cipher comes to a satisfying end, there are a lot of codes left unsolved within the book that there’s plenty of room for a series.
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