The Secret of the Copper Gear

Twelve-year-old Leo doesn't collect trading cards—he collects broken watches, old remote controls, and computer wires. But his knack for turning junk into genius is put to the ultimate test when he is sent to clear out his Great-Uncle Arthur's dusty attic. Hidden away in the darkest corner lies a mysterious brass-banded wooden chest without a keyhole. Driven by an interlocking gear puzzle and a cryptic set of instructions written in strange, blocky engineering code, Leo successfully runs his first "mechanical program" and unlocks a century-old secret. Inside the box is a glowing gold pocket watch and a hidden map pointing directly beneath the town library. What follows is a high-stakes puzzle hunt across Oak Creek. From deciphering binary codes on hidden blueprints in the library basement to debugging an infinite loop in the town clock tower, Leo uncovers a massive, underground, gear-driven supercomputer—a physical, un-hackable internet built by his eccentric inventor uncle. But when a countdown clock threatens a catastrophic "Great Stall," Leo must use every bit of his coding and robotics skills to stabilize the system. Just as he assumes the mantle of the Operator, a mysterious capsule delivers a shocking message: Find the third operator. Leo isn't the only one decoding the town's hidden secrets—and his adventure is just beginning.