City Spies by James Ponti

Sara is a hacker.  She's only twelve but she's good at it.  Then she's caught and it looks like jail is coming her way.  Her attorney says it's the best deal she can get.  Then a new attorney shows up.  When the original attorney goes to complain, the new man has her alter the court records so his name shows up as her attorney.  She knows right away that something strange is going on.

Aladdin and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you)  It will be published March 10th.

It seems her new "lawyer" is recruiting her to be a spy.  She's been in and out of foster homes and this arrangement seems to be more stable.  He takes her with him and begins her training right away.  She finds that he has a group of other children that are helping him spy but he had lost his hacker, so he's pleased to find her.

She doesn't just know how to get past firewalls, she knows how to write viruses. That's a handy talent.

They go into competition for moneyed prizes.  He doesn't want them to win, just come in fifth or sixth.  It's a test of their talents but he doesn't want them drawing attention.

There's lots of action, various plots, and the kids getting used to each other.  It takes a bit to earn trust.  They accomplished their assignment and this appears to be the beginning of a new series so we'll see more of this bodacious group.  They give each other strength.