yapha's review against another edition
4.0
Sophia is excited for her coding club group of friends to participate in their first hackathon. They will have the opportunity to program a robot to run through a maze. During the week leading up to the hackathon, the friends must navigate a variety of issues relating to school, friends, and family. This is a fun book that shatters stereotypes about girls and technology. Recommended for grades 3 & up.
theybedax's review against another edition
4.0
Another great installment. I wish this was my experience with coding. This book is tons of fun and truly a wonderful way for kids to learn to code and just how to be good friends!!
nawarafra's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
toryhallelujah's review against another edition
2.0
Ehhhhh. It's obviously meant to cater to those who think that people HAVE to have things exclusively catered to them in order to be interested in those things: "unless girls have cookie-cutter middle-school stories that happen to feature girls coding [albeit in a very nebulous, confusing way -- spoken as an adult], they'll never think that they themselves can code!" Probably an unpopular opinion, but I think anyone can do anything, and we don't need explicit examples [from every inclusive character under the sun -- I'm surprised there wasn't a pansexual trans* character represented] in order to be confident.
The whole crux of the story depended on Sophia's parents not trusting babysitters, and preferring that their daughter shirk her team commitments (and thereby not just leave her team hanging, but leave them DISQUALIFIED!) in order to babysit her three younger siblings, which I just found appalling. Also, the fact that neither parent seemed to find it important to properly communicate with each other or the kids -- I get that you're very busy, but C'MON!
A lame, saccharine story riddled with middle-school neuroses.
The whole crux of the story depended on Sophia's parents not trusting babysitters, and preferring that their daughter shirk her team commitments (and thereby not just leave her team hanging, but leave them DISQUALIFIED!) in order to babysit her three younger siblings, which I just found appalling. Also, the fact that neither parent seemed to find it important to properly communicate with each other or the kids -- I get that you're very busy, but C'MON!
A lame, saccharine story riddled with middle-school neuroses.
buttontapper's review against another edition
5.0
These books are super cute, and definitely reminiscent of The Baby-Sitters Club, which were a favorite of mine when I was young. The second book in the "Girls Who Code" series, this one even hinges on a baby-sitter related problem, so the comparison is apt.
Unlike some of the weird reviewers who are railing against the diversity in the book's characters (I guess you only want to see white boys in a coding club?), I really love the fact that each of these girls has her own unique personality, quirks and foibles, and that the main theme of the stories is always about building friendships despite your differences.
I would've loved to see more coding happening outside of the Hackathon itself (Leila's idea for the Babysitter 3000 made me laugh), but I'm sure that in future books this will begin to happen more and more as the girls' skills continue to grow. Looking forward to reading more of these books in the future!
Unlike some of the weird reviewers who are railing against the diversity in the book's characters (I guess you only want to see white boys in a coding club?), I really love the fact that each of these girls has her own unique personality, quirks and foibles, and that the main theme of the stories is always about building friendships despite your differences.
I would've loved to see more coding happening outside of the Hackathon itself (Leila's idea for the Babysitter 3000 made me laugh), but I'm sure that in future books this will begin to happen more and more as the girls' skills continue to grow. Looking forward to reading more of these books in the future!
emandm2222's review against another edition
3.0
I am so pleased to have a great example of friendship in a middle grade novel and one that happens to include STEM in it in such a large way as well. I loved the way the girls were able to ban together to help each other, problem solve, and just let loose and goof off. Their inclusivity of others and helpfulness to competitors provides wonderful role models for middle schoolers.
I appreciate what the author tried to do here with the second book in the Girls Who Code installment. However, I think she went a little overboard with trying to cram too much diversity in the novel; the way it was written felt forced. It is great that all of the girls in the coding group are of all different ethnicities, it gives children the chance to be able to identify with at least one of the girls in the group to a certain extent. While this is not impossible, I do not think it is entirely realistic. And, it could have worked, but with the way it was written it felt forced. It is a well-known fact in the book community that we need more diverse books, and especially need to have them in children's books so we can raise awareness of others' perspectives to children at a young age. But, this needs to be done in a way that feels natural to the story, which in this case it does not. It was as if all of the facts about people's backgrounds were presented but never delved into. For example, the main character in this book has a sister who is on the autism spectrum. This is where I had a hard time with this book. Many of the facts are mentioned, not shown, which is an important factor of great writing. Since this is a middle grade novel, the author had quite a bit of room in the word count to play with this aspect more and give better descriptions to the characters and their actions, because without it, the writing was rushed. In the first book, there is no mention of romantic relationships except for the main character’s older brother who is a senior in high school. This was something I loved about the first book and I was able to use this as a selling point to parents. In this second installment, though, the main character is in a blossoming relationship with a boy. It is not the biggest of problems, but I wish the author had held off on including relationships into the story for a book later in the series.
Despite my issues with this book, I still enjoyed it and will continue recommending it to customers. I may have to sell it differently because of the changes in the series, but the pros still outweigh the cons of this series.
I was given an ARC of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.
I appreciate what the author tried to do here with the second book in the Girls Who Code installment. However, I think she went a little overboard with trying to cram too much diversity in the novel; the way it was written felt forced. It is great that all of the girls in the coding group are of all different ethnicities, it gives children the chance to be able to identify with at least one of the girls in the group to a certain extent. While this is not impossible, I do not think it is entirely realistic. And, it could have worked, but with the way it was written it felt forced. It is a well-known fact in the book community that we need more diverse books, and especially need to have them in children's books so we can raise awareness of others' perspectives to children at a young age. But, this needs to be done in a way that feels natural to the story, which in this case it does not. It was as if all of the facts about people's backgrounds were presented but never delved into. For example, the main character in this book has a sister who is on the autism spectrum. This is where I had a hard time with this book. Many of the facts are mentioned, not shown, which is an important factor of great writing. Since this is a middle grade novel, the author had quite a bit of room in the word count to play with this aspect more and give better descriptions to the characters and their actions, because without it, the writing was rushed. In the first book, there is no mention of romantic relationships except for the main character’s older brother who is a senior in high school. This was something I loved about the first book and I was able to use this as a selling point to parents. In this second installment, though, the main character is in a blossoming relationship with a boy. It is not the biggest of problems, but I wish the author had held off on including relationships into the story for a book later in the series.
Despite my issues with this book, I still enjoyed it and will continue recommending it to customers. I may have to sell it differently because of the changes in the series, but the pros still outweigh the cons of this series.
I was given an ARC of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.
nicolemhewitt's review
4.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
The second book in the series focuses on Sophia, the sports-minded ex-best friend from the first book. One of the things that I liked about the books is that they stressed the fact that all of the girls in the coding club have different talents and interests besides coding. Lucy is relatively focused on all things tech, but Sophie’s sporty, Maya loves fashion and Erin enjoys theatre. It shows that you don’t have to be all about computers to enjoy coding and opens kids’ eyes to the myriad of ways that computers can apply to other areas of interest.
In this book, the coding group is all set to compete in a robotics competition, but Sophia runs into some issues with her family’s scheduling and instead of letting her friends know and trusting that they’ll have her back, she tries to fix the problems all on her own. Not surprisingly, that doesn’t work well. It’s not until she finally tells her friends what’s going on that they all work together to solve the problem.
Many middle school girls will probably relate to Sophia’s issues at home, where she feels a bit overlooked. Her family relies on her a lot to take care of her little sisters. I wasn’t a fan of Sophia’s parents—they really didn’t seem to care much about their daughter’s dreams or interests. I’m sure this has happened to almost all parents at one point or another—where you know something is important to your kid, but you just can’t make it happen scheduling-wise—but I thought that their attitude about it all was kind of cruel (I feel like I would have at least tried my very hardest to make things work out differently—it didn’t feel like Sophia’s parents tried very hard at all—her father even put up extra roadblocks at the very last minute). Still, I’m guessing the theme of feeling overlooked will resonate with a lot of kids.
This book has a little bit of a romantic subplot as well, which I’m sure a lot of middle school girls will enjoy. It was cute and I loved the way that it was all resolved. I don’t think this book tied in quite as much practical coding knowledge as the first book did, but we did get to see the girls in action at the robotics competition and see their problem-solving skills at work there.
Overall, this was a really fun read that I highly recommend to middle grade girls or even younger. Again, I give this book an easy 4/5 Stars
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
The second book in the series focuses on Sophia, the sports-minded ex-best friend from the first book. One of the things that I liked about the books is that they stressed the fact that all of the girls in the coding club have different talents and interests besides coding. Lucy is relatively focused on all things tech, but Sophie’s sporty, Maya loves fashion and Erin enjoys theatre. It shows that you don’t have to be all about computers to enjoy coding and opens kids’ eyes to the myriad of ways that computers can apply to other areas of interest.
In this book, the coding group is all set to compete in a robotics competition, but Sophia runs into some issues with her family’s scheduling and instead of letting her friends know and trusting that they’ll have her back, she tries to fix the problems all on her own. Not surprisingly, that doesn’t work well. It’s not until she finally tells her friends what’s going on that they all work together to solve the problem.
Many middle school girls will probably relate to Sophia’s issues at home, where she feels a bit overlooked. Her family relies on her a lot to take care of her little sisters. I wasn’t a fan of Sophia’s parents—they really didn’t seem to care much about their daughter’s dreams or interests. I’m sure this has happened to almost all parents at one point or another—where you know something is important to your kid, but you just can’t make it happen scheduling-wise—but I thought that their attitude about it all was kind of cruel (I feel like I would have at least tried my very hardest to make things work out differently—it didn’t feel like Sophia’s parents tried very hard at all—her father even put up extra roadblocks at the very last minute). Still, I’m guessing the theme of feeling overlooked will resonate with a lot of kids.
This book has a little bit of a romantic subplot as well, which I’m sure a lot of middle school girls will enjoy. It was cute and I loved the way that it was all resolved. I don’t think this book tied in quite as much practical coding knowledge as the first book did, but we did get to see the girls in action at the robotics competition and see their problem-solving skills at work there.
Overall, this was a really fun read that I highly recommend to middle grade girls or even younger. Again, I give this book an easy 4/5 Stars
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
myblackbookish_life's review
4.0
It should not have taken me this long to read but life happens! And this was the perfect series to start off my MG-reads year
thehermitlibrarian's review
3.0
Race to the Finish brings Sophia's perspective front and center in the confines of the girls' coding club. She not only has the difficulties of varying personalities within her club to maneuver, especially with the hackathon coming up!, but with regard to her family. So many expectations, so much pressure, so little time.
There's a lot of energy in the girls with respect to the things they love outside of coding, such as sports, jewelry, etc. This translates better for some than others into coding club activities and it shows.
There's definitely a strong leaning toward moral fortitide here which I think is the ideal rather than the strict norm but hopefully the readers that are the age of the main characters will see that as something to work with that lay down for or ignore entirely.
I would have loved to get more time actually spent at the hackathon. More time seemed to be concentrated on Sophia's problem getting there than actually competing. Another thing: her parents were by far and away the most lax parents when it came to her and her friends changinging plans at the last minute. Even if the change was something that they would've done prior to a last minute emergency, the escapade of the Rocking Robotics Club was a bit how in the heck to me.
The cast seemed pretty diverse, but going from my experience of this book alone, I'm not sure how well I'd say the series does it overall. There are small inclusive pieces, such as Sophia's abuela and Leila's hijab, but in Sophia's case at least, since we spent so much time in her point of view, it felt dismissive.
As for whether you can read this book out of order from the other books, I'm not too sure about that. I feel like there's some personality set up for the characters that would have been beneficial. From the point of view of someone who has only read book two, there were times when they seemed a bit much.
Team BFF: Race to the Finish seems like a good companion to Code It! Create It! as well as a further addition to the Code Girls series. It's an encouraging novel for girls looking not for role models, exactly, but for girls very much like them that are interested in coding and other things and how those differing interests meld together.
Reshma Saujani's organization and continuing work opens doors not only fictionally but in the real world for girls that might still be looking for their place, that might have been told their place isn't available because it's "boy" territory. Never be afraid to explore your interests, like Lucy, Sophia, Maya, Erin, and Leila!
I received a copy of this book from Penguin Young Readers for promotional purposes and an honest review.
There's a lot of energy in the girls with respect to the things they love outside of coding, such as sports, jewelry, etc. This translates better for some than others into coding club activities and it shows.
There's definitely a strong leaning toward moral fortitide here which I think is the ideal rather than the strict norm but hopefully the readers that are the age of the main characters will see that as something to work with that lay down for or ignore entirely.
I would have loved to get more time actually spent at the hackathon. More time seemed to be concentrated on Sophia's problem getting there than actually competing. Another thing: her parents were by far and away the most lax parents when it came to her and her friends changinging plans at the last minute. Even if the change was something that they would've done prior to a last minute emergency, the escapade of the Rocking Robotics Club was a bit how in the heck to me.
The cast seemed pretty diverse, but going from my experience of this book alone, I'm not sure how well I'd say the series does it overall. There are small inclusive pieces, such as Sophia's abuela and Leila's hijab, but in Sophia's case at least, since we spent so much time in her point of view, it felt dismissive.
As for whether you can read this book out of order from the other books, I'm not too sure about that. I feel like there's some personality set up for the characters that would have been beneficial. From the point of view of someone who has only read book two, there were times when they seemed a bit much.
Team BFF: Race to the Finish seems like a good companion to Code It! Create It! as well as a further addition to the Code Girls series. It's an encouraging novel for girls looking not for role models, exactly, but for girls very much like them that are interested in coding and other things and how those differing interests meld together.
Reshma Saujani's organization and continuing work opens doors not only fictionally but in the real world for girls that might still be looking for their place, that might have been told their place isn't available because it's "boy" territory. Never be afraid to explore your interests, like Lucy, Sophia, Maya, Erin, and Leila!
I received a copy of this book from Penguin Young Readers for promotional purposes and an honest review.
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