mariethelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
YES TO BOOKS LIKE THIS. I LOVE THIS! The empowerment of female friendships that are successful and working together and have eachothers backs! YES YES YES. ALSO CODING YASS.
aftanith's review against another edition
4.0
I had no idea what I was getting into when I picked up this first book of the Girls Who Code series, save that the story would in some way involve--you guessed it--girls who code. I think maybe I was imagining a modern-day coding-based version of the BSC, however that would work, because the cover here so strongly reminded me of a modern, cartoony version of those familiar Kristy's Great Idea covers.
The Friendship Code, though, is not just about an all-girls' coding club. It's about a little girl named Lucy, her passion and empathy and drive toward black excellence, her school's co-ed coding club, and the friendships she forms within and around it. It's also about a mystery.
And it's a cute little mystery. To an adult, the answer to the question, "Who is leaving these riddles for Lucy to solve?" is obvious; to a kid, I think it will be sufficiently mysterious. Perhaps even more importantly, the mystery and the riddles involve coding in a way perfectly designed to teach both Lucy and the reader about certain very basic principles about how coding works. (For that reason, though, I can't recommend the audiobook unless it's necessary for accessibility reasons; the long strings of quasi-code in the riddles are best read off the page rather than heard.)
All in all, it's a very sweet little story with lessons about friendship, misunderstandings, familial relationships, classroom dynamics, and (of course!) how to code. I highly recommend it to any little kids with an interest in coding, and particularly to little girls.
The Friendship Code, though, is not just about an all-girls' coding club. It's about a little girl named Lucy, her passion and empathy and drive toward black excellence, her school's co-ed coding club, and the friendships she forms within and around it. It's also about a mystery.
And it's a cute little mystery. To an adult, the answer to the question, "Who is leaving these riddles for Lucy to solve?" is obvious; to a kid, I think it will be sufficiently mysterious. Perhaps even more importantly, the mystery and the riddles involve coding in a way perfectly designed to teach both Lucy and the reader about certain very basic principles about how coding works. (For that reason, though, I can't recommend the audiobook unless it's necessary for accessibility reasons; the long strings of quasi-code in the riddles are best read off the page rather than heard.)
All in all, it's a very sweet little story with lessons about friendship, misunderstandings, familial relationships, classroom dynamics, and (of course!) how to code. I highly recommend it to any little kids with an interest in coding, and particularly to little girls.
sunflowerjess's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Super sweet, fun, delightful book. I loved the representation and how coding concepts were woven into the story! We need more books like this.
yapha's review against another edition
3.0
Nice story mixing middle school girl friendship issues with computer coding. It's a good introduction to coding, but I'm concerned that there's not enough drama in the friend department to keep girls who want that interested. Recommended for grades 3 & up.
theybedax's review
4.0
I am currently trying to convince myself I like to code. I was hopeful that this book would help me with that process and I can say that it was a truly fun book that does a good job of breaking down some main concepts in javascript. It was a great friend story that showed how miscommunication and end friendships but that doesn't mean they have to be lost forever.
sean67's review
4.0
Series title says it all in one sense, girls who code. Its is about friendship, it is about learning, it is in ion way a way to promote computer science for girls and in another way to show how friendship can grow, and how people can support each other in learning. Some noble ideas and it is written well. Will it get girls interested in computer science? It would be interesting to see in a number of years if that happens.
thelastcatbender's review
4.0
A cute mystery that seamlessly weaves in basic coding concepts. I love the representation here! They aren't the tired stereotypes of "nerds" or "geniuses," they're just normal girls with a variety of interests who realize that coding can help them create lots of different things.
joeyhannah's review against another edition
2.0
I used this book in my Girls Who Code club last year. The previous year, we had used the Learn to Code and Change the World book from Girls Who Code. The curriculum guide that came with this one mirrored the curriculum guide for the non-fiction book, so the concepts covered in the first chapter of the non-fiction book mirrored concepts covered in this fiction book.
The problem with this is that the girls found the book to be exceptionally boring. They lost focus quickly every time we tried reading it in class. After several class sessions, we ended up dropping the book entirely and I covered each concept independently. I was still able to use the curriculum and activities as a general outline.
I get where they were going with this - they tried to take their nonfiction book and make it fun. But the girls absolutely hated it. A few of them had checked the book out of the library prior to starting in the club and in class discussions, I asked their opinions. It was kind of funny how they tactfully tried to tell me it was terrible. I personally hadn't read it and didn't finish it until just now and they were right. It felt like the reader is being talked down to and it was very contrived.
The problem with this is that the girls found the book to be exceptionally boring. They lost focus quickly every time we tried reading it in class. After several class sessions, we ended up dropping the book entirely and I covered each concept independently. I was still able to use the curriculum and activities as a general outline.
I get where they were going with this - they tried to take their nonfiction book and make it fun. But the girls absolutely hated it. A few of them had checked the book out of the library prior to starting in the club and in class discussions, I asked their opinions. It was kind of funny how they tactfully tried to tell me it was terrible. I personally hadn't read it and didn't finish it until just now and they were right. It felt like the reader is being talked down to and it was very contrived.
vaderbird's review
3.0
3 - Was a good book that my daughter enjoyed.
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish