yapha's review
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 against another edition
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 against another edition
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 against another edition
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
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 against another edition
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
scostner's review against another edition
3.0
The first in the Girls Who Code chapter book series, The Friendship Code introduces readers to the basics of coding while also showing how friendships can grow between people with similar interests. The four girls featured on the cover of the book are very different. They are from various ethnic backgrounds, two different grade levels, and all have different strengths. Sophia is great at sports, Maya writes a fashion advice column, while Erin is great at acting/singing/dancing. Lucy is the protagonist that we follow throughout the narrative, and she has joined the coding club at school to create an app that will help her uncle, who has cancer. But all the students in the club are frustrated when their first meeting seems to be all about how to make a peanut butter sandwich. It takes a while for the kids to see that the teacher is helping them learn the basics like input, output, variables, and loops through unplugged activities. As they work through various assignments, they also learn to form friendships and help each other out.
For readers who enjoy stories about school and friendship, this has plenty of those elements to satisfy. And for those interested in coding, it is a good introduction to the basics as they read about Lucy's group and their attempts to figure out the point of all the activities. Great for grades 2-5.
For readers who enjoy stories about school and friendship, this has plenty of those elements to satisfy. And for those interested in coding, it is a good introduction to the basics as they read about Lucy's group and their attempts to figure out the point of all the activities. Great for grades 2-5.
mountsleepyhead's review
3.0
Rosie has been expressing an interest in coding lately and this was a perfect audiobook for bedtime this past week. It’s more about its message—I.E. telling a story where girls can see themselves in STEM—than story and that’s fine. Rosie loved it.
bookworm_baggins's review
4.0
I listened to the audiobook, but had the physical copy also to look through. Started a little slow for me, mostly because I was trying to figure out who the target audience was. The main characters are all middle schoolers, but the text is extremely simple at times, with text conversations and emojis included. I ended up enjoying it more than I initially expected, especially the coding aspects, and the relational developments between the girls in the story turned out really well. I still feel like there is a gap in how this book is written; it could have been brilliant and I found it less than that. I also wish it had a wider appeal than just "girls who code" because this seems to isolate any male from ever reading this when it had some good intro to coding. I will recommend this to readers who prefer girly books (not my daughter so far!) and recommend Secret Coders as a better option all around.