Secret Coders Vol. 2 - Paths & Portalsby Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 9 Hopper and Eni learn more about coding. Josh shows his typing skills. The Dean sends the rugby team to spy on them and to steal a turtle robot.I love that the story and characters are interesting and engaging on their own. That allows us to really enjoy the read as something fun. I also like how we get to visualize the process through Hopper's eyes and thoughts after the characters (and reader) have been given an explanation. It's nice to see the coding worked into the actual story, too. For example, Hopper using a mini robot to do her homework helps her (and us) work through more coding examples to get the hang of it, while also providing a reason to send her to the Dean's office and arouse his suspicions. Hopper and Eni do the coding, and work very well at bouncing ideas off each other. I was glad to see Josh with a compatible skill that helps them. I like the use of a rugby team instead of a football team, though they still fall into the same stereotypical "big, dumb jock" trope. I was also glad to see that even they have limits when the Dean mentions something very threatening -- it points out the difference between kids and adults as well as bully versus villain. I love the janitor, Mr. Bee, and the history we get about the secret coding school and the army of turtle robots. Logo primitive commands and introduced, and the "random" command is used to make some lovely art. There doesn't seem to be a real reason for Hopper to get cut from the basketball team, especially since she just joined. However, this allows Eni and Josh to support her and deepen their friendship by surprising her with their own coding uniforms (complete with binary jersey numbers!). This volume introduces some romantic triangle tension. Part of me doesn't mind that as it's part of developing the characters, but part of me doesn't want the distraction or to the story dissolve into two guys using different skills to try to impress the girl. She's plenty smart and physically strong on her own, making her an equal to either of them, and I don't want that lost or diminished. I was surprised by the kiss as it seemed a bit out of character for her and that was on top of her choice of who to kiss. The progression in coding within this volume is logical and a nice build on what we learned in the first volume. I have a firm grasp on the topics covered in this volume. It's aimed at readers the same age / grade as the characters, but older readers interesting in understanding something about coding will find it just as informative and easy-to-follow. A+ all around! I can't wait to read more, especially with the cliffhanger and the "homework" challenge this ends on! Written: September 1, 2016
|
|
|
Home |
Features |
Columns |
Culture Vultures |
Report Card
Indicia | Contact | Archives © Sequential Tart, 1998 – 2021 |
