Secret Coders by Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes
source: copy for review; all opinions are my own
Official Summary: Welcome to Stately Academy, a school which is just crawling with mysteries to be solved! The founder of the school left many clues and puzzles to challenge his enterprising students. Using their wits and their growing prowess with coding, Hopper and her friend Eni are going to solve the mystery of Stately Academy no matter what it takes!
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Review: I really enjoyed the first book in the Secret Coders series. While I’m on the computer a lot, there are a lot of skills that I still do not have, such as coding. That’s where a book like this comes in handy for younger readers! Hopper (a girl) is at a new school, called Stately Academy. She doesn’t want to be there and finds the school really weird and kind of creepy when she does arrive. With the help of her new friend Eni (a boy), they start to explore the various secrets that the Academy holds…and that’s where coding comes in! The book does a really good job at incorporating coding education into the actual story. I think this would be great for younger readers who are into computers as well, or a computer person who you would like to see read more! As for the illustrations, they are done well. The colors are black and white with green as the shading/coloring in for various objects and characters. I’m excited to see what happens next!
Little Robot by Ben Hatke
source: copy for review; all opinions are my own
Official Summary: When a little girl finds an adorable robot in the woods, she presses a button and accidentally activates him for the first time. Now, she finally has a friend. But the big, bad robots are coming to collect the little guy for nefarious purposes, and it’s all up to a five-year-old armed only with a wrench and a fierce loyalty to her mechanical friend to save the day!
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Review: This is a really cute story with great illustrations! I loved that the little girl (no name is given) is black, because with graphic novels, it’s much easier to include diversity without making it a big deal. This would be a great story to share with younger readers because there is not a lot of words. The little girl speaks sometimes, but most of the dialogue are sounds because she has befriended a robot who cannot talk. The main plot of the story is how the little girl and the robot have become friends, and the little girl is happy. However, bigger and meaner robots are after the little robot and the little girl must use her fixing skills to make sure she does not lose her new friend. It’s a sweet story overall, one of finding friends in unlikely places. I’ve read various books by Hatke and he’s definitely a favorite!
I really like the concepts of these books. I just went to a STEM–science, technology, engineering, math–workshop and these subjects need to be introduced to youth more to get them interested. Fiction and non-fiction about these subjects is a great way to get them interested.
These both look adorable!
xx
I like the Secret Coders..a school, mysteries. I would have devoured this as a youngster.
Wow, the artwork in Little Robot looks stunning! That definitely caught my eye. It looks like a good one for younger readers, esp since there's not a whole lot of dialogue.
Tanya @ Girl Plus Books
I think I need to get the first book for my daughter, I really think she would like it especially since she is now showing an interest in it. Thanks for the reviews and recommendations!
I read and reviewed the Little Robot with my kids and they enjoyed it. I was surprised that they liked it so much considering there was no dialogue. The only thing I didn't like was the dead animals and having to explain It. Still the illustrations were bright and colorful.
I like the sound of Secret Coders! It sounds like a fun way to learn about coding 🙂
I love graphic novels and these both look great! I can't wait to check them out and to let my co-author, Stephanie, know about the coding one for her school. 🙂
Happy Birthday to your mom!
~Jess
These graphic novels look a bit too young-ish for me…are they?
Happy birthday mom! 😉
This both look good. The Little Robot illustrations are super cute.
Aww, that's so sweet that your mum reads your blog regularly!! Happy Birthday, Lauren's mum 🙂
I've added these to my list of graphic novels to try out at some point!
Aw Happy Birthday to your mom!!! They book look cute but Little Robot really has great illustrations!!
Sending belated happy birthday wishes to your mum.
How adorable is Ben Hatke's Little Robot? So, so incredibly sweet.
Aw very cute
Happy birthday mum!
I think Secret Coders would be a great read for kids who are really into their tech and computers, but sadly the coding aspect wont appeal to the wider kid audience I wouldn't have thought. But Little Robot looks super cute! I love the illustrations. Thanks so much for sharing Lauren <3
I like the sound of the secret coders series and how it incorporates code into the story. I know a bit of coding, but would liek to leanr even more.
Little Robot looks cute and that's great it has full colour pictures.
These 2 books look fantastic! I love the books you share over here, because I find so many great ones. Thank you!
Ahhh, exactly, it's easier to incorporate diversity in GN without making a big deal or pointing it out, though all diversity is great, (except when it's being constantly pointed out). These sound so cute!
Aww! I hope your mom had a wonderful birthday! I wish my mom was a regular reader, I don't even think she remembers that I have a blog 🙁
I really like the sound of Little Robot, not sure why, but it reminds me of The Iron Giant 🙂