Potions & Parameters (Secret Coders Series #5)

by Gene Luen Yang, Mike Holmes (Illustrator)

Overview

From graphic novel superstar (and former computer programming teacher) and New York Times bestselling author Gene Luen Yang, Secret Coders: Potions & Parameters is the fifth volume in a wildly entertaining series that combines logic puzzles and basic coding instruction with a page-turning mystery plot!

Dr. One-Zero won't stop until the whole town—no, the whole world—embraces the "true happiness” found in his poisonous potion, Green Pop. And now that he has the Turtle of Light, he’s virtually unstoppable.

There's one weapon that can defeat him: another Turtle of Light. Unfortunately, they can only be found in another dimension! To open a portal to this new world, Hopper, Eni, and Josh's coding skills will be put to the test.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626726079
Publisher:	First Second
Publication date:	03/27/2018
Series:	Secret Coders Series , #5
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	6.13(w) x 8.56(h) x 0.38(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Gene Luen Yang writes, and sometimes draws, comic books and graphic novels. He was named a National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Library of Congress in 2016, and advocates for the importance of reading, especially reading diversely. His graphic novel American Born Chinese, a National Book Award finalist and Printz Award winner, has been adapted into an original series on Disney+. His two-volume graphic novel Boxers & Saints won the LA Times Book Prize and was a National Book Award Finalist. His nonfiction graphic novel, Dragon Hoops, received an Eisner award and a Printz honor. His other comics work includes Secret Coders (with Mike Holmes), The Shadow Hero (with Sonny Liew), and Superman Smashes the Klan and the Avatar: The Last Airbender series (both with Gurihiru). In 2016, he was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow.

Mike Holmes has drawn for the comics series Secret Coders, Bravest Warriors, Adventure Time, and the viral art project Mikenesses. His books include the True Story collection (2011), This American Drive (2009), and Shenanigans. He lives with a cat named Ella, who is his best buddy.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for the Secret Coders series:

"Gene Luen Yang’s talent is prodigious, his enthusiasm contagious . . . Even this confirmed technophobe was ready to learn coding." —Katherine Applegate, author of Crenshaw and The One and Only Ivan

"Gene Yang brings computer coding to life." —Entertainment Weekly

"By the end of Secret Coders, readers will learn the three major ways that code is organized, right alongside Hopper and Eni, not as something dry or rote, but something transformative." —Wired

From the Publisher

2018-02-04
After Robots & Repeats (2017) the heroes code their way into and out of the villainous Dr. One-Zero's clutches.After Josh takes point in coding an escape from the vicious ducks with teeth, the coders find Hopper's father—but unfortunately, he and the other captives have been fed the mind-wiping Green Pop. Even worse, Dr. One-Zero steals Light-Light. They're trapped with bottles of the Green Pop when Josh finds a hint for the lock's passcode (interrupting Eni's earnestly awkward romantic confession to Hopper). The resulting binary-to-ASCII puzzle makes good use of graphics for a quick, crystal clear recap on binary. Liberated, the three kids face pressures—Hopper's mother wants them to leave town; Eni's threatened with transfer if his sisters catch him with his friend; Josh feels like a third wheel in the friendship—but only they, and Professor Bee, can stop One-Zero's latest diabolical scheme. Bee also reveals the truth behind his noselessness in a wild surprise crossover with Edwin Abbott's Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions (1884). The cliffhanger sees the multiracial trio on the verge of coding a portal into Flatland, and it's followed by a comedic short that uses coded repeats to find Josh's dog.While the coding instruction's as top-notch as ever, in this installment it's interpersonal dynamics and characters that, satisfyingly, take center stage. (Graphic science fiction. 8-14)

Kirkus Reviews