The Friendship Code (Girls Who Code Series #1)

by Stacia Deutsch, Reshma Saujani (Foreword by)

Overview

A New York Times bestseller! Perfect for fans of The Babysitters Club and anyone interested in computer science, this series is published in partnership with the organization Girls Who Code.

Loops, variables, input/output – Lucy can’t wait to get started with the new coding club at school. Finally, an after school activity that she’s really interested in. But Lucy’s excitement turns to disappointment when she’s put into a work group with girls she barely knows. All she wanted to do was make an app that she believes will help someone very special to her. 
 
Suddenly, Lucy begins to get cryptic coding messages and needs some help translating them. She soon discovers that coding – and friendship – takes time, dedication, and some laughs!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399542510
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	08/22/2017
Series:	Girls Who Code Series , #1
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	72,431
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	650L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Stacia Deutsch is the author of more than fifty children's books, including the award-winning chapter book series Blast to the Past. She also wrote the tween novel Mean Ghouls, as well as books for the Nancy Drew, Clue Crew, and The Boxcar Children series. Stacia has been on the New York Times Bestseller list for the novelizations of the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and The Smurfs movies. Visit her website at: www.StaciaDeutsch.com

Read an Excerpt

Chapter One
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "The Friendship Code #1"
by .
Copyright © 2017 Stacia Deutsch.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Young Readers Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

“THE 'BABY-SITTERS CLUB' FOR THE INTERNET AGE.” –GLAMOUR.COM
 
“Between the integrated logic and the consciously diverse cast, A WONDERFUL SERIES LAUNCH.” –Kirkus Reviews
 
“AN INTRIGUING CODING MYSTERY.”—Scholastic Teacher
 
“THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB FOR GEN Z!” –Parents 
 
“[A] chatty, INFORMATION-PACKED reference guide peppered with real examples of women in technology.” –The Austin American-Statesman
 
“[A] FRESH SERIES STARTER…Readers will appreciate the characters’ diversity of interests and their love of coding…. A complex topic made ACCESSIBLE; recommended for elementary and middle school libraries and for collections that serve ¬budding coders.” –School Library Journal
 
“In addition to the computer science concepts, the book DEMONSTRATES DIFFERENT REASONS GIRLS MAY BECOME INTERESTED IN CODING, as well as connecting it to other hobbies such as fashion, sports, and acting. The story also CAPTURES REALISTIC FRIENDSHIP ISSUES.” –School Library Connection
 
“The series SHOWS GIRLS THAT ANYONE CAN CODE; it’s for anyone who sees a problem and has an idea about how to solve it.” –Colorado Kids
 
“[A] fast read about a sixth-grade girl who can't wait to get started at her new coding club at school and works with her friends to solve a mystery. The story has A DIVERSE GROUP OF CHARACTERS and includes real-life struggles, such as an uncle battling cancer and a mother getting divorced. PARENTS WHO WANT TO INTRODUCE THEIR KIDS TO CODING/COMPUTER SCIENCE MIGHT ENJOY READING THIS, TOO.” –Common Sense Media

From the Publisher

06/01/2017
Gr 3–6—This fresh series starter from seasoned author Deutsch centers on a group of middle school friends who are learning the basics of computer code. Lucy is finally a sixth grader, which means that she can finally join Coding Club. She wants to figure out how to code so that she can make an app to help her sick uncle keep track of his medication. Unfortunately, the club members don't even get to use the computers during the first meeting! Plus, Lucy is put on a team with a former friend; an intimidating, sophisticated seventh grader; and the new girl who came into Coding Club sobbing. Over the course of a week, Lucy and her teammates are led on a mystery code—based scavenger hunt. Following the directions that are left in an envelope attached to her locker, Lucy relies on each of her teammates to help her decipher the messages, each of which teaches them the very basic elements of coding. Readers will appreciate the characters' diversity of interests and their love of coding. VERDICT A complex topic made accessible; recommended for elementary and middle school libraries and for collections that serve budding coders.—Kristin Unruh, Siersma Elementary School, Warren, MI

School Library Journal

2017-05-24
A computer coding club brings together a diverse group of girls to solve a mystery. African-American Lucy is thrilled to finally be a sixth grader and able to join the coding club—she needs to learn to code as quickly as possible, as her goal is to create an app to help her cancer-stricken uncle keep on top of all of his medicines. But things don't go as expected, and Lucy finds herself working with her former friend, Latina Sophia, intimidating Asian fashionista Maya, and new white kid Erin, and instead of using computers they're making…sandwiches? Although it's a valid exercise in computer-instruction logic, Lucy wants to accelerate, and she gets a chance through a mysterious note that, in code syntax, offers a deal: if Lucy follows all instructions from this and subsequent notes, she'll learn to code. The notes guide her through exercises that illustrate fundamental coding principles in enjoyable ways and also bring her closer to her coding teammates, gaining understanding of and comradery with Maya and Erin as well as repairing the misunderstanding that ended her friendship with Sophia. But what really gets them working together is figuring out who is sending the notes—a mystery they devise a simple computer program to solve. The computer elements serve the story rather than the other way around, resulting in a substantive, amusing tale. Between the integrated logic and the consciously diverse cast, a wonderful series launch. (Fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews