I loved this book. I've been interested in programing for 35 years. I'm not much good at it but still find it fascinating. That's why I picked this book up, I'm surely not the targeted audience old white male, but I learned a lot about feminism, ambition, and the courage to put yourself out there to accomplish a goal that you feel is worth doing even if other parts of your life are sacrificed in the process. Great book I'd recommend this to everyone, but most especially anyone interested in pushing their own boundaries, also after the story there is a great little tutorial section on coding ( )

One sentence theme: Empowering girls through coding to make a difference and shape the world around them.

Plot summary: Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral, and Getting it Done by Andrea Gonzalez and Sophie Houser is written in a compelling narrative style, told as the two main characters take turns describing their journey to a summer coding program, friendship, and into the world of tech through a computer game they created as a final project. Sophie shares her hope to join the summer coding camp as a way to make an impact on the world and share her ideas without having to overcome her incredible aversion to public speaking, while Andrea joins the program as a way to determine whether she really wants to be the engineer her family desires. During the coding program, the two admire each other from afar until they join together for their final project. Both girls want to make a social impact on the world, and work to design a satirical side scrolling video game that forces the menstruation taboo to the forefront of conversation. Little did they know that the release of their game would trigger a viral response from the public. Tech professionals saw the potential in these two budding coders and invited them to join in coding competitions and internships. The girls learn to deal with their new fame and balance their personal lives while exploring the male dominated world technology.

Personal response: Sophie and Andrea’s story is amazing and highlights that teens can have big ambitions that change the world. I am a bit jealous of their opportunity to learn coding at such a pivotal time in their lives. I WISH coding had been a field emphasized to teens when I was in high school, but it was not. It was definitely something reserved for computer techs with no easy access point for the layperson. When I first learned about a Professional Development opportunity with Code.org, I jumped at the chance to participate even though I wasn’t even a full time substitute. Once I began teaching my elementary students coding, I had as much fun learning as they did!

Curricular connections: I like the idea of using this as a starting point in a computer science class for exploring technology issues, or in a social studies class that investigates what taboo subjects are, why they are taboo, and how people have overcome them. ( )

"Section:
The Reviews: The Book Review/Nonfiction
MIDDLE TO HIGH SCHOOL
GONZALES, Andrea & Sophie Houser. Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral, and Getting It Done. 272p. appendix. photos. Harper- Collins. Mar. 2017. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780062472502. POP
Gr 8 Up—The authors, two extremely talented teenagers who met at a summer learning program called Girls Who Code, were tired of seeing young men receive most of the encouragement to pursue STEM jobs. They were also done with men driving conversations about women's bodies. Gonzales and Houser decided to do something about it. The empowering video game they created, Tampon Run, quickly went viral and ultimately changed their lives forever. This book aims to provide students with the inside scoop on coding and what life is like for women in STEM industries. Through alternating chapters, readers discover a bit about each author's background and how she came to attend Girls Who Code. The inspiration and reason behind their magnum opus are also explored. Gonzales's and Houser's writing styles are conversational and work well to dispel the aura of inaccessibility that often surrounds works on technology. (Houser talks at length about her social anxiety, and Gonzales discusses the pressures she felt as a child of two Filipino immigrants.) Curious teens will enjoy a section at the end on getting started in coding. Gonzales and Houser never make their story sound easy, but they do show readers that success in STEM fields is more than possible for women. VERDICT Inspiring and hopeful; a great addition to libraries with novice and expert coders alike."
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Georgia Public Library Service, Atlanta
Source: School Library Journal, Jan2017, Vol. 63 Issue 1, p118, 1p
Item: 120477703 ( )

Literary Merit: Average
Characterization: Good
Recommended: Yes
Level: Young Adult
You join Andy and Sophie's roller coaster journey of learning to code. Not only do they learn to code, but create a game. When their game goes viral, you see first hand how it effects them in their schooling, hobbies, and home life. All the while they struggle with whether coding is the future they really wanted. ( )

Library Merit: Good
Characterization: N/A
Recommended: Recommended
Level: High School-Adult

This is a great autobiographical account of two young women who took on a new endeavor and found what they were truly made of along the way. Sophie and Andy are both from New York and met at a Girls Who Code summer camp that inspires young women to take part in the tech industry by learning code. The girls paired up to create a game called "Tampon Run" in effort to bring awareness to the stigma surround menstruation.
Girl Code focuses a lot on the impact that "Tampon Run" had in bringing about social change, how it impacted Andy and Sophie while they were still in high school, and the lack of females in coding and programming fields. While the book ends with both of the girls optimistic about their futures, they are not necessarily devoted to Computer Science and programming. While not overly deep, it does help to encourage and inspire young women to try new endeavors as well as explore more options within the technology field. ( )