Paths & Portals

Reviewed by: Jill O'Connor - North Yarmouth Academy Library, Yarmouth, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: January 12, 2017

Review

Yang and Holmes have teamed up to bring coding to middle schoolers in an accessible way. With its green, black, and white illustrations and clear panels, this series about coding will appeal to both graphic novel readers and emerging coders. This second book picks up right where volume 1 left off, and it ends with a cliff-hanger that will be answered in volume 3, so it is best to read them in order for the story arc. New coders Hopper, Eni, and Josh learn the secret of Stately Academy, Mr. Bee, and his turtle robots. They also practice some coding using Logo. Within the story, the reader is asked to complete some of the tasks put to the characters; this interactive element will engage readers and is a new spin on bringing the reader into the story. As a non-coder, I didn't completely understand the coding, but the story explained enough to hold my interest and the mystery of the evil principal and the role of Mr. Bee left me wanting to pick up the story in book three. The inclusion of bullying rugby players is too bad as it perpetuates the geeks vs. jocks, but since it propels the story and deepens the mystery, it is not completely off-putting. This series feels fresh and timely and would be a great addition to a Maker Space or a collection or school that has a focus/class on coding.

Overall Book Score: good