Common Sense Media Review
By Lucinda Dyer
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Coding, music, and friendship in inspiring free-verse novel.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
The Emmy in EMMY IN THE KEY OF CODE, is a sixth-grader who's just moved from Wisconsin to San Francisco so her father can take a job as a pianist with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. Like both her parents, Emmy loves music, but when it comes to anything musical, "I'm no good." Her first days at her new school are rocky, as other students make no effort at all to be welcoming and she finds herself eating lunch alone each day under the stairs. When she's asked to chose an elective class for the upcoming year, she leaves the choice up to the school and gets Introduction to Computer Programming. Not at all what Emmy had in mind. In computer class, she meets and becomes fast friends with Abigail, a gifted singer who loves robots and coding. Both girls find themselves inspired by their teacher, Ms. Delaney, who gave up a big job in tech to teach. As she becomes for confident in her abilities, Emmy discovers that coding is its own kind of music and that "for the first time I know there's music in me." As the fall semester progresses, Emmy and Abigail face some big challenges.
Is It Any Good?
Inventive, lively and relatable, this is an empowering story for any girl who loves computers and coding, wants to try something new, or has ever been a new kid in school. The fact that Emmy in the Key of Code is written in both free verse and JavaScript may seem daunting to some readers, but Lucido's blending of the two is so inviting and effortless that it's never intimidating, even to readers who've never had experience with coding.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how girls who love coding are presented in Emmy in the Key of Code. What do students in your school think about girls who love computers, math, and science? What do you think would attract more girls to STEM classes?
Do you love something (like music or a sport) you're not really good at it? Like Emmy, have you taken a chance and tried something new? What did you discover about yourself?
Have you ever had a teacher like Ms. Delaney who really inspired you? What was the most important thing you learned from that person?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Poetry
- Topics : STEM , Friendship , School ( Middle School )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Houghton Mifflin Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : September 24, 2019
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 10 - 13
- Number of pages : 416
- Available on : Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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