Common Sense Media Review
By Michael Berry
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Programs and plot get more complex in clever installment.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In PATHS & PORTALS, Hopper, Eni, and Josh discover a secret underground classroom beneath their middle school, Stately Academy, thanks to their encounter with a mysterious and inexplicably angry janitor. To avoid being expelled, they have to teach a turtle-shaped robot to move in a designated pattern. But once they solve that riddle, the Secret Coders must face off against Principal Dean and the menacing members of the rugby team, who have taken a sudden interest in their extracurricular activities.
Is It Any Good?
Learning to code can be a daunting task, but this clever graphic novel makes it look, if not simple, at least understandable. Paths & Portals gives author Gene Luen Yang the opportunity to develop the characters a bit and show how learning to code can be useful. Mike Holmes' artwork is clear and expressive, suitable for action scenes and more contemplative moments.
As the second book in a series, Paths & Portals sometimes feels stuck in one place, but there's enough new material here to propel eager readers to the final volume.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether Paths & Portals makes it easy to learn simple programming. Are comics and graphic novels a good way to present educational material?
How is violence used in Paths & Portals? Why do you think the rugby players are antagonistic toward the Secret Coders?
Is it important to learn how to code at an early age? What kinds of jobs might experience in coding lead to?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Mike Holmes
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Topics : Friendship , School ( Middle School ) , Robots
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : First Second
- Publication date : August 30, 2016
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 13
- Number of pages : 96
- Available on : Paperback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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