Parents' Guide to

Secret Coders, Book 1

By Michael Berry, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Fun, funny graphic novel promotes programming.

Book Gene Luen Yang Fantasy 2015
Secret Coders, Book 1 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 8+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Malina87
Malina87 Adult
February 18, 2020
age 8+

A perfect way for elementary/middle schooler to start self learning to code!

Any kid who loves comic books would love this series of six books. Almost as a bonus the books also teach beginner coding. In fact I think it would be a perfect way to introduce coding to any elementary/middle school child. The actual ages of the kids in the book are middle school. I think some smart seven year olds could handle the coding in here, but most kids won't be ready till eight to ten years of age to fully understand it. My only gripe with giving it to younger kids is that there are a few negative references to older kids stuff that may set a bad example. For older kids this may help to make the book 'cool' , but for younger kids this may raise awkward questions. E.g. the kids use a few swear type words like "dork girl" or "jerk face". The rugby group try to gang up and bully the coder kids. The coder guy asks the coder girl if they are friends now and in response she slaps him around the head then says "now we are!". In response to her mothers question about how school was the girl replies "You know, typical day for a delinquent kid from a broken home." In another instance this kid lies to her mum about doing her homework. My eight year old seems to really like the books so far, and I've bought him the set simply because the educational coding value is too hard to resist! I'm hoping that some of the darker more aggressive interactions between the characters will just go over his head for now.

This title has:

Educational value
Too much swearing
Hendo H. U.
Hendo H. U. Parent of 10, 12 and 16-year-old
February 2, 2018
age 9+

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

On her first day at Stately Academy, Hopper discovers that her new school has more than its share of creepy mysteries. The building looks like a haunted house, the walls are covered with the number 9, and there are flocks of strange, four-eyed birds everywhere. Hopper has trouble fitting in with her fellow students, has a rocky relationship with her Mandarin teacher, and gets in trouble with the principal. More promising is her growing friendship with Eni, who teaches her the fundamentals of coding -- with the help of a "turtle" robot. Together, Hopper and Eni try to figure out why Stately Academy is so strange.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (1 ):

Learning about computer coding doesn't have to be hard, serious work, as the first book in this lighthearted, educational graphic novel series proves. Writer Gene Yang and artist Mike Holmes play to each other's strengths in SECRET CODERS, devising scenes with clever dialogue and dynamic action. Unfortunately, there's a lot of setup before it's clear exactly what the stakes are for Hopper and crew. The installment ends just as the situation is getting truly interesting.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why comics and graphic novels are a good medium for education. What can they do that books with prose alone can't?

  • Why might it be useful to learn coding in today's economy? Which skills do software programmers need to succeed?

  • What does it feel like to be a new student at school? What are the best ways to make friends?

Book Details

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