Welcome to Graphic Novel Week! This week, I will be posting reviews of graphic novels, specifically ones from :01, which is a favorite graphic novel publisher of mine. Here's a link to their website.
Secret Coders: Get With The Program! by Gene Luen Yang & Mike Holmes is one of the most amazing graphic novels I've encountered (at least for kids), because it managed to explain binary code in a way that I could understand, and even found fun! Despite the front cover illustration (which I found moderately off-putting, I must say), I found the back cover illustration simply marvelous and the back cover text intriguing.
Then, I opened the book, and my adventure began. The whole volume clocks in at just under 100 pages, which, in graphic novel terms, means it translated into about a 20-minute time commitment for me. I was drawn into the story immediately, as I usually cannot resist the tale of a young girl becoming acquainted with her new surroundings right after being forced to move to a new town by her parents (see: Spirited Away, Nightmare, and many other perennial favorites), and I was along for the ride as Hopper confronts her new school, and all that it has to offer.
From there, I was dragged along as Hopper and her new potential enemy-turned-friend, Eni, follow a robotic turtle down the rabbit hole in an exhilarating chase through their school grounds to find out just why the birds populating their campus are so creepy, who is posting numbers all over the walls, how to use computer coding to get robots to do their bidding, and what is wrong with all of the adults at their school. (No, seriously... more than normal; something's really wrong here!) In the ultimate cliffhanger ending, book one finishes way too early in the plot to leave readers anything but salivating for book two, Secret Coders: Paths & Portals.
Though it may not be super important, I do appreciate that the book is printed in black, white, and green (instead of greyscale), in what I can only assume is a witty homage to ancient computer screen displays! It took me right back to the olden days of C:Batch files of yore! Am I right, older readers?
If you're an adult who likes mysteries and or computer coding, or you want a book for a middle schooler (or perhaps even a high schooler) with those interests, I don't think you could go wrong with this one! I highly recommend it as an entertaining and educational read. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
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