Raves for Girls Who Code:

"The world is advancing in technology and women and girls need to educate ourselves on computer science to catch up. I don't know how to code but this book has inspired me to learn. I encourage all girls to read this book and be empowered to change the world through technology." —Malala Yousafzai, Student, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Co-Founder of the Malala Fund

“Reshma Saujani and Girls Who Code are changing the face of tech, one girl at a time. This book is an invitation for every girl to join the movement for a more equal and better future.” —Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO and founder of LeanIn.Org & OptionB.Org

“I'm so excited for my daughter to know that her possibilities and potential are limitless. And I truly believe that technology can inspire and empower our daughters to be great leaders and visionaries. I'm glad this book exists to show them the way.”—John Legend

“Girls deserve the opportunity to fall in love with computers. This book, which makes computer science accessible, clear, and engaging, will help provide it. And it won’t be just girls who benefit. The more women leaders in this field, the more innovative and impactful technology will be for everyone.”—Melinda Gates, philanthropist

“Every industry needs diversity of thought. Girls Who Code is empowering young women with access to the skills they need to become the next generation of leaders in technology.”—Jack Dorsey, co-founder and CEO of Square and Twitter

* "This timely, well-written title is an excellent resource for budding coders."—School Library Journal, starred review

"This book has two focuses: encouraging girls that coding is something they can do and [making]programming relevant to their specific interests. "—Kirkus Reviews

Note: This book is not associated with The Coder School.

★ 07/01/2017
Gr 6 Up–The creator of the nationwide coding club phenomenon Girls Who Code provides a top-down look into the world of computer science and women in the field. The author takes a step-by-step approach to teaching the intricacies of coding while keeping the content relevant to the audience (a smart analogy involving a peanut butter and jelly sandwich effectively demonstrates computational thinking). Aided by Tsurumi's humorous cartoon drawings that feature a reoccurring group of five girls, the text takes students through the entire process of a coding project. Saujani stresses the importance of planning, critical thinking, implementation, and debugging. Readers will enjoy the creative freedom the work offers, as sample projects refreshingly don't rely on specific programs. The author concisely explains different subject areas within computer science. A highlight of the book is the sidebar profiles that feature real-life women developing the world of coding, from Pixar's Danielle Feinberg to professor and roboticist Ayanna Howard. VERDICT This timely, well-written title is an excellent resource for budding coders; it bridges the wide gap between simple how-to guidebooks and complex coding textbooks.—Lisa Bosarge, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore

In 2012, Reshma Saujani founded Girls Who Code. Since then, the organization has reached 40,000 young women. The format of Saujani's book includes true stories of women's accomplishments in the field of informational technology as well as asides by a multicultural cast of presumably fictional American girls. Saujani’s portrayals of various female characters could be stronger. All the girls sound somewhat stereotypically female and essentially alike, making the occasional group discussions confusing. For the narrative, however, Saujani has a pleasant voice and delivers her message convincingly. C.M.A. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

2017-05-01
A guide to get girls into coding, written by Saujani, the founder of the Girls Who Code organization, with Hutt's assistance.Rather than serving as a manual for a specific coding language, this book has two focuses: encouraging girls that coding is something they can do and guiding them to entry points that will make programming relevant to their specific interests. Internalized societal messages about girls' STEM abilities and the pressure on girls to be perfect are addressed head-on through spotlights on women in programing history and interviews with impressive women working in programming (such as Danielle Feinberg of Pixar, who tells how a bug in her code created an amazing new effect). After obligatory computer history, the chapters are organized first with programming logic and theory that will serve regardless of the programming language used (including creative prompts to nurture new ideas and give young programmers confidence), and then into the fun to be had programming applications—apps, games, digital art, robots, etc. These segments feature interviews with real Girls Who Code teams speaking of how they created successful projects, and a multicultural cartoon cast appears in comic strips working on specific projects. Having demonstrated what projects each programming language is for, the resources at the end direct girls to code tutorials so they can start their own projects. Final art not seen. An encouraging supplementary resource for young coders. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 9-16)