Get Coding!: Learn HTML, CSS & JavaScript & Build a Website, App & Game

by Young Rewired State

Overview

Learn how to write HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and build your own website, app, and game! An essential guide to computer programming for kids— by kids.

Crack open this book and set off on several fun missions — while simultaneously learning the basics of writing code. Want to make a website from scratch? Create an app? Build a game? All the tools are here, laid out in a user-friendly format that leads kids on an imaginary quest to keep a valuable diamond safe from dangerous jewel thieves. Presented by Young Rewired State — an international collective of tech-savvy kids — in easy-to-follow, bite-size chunks, the real-life coding skills taught in this engaging, comprehensive guide may just set young readers on the path to becoming technology stars of the future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763692766
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	08/01/2017
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	488,878
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Young Rewired State is a U.K.-based worldwide community of digital makers aged eighteen and under. The community allows young coders to meet like-minded peers and share skills. Young Rewired State members can also meet expert mentors at free events around the world, like the Festival of Code, and use freely available open data to build apps, websites, and algorithms to solve real-world challenges.

Editorial Reviews

08/07/2017
This coding manual from Young Rewired State, a “worldwide community of digital makers age eighteen and under,” offers a story-driven course in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Cartoon illustrations introduce three characters—Professor Bairstone, Dr. Day, and Ernest (a dog)—who invite readers to join them in a quest to safeguard the valuable “Monk Diamond” by embarking on six “missions” outlined in each chapter. By following detailed coding instructions, readers can build a web page for Professor Bairstone (complete with tags and images hosted by an accompanying website, getcodingkids.com), create a web-based to-do-list app, learn how to embed a Google map on a web page, and create a JavaScript game meant to train the security team before an exhibition of the fictitious diamond, among other projects. While the diamond storyline can be a bit fuzzy, the programming explanations are clear, and the book’s hands-on approach lets readers learn the basics of coding while seeing real-time results. Ages 9–12. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

07/01/2017
Gr 7 Up—This story-based adventure aims to get readers coding. Written by Young Rewired State, a worldwide tech community made up of kids and teens, the book begins by diving straight into building a web page with HTML (rightly so, as its target audience is those who are already somewhat familiar with computer science). Framing the technical information is the tale of two scientists and their dog, who ask readers to help them make an interactive web page to "get the word out" about their discovery of a stolen diamond. Activities progress in difficulty and eventually involve not only CSS but also Java. It is clear the story is a mere prop to teach readers the different levels of HTML, CSS, and Java; however, the lackluster plot is just one shortcoming in an otherwise enlightening manual. The volume's strong points are the example coding sections, which exceed similar material found in other coding titles, and the expressive character illustrations. Teachers can rely on this title to make detailed lesson plans, and it could also be the basis for public library summer programs. VERDICT A fine addition for public or school libraries with small coding programs aimed at advanced beginners.—DeHanza Kwong, Central Piedmont Community College, Charlotte, NC

School Library Journal

2017-05-10
Young Rewired State, an online community of young coders, presents a guide for kids starting online programming. Readers participate as the coders in a storyline involving a recovered stolen diamond—in each of the six missions, their coding knowledge builds on itself in a natural, efficient progression of skills. Readers first meet the protagonist, white male Professor Bairstone, blue-haired woman of color Dr. Ruby Day (a shoutout to the Ruby programming language common in kids' coding books), and dog Ernest. In the first adventure, they ask readers to build a webpage about the legendary stolen Monk Diamond and its recovery, using basic Web code HTML with page design via CSS. Next, with the jewel thieves on the heroes' tails, they ask readers to password protect the webpage and give instructions on how to do so in JavaScript (the basic security's easily overcome, so readers shouldn't use it for anything sensitive!). The third mission is building a Web-based app—a to-do list—and the fourth is embedding a map to guide the heroes and the diamond to the museum using Google Maps' API. Mission No. 5 uses loops to create a reflex-testing JavaScript game for the museum guards, and No. 6 puts everything together to build a full website. Some missions are rather long, but they accommodate thorough explanations of each code element in easy-to-follow step-by-step guides. A fast, fun way to become a confident, versatile Web coder. (further Web resources, index) (Nonfiction. 9-14)

Kirkus Reviews