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Secret Coders #6
Secret Coders: Monsters & Modules
From graphic novel superstar (and former computer programming teacher) and New York Times bestselling author Gene Luen Yang, Secret Coders: Modules & Monsters is the sixth and final volume in a wildly entertaining series that combines logic puzzles and basic coding instruction with a page-turning mystery plot!
The Coders always knew their programming skills would take them far, but they never guessed they would take them to another dimension! Or to be accurate, one dimension less—to save humanity, Hopper, Eni, and Josh must travel to Flatland, a dangerous two-dimensional world ruled by polygons. If they can return home safely with a turtle of light, they might just stand a chance in their final showdown with Dr. One-Zero!
112 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 2, 2018
23 people are currently reading
197 people want to read
About the author
Gene Luen Yang
362 books3,374 followersGene Luen Yang writes, and sometimes draws, comic books and graphic novels. As the Library of Congress’ fifth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, he advocates for the importance of reading, especially reading diversely. American Born Chinese, his first graphic novel from First Second Books, was a National Book Award finalist, as well as the winner of the Printz Award and an Eisner Award. His two-volume graphic novel Boxers & Saints won the L.A. Times Book Prize and was a National Book Award Finalist. His other works include Secret Coders (with Mike Holmes), The Shadow Hero (with Sonny Liew), Superman from DC Comics (with various artists), and the Avatar: The Last Airbender series from Dark Horse Comics (with Gurihiru). In 2016, he was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow. His most recent books are Dragon Hoops from First Second Books and Superman Smashes the Klan from DC Comics.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
May 23, 2021
This was a fun and good ending to the story of the Secret Coders. There was a visit to another dimension, a battle against the bad guy and some love. I really liked it.
January 22, 2020
The saga continues as Professor One-Zero is finally defeated (for now), the parents realize how the kids were right all along, and everyone focuses on healing the patients (the antidote is love--duh).
July 21, 2020
It's a very educational and hilarious book for people that love coding!
November 30, 2022
What an awesome series. I would have loved this when I was a kid! Jon gives it 1000 stars!
March 25, 2019
Gene Luen Yang is one of those writers I'll read, no matter what, thanks to American Born Chinese. I have yet to come across another of his works that captures the ingenuity, skill, and heart that ABC had, but I always find a story that hints at how well he does what he does. Secret Coders is the latest one of those stories.
The series is intended for younger audiences, and has a goal of teaching programming concepts to its readers, but it still has a smart, sharp story to tell, too. The series focuses on a group of three students at a private school, each of whom has a skill that lends them to programming, and when they discover some secrets about the school and begin to delve more deeply into its history to find some answers, they find themselves wrapped up in something much larger than just the school.
The story is told across six volumes, and has a definitive ending, so it's not an ongoing series that could devolve into tedium. It's a good series to introduce to kids, whether or not they're interested in programming, but if they are, there's a lot they're going to be able to take from it. It's not the deepest graphic novel series I've ever read, but it's definitely better than Archie or Richie Rich.
The series is intended for younger audiences, and has a goal of teaching programming concepts to its readers, but it still has a smart, sharp story to tell, too. The series focuses on a group of three students at a private school, each of whom has a skill that lends them to programming, and when they discover some secrets about the school and begin to delve more deeply into its history to find some answers, they find themselves wrapped up in something much larger than just the school.
The story is told across six volumes, and has a definitive ending, so it's not an ongoing series that could devolve into tedium. It's a good series to introduce to kids, whether or not they're interested in programming, but if they are, there's a lot they're going to be able to take from it. It's not the deepest graphic novel series I've ever read, but it's definitely better than Archie or Richie Rich.
December 20, 2018
The conclusion of the Secret Coders series. And a nice conclusion it is too.
The coders, Hopper, Eni, and Josh, have to travel to Professor Bee's place of origin, Flatland, to obtain an object which will help them to defeat One-Zero. That they do, learning a bit about Flatland while doing so. With the object in their possession, they return and, with some coding, come up with a scheme to defeat One-Zero's plans to take control of their city and make everybody 'happy'.
In the course of the book, the coders learn about multiple-loops and subroutines and how to incorporate them into multiple main programs, which are needed to defeat One-Zero. But it would also require some quick non-coding thinking on the coders' part to finally rid the world of One-Zero.
The coders, Hopper, Eni, and Josh, have to travel to Professor Bee's place of origin, Flatland, to obtain an object which will help them to defeat One-Zero. That they do, learning a bit about Flatland while doing so. With the object in their possession, they return and, with some coding, come up with a scheme to defeat One-Zero's plans to take control of their city and make everybody 'happy'.
In the course of the book, the coders learn about multiple-loops and subroutines and how to incorporate them into multiple main programs, which are needed to defeat One-Zero. But it would also require some quick non-coding thinking on the coders' part to finally rid the world of One-Zero.
September 23, 2018
Hopper, Eni, and Josh work with Professor Bee in their final showdown with the evil One-Zero. He has come up with another plan to release his dreadful Green Pop, only now he has an airborne variety! To defeat him they will have to travel to the professor's home dimension, Flatland, and retrieve another Turtle of Light to use in their battle with One-Zero. For those who have not heard of it before, the dimension that Professor Bee comes from is inspired by the satirical novel Flatland written by Edwin Abbott in 1884. In the country of Flatland the more sides a shape has, the higher its position in society, and women are only lines and not polygons at all. Professor Bee warns the kids that they will be converted into shapes and lines if they are successful in making the journey to Flatland. The problem with that is their lack of experience in being 2-dimensional beings, or in Hopper's case being a line!
And once they succeed, if they do, they will still have to return to the regular world and take on their nemesis. As if an arch villain isn't enough of a challenge, the kids have other problems. Hopper's father is still unresponsive in the hospital. Her mother is moving the whole family to another town. Eni's parents are sending him to a school that focuses on athletics, hoping to make him focus on basketball. Neither have told Josh about their parents' plans. And Hopper and Eni still haven't recovered from their awkwardness over Eni confessing his crush on Hopper. Things are never simple, are they?
This final book in the series brings all the forces to a head: parental expectations, friendship and crushes, an evil principal using the school to further his nefarious schemes, tyrants from another dimension... Along the way our heroes learn what real courage is all about, as well as coding skills like nesting commands and creating subprograms that can be used with more than one main program.
For those readers who have not tried coding before, Secret Coders is a fun introduction to the basic concepts used in creating computer programs. And for those who have, there are plenty of puzzles to solve as the Coders move from one challenge to the next. Everyone can visit the Secret Coders website to learn more.
Highly recommended for middle grade readers who enjoy graphic novels, school stories, and computers. I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
And once they succeed, if they do, they will still have to return to the regular world and take on their nemesis. As if an arch villain isn't enough of a challenge, the kids have other problems. Hopper's father is still unresponsive in the hospital. Her mother is moving the whole family to another town. Eni's parents are sending him to a school that focuses on athletics, hoping to make him focus on basketball. Neither have told Josh about their parents' plans. And Hopper and Eni still haven't recovered from their awkwardness over Eni confessing his crush on Hopper. Things are never simple, are they?
This final book in the series brings all the forces to a head: parental expectations, friendship and crushes, an evil principal using the school to further his nefarious schemes, tyrants from another dimension... Along the way our heroes learn what real courage is all about, as well as coding skills like nesting commands and creating subprograms that can be used with more than one main program.
For those readers who have not tried coding before, Secret Coders is a fun introduction to the basic concepts used in creating computer programs. And for those who have, there are plenty of puzzles to solve as the Coders move from one challenge to the next. Everyone can visit the Secret Coders website to learn more.
Highly recommended for middle grade readers who enjoy graphic novels, school stories, and computers. I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
September 22, 2018
Hopper, Eni, and Josh must venture to the Flatlands to recover a Turtle of Light, their only hope in defeating Dr. One Zero before he bathes the entire city in Green Mist.
The students are going to be so sad to find out that this is the last Secret Coders. They love this series. I think it is pretty great too. It teaches the elements of coding in a very engaging way. By the time they get this far in the series they should be able to code just about any two dimensional figure, and they’ve learned about how subprograms can be useful. They’ve also gotten to follow around three friends who have had some pretty wild adventures. It’s a satisfactory conclusion to the series, even if readers will likely still beg for more. Who knows? With the way the series ended the coders don’t have to do what they do in secret any more so maybe there’ll be a continuing series called the Not-So-Secret Coders?
Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. The only violence is really between two computer programs.
I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The students are going to be so sad to find out that this is the last Secret Coders. They love this series. I think it is pretty great too. It teaches the elements of coding in a very engaging way. By the time they get this far in the series they should be able to code just about any two dimensional figure, and they’ve learned about how subprograms can be useful. They’ve also gotten to follow around three friends who have had some pretty wild adventures. It’s a satisfactory conclusion to the series, even if readers will likely still beg for more. Who knows? With the way the series ended the coders don’t have to do what they do in secret any more so maybe there’ll be a continuing series called the Not-So-Secret Coders?
Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. The only violence is really between two computer programs.
I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 22, 2018
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Here we had a series where the biggest consistent problem was Hopper internally monolouging for too long. Now we have so many plot holes, one can almost ignore the clichés. Flatland is very poorly realized (How do keys work in two dimensions?). The "sexist polygons" subplot is pointless and goes nowhere. The final battle is utter nonsense. Doctor One-Zero flying around on a little hovercraft with a bunch of balloons (any child could tell that there isn't nearly enough mist in there to do anything whatsoever) tied to it looks almost as silly as the giant 2D monster. Any enjoyment of the monster fight is dashed by the realization that they aren't actually punching each other, but the turtles are just drawing the monster's arms in different places. It makes no sense. The series ends in a whimper with some painfully bad preteen romance clichés. Children's literature can't be expected to hold up to adult scrutiny, but the other five volumes did just fine. It's sad how such a promising series devolved into this trash fire.
November 26, 2019
While I appreciate making code into a fun activity, and for introducing it to kids at a younger age, I always get sad that these can't be stand-alones. The book picks up immediately after the last page of the previous book, and while that can be good for kids as it gives them a concept and a way to practice and isn't long and overwhelming, it prevents the story from sticking. I couldn't remember what had happened the previous book, so it took me a few pages to get back into the story since there isn't an introduction. I would suggest these books be read all at once, or within the same week, because waiting months will definitely prevent some kids from understanding the story.
That said, I liked the relationships, I enjoyed the conclusion, I forget why girls are just lines in Flatland and having not remembered why that is just made it seem sexist. Still think kids should pick this up for a fun chance at learning to code.
That said, I liked the relationships, I enjoyed the conclusion, I forget why girls are just lines in Flatland and having not remembered why that is just made it seem sexist. Still think kids should pick this up for a fun chance at learning to code.
July 19, 2022
Using the same review for the whole series.
Loved the art and the story. Yang did a great job introducing concepts slowly and steadily. It was super fun to see LOGO and programming concepts being taught in a graphic novel style like this.
My daughter read the series around the same time as well and really enjoyed it too. It remains to be seen how well the concepts stuck, but at the very least they were introduced in a fun way which will make it easier to reintroduce them at a later date.
I'd recommend this for all ages. It's a great way to get kids interested in the concept of programming, and it's a fun way for adults to reflect back on some of their initial experiences with programming.
Loved the art and the story. Yang did a great job introducing concepts slowly and steadily. It was super fun to see LOGO and programming concepts being taught in a graphic novel style like this.
My daughter read the series around the same time as well and really enjoyed it too. It remains to be seen how well the concepts stuck, but at the very least they were introduced in a fun way which will make it easier to reintroduce them at a later date.
I'd recommend this for all ages. It's a great way to get kids interested in the concept of programming, and it's a fun way for adults to reflect back on some of their initial experiences with programming.
June 8, 2019
In a desperate attempt to get another Turtle of Light so they can fight Dr. One-Zero, the secret coders travel to Flatland where Professor Bee got the original Turtle of Light. Yes, that Flatland--the seminal science fiction "romance of many dimensions." By the time they get back, the evil doctor has a new scheme to make the world "happy." Will the coders be able to beat him and the evil circles that come out of Flatland into our world?
The story is a lot of fun and still fits in plenty of coding practice and new ideas for people learning to program. The story is aimed at kids but is enjoyable for adults too--proper family entertainment.
Highly recommended!
The story is a lot of fun and still fits in plenty of coding practice and new ideas for people learning to program. The story is aimed at kids but is enjoyable for adults too--proper family entertainment.
Highly recommended!
May 12, 2023
This final book in the series has the coders facing their biggest challenge. They must stop one-zero. The only way to do that is if they also have a Turtle of Light to fight One-Zero's Turtle of Light. So they go to the place where Mr. Bee is from, the Flatlands. It's interesting seeing them in two dimensions instead of three. As one monster fights the other the parents finally realize what their children are really all about.
This whole series has been so well done. teaching coding along the way as the story unfolds the coding becomes more complex. Kudo's to the author for such an insightful way of bringing coding to the readers.
This whole series has been so well done. teaching coding along the way as the story unfolds the coding becomes more complex. Kudo's to the author for such an insightful way of bringing coding to the readers.
November 1, 2021
I loved this book because my 9 year old son had read it previously and when I told him about a book I am currently reading (Flatland), he said oh that sounds like the secret coders book I read. We both thought this was really cool. Then he surprised me and got this out of his school library to share with me. The books are indeed inspired by Edwin Abbots Flatland. This will always be a special moment for me, a point of connection with my son, and the joys of our literary worlds overlapping, and bound together with the unique threads of imaginative ideas.
August 10, 2018
In the epic finale, the Coders have to travel to another dimension, learn how to build a battle bot and take down the evil One-Zero! That all being said, after the boss battle (which was pretty awesome!), I found the ending a bit anticlimactic. I mean, it wrapped up all the loss ends, but just seemed rushed, especially with the three week time jump passing over some things. But that's just a tiny blip in an otherwise wonderful series! And I learned so much about coding! :-D
March 15, 2023
The Coders always knew their programming skills would take them far, but they never guessed they would take them to another dimension! Or to be accurate, one dimension less—to save humanity, Hopper, Eni, and Josh must travel to Flatland, a dangerous two-dimensional world ruled by polygons. If they can return home safely with a turtle of light, they might just stand a chance in their final showdown with Dr. One-Zero!
December 23, 2018
This was a sweet wrap-up to an educational series. It finishes the coding part with referencing programs in other programs and ends the main plot with a satisfying conclusion. The series as a whole is cute both for younger readers and as an introduction to coding, especially given that it has some exercises for readers to practice.
July 18, 2019
Cute bow tie ending on the story. After finishing this series I do think it would be a great series to keep on hand for elementary coding clubs/computer classes. Create a story around code and make it come more to life!
March 22, 2020
The final book of the series has a trip to another dimension, a giant monster fight, and saving the day, with computer programming of course. We really enjoyed this series. Lots of fun and a good way to introduce how computers work.
January 5, 2021
The endgame. They rescue another turtle of light and have to fight Dr OneZero. They manage to destroy him but Eni gets hit with ultraviolet mist. However, Hopper draws a heart in code and then he comes back!
March 3, 2021
This last book had some pretty epic coding. I didn't follow it all, so I just skimmed it. I'm glad to be done with the series, mostly because of the creepy shapes. (I wasn't a fan of the added romance, either.)
January 1, 2022
Such a fun ending to a fun series!
I loved the connection to Flatland. That is one of the books-which-have-impacted-me-most.
My daughter loved the series too, and is looking forward to checking out the web site.
I loved the connection to Flatland. That is one of the books-which-have-impacted-me-most.
My daughter loved the series too, and is looking forward to checking out the web site.
June 27, 2018
Review to come. Great ending to a series that has grown in popularity throughout the past few years!
October 11, 2018
The series concludes with the kids saving the school and their town.
More advanced coding is introduced as they create a hero to defeat the evil professor.
More advanced coding is introduced as they create a hero to defeat the evil professor.
October 30, 2018
This was a sweet end to this series (?!) I can't believe it's over and I hope that Yang has more graphic novels that he's working on!!
November 16, 2018
This was a satisfying conclusion to the series.
November 24, 2018
This was a fitting conclusion to the series and might actually be my favorite of the series as well. Lots of action and coding.
January 13, 2019
The final program doesn't look right to me.
February 26, 2019
2.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews