Secrets & Sequences

Secret Coders #3

by Gene Luen Yang, Mike Holmes (Illustrator)

The third book in the Secret Coders series from Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes.

Stately Academy is no ordinary school: it was once home to an elite institute where teachers, students, and robots worked together to unravel the mysteries of coding. Hopper, Eni, and Josh won't rest until they've learned the whole story, but they aren't the only ones interested in the school's past. Principal Dean is hot on their trail, demanding that the coders turn over their most powerful robot. Dean may be a creep, but he's nothing compared to the guy who's really in charge: a green-skinned coding genius named Professor One-Zero.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Comics, Childrens, Mystery, Fiction

103 pages, Paperback

First published March 7, 2017

About the author

Gene 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.

Reviews

[First Second Books]

The newest book from Gene Luen Yang & Mike Holmes’ awesome Secret Coders series, Secrets & Sequences!

In this third volume, Secrets & Sequences, the gang continues trying to unravel their school's mysterious past. And when they thought all they needed to worry about was Principle Dean, it turns out he doesn't compare to their true enemy: Professor One-Zero.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gene Luen Yang does it again! I think perhaps the best part of this series is that it has me hooked on a topic that would normally bore me to tears. Highly recommended to my math, science, computer kids and also for the reluctant reader.

[felicialowj · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel an immense satisfaction when my visualization-challenged brain figures the coding out. But I’m so distracted by the exercises I speed read through the actual story :D

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked that book three had higher stakes but it was still a little too heavy-handed for me. Kids will probably like it though.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jon gives this 5 stars "because of the birds".

This book teaches "if else" statements.

[Jenny (knasentjej) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The great villain shows up and tries his tricks. The cliffhanger to the next installment is very good.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 4 out of 5]

*It isn't fair of me to rate this book. I have hung tight in the first two Secret Coders, but this one officially lost me with some of the coding which hurt the story for me, so I am definitely not the audience for this one. Do you know who the audience is? My students. They really liked the first one, will really like the second one, and I am sure will like this one also, so I have rated it what I assume my students will rate it. I will say, though, that the cliffhanger was good enough that I will definitely be picking up #4!

[Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read review in its entirety at http://www.compassbookratings.com/rev...

Gene Luen Yang continues to try and make computer science fun in his latest addition to the Secret Coders series, Secrets & Sequences (Secret Coders #3).

With upwards of seven black, white, and green animated panels to fill the page, the story resumes with Hopper and her friends’ ongoing investigation of their strange school and creepy principal.

Hopper, Eni, and Josh advance their computer programming skills as they haphazardly encounter dangerous adventures and their most sinister character to date.

Questions and answers begin to be more personal for Hopper as she becomes closer to solving the perplexing disappearance and whereabouts of her father, while gaining a closer relationship with her mother and friends.

The author tries to engage readers on the coders’ inquiry with the interactive narrative that appeared in its predecessor, Paths & Portals (Secret Coders #2).

Great for readers who enjoy a fun mystery with their computer science. Be sure to check out the two previous novels in the series, Secret Coders (Secret Coders #1) and Paths & Portals (Secret Coders #2) for a better understanding of the graphic novels’ storyline and the basic formula for cyphering- as the first novel introduces binary coding, the second basic computer programming, and the third offers a bit more advancement with the programming.

Can you keep up with the coders quest to solve the query?

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yang, Gene Luen Yang Secrets & Sequences (Secret Coders #3) 103 pages. First Second, 2017. $18.99. Language: G ( 0 swears) ; Mature Content: G; Violence: G. GRAPHIC NOVEL

In this third installment of the series, readers find Hopper and her friends facing off with a criminal mastermind. They must use their coding skills, teamwork, and a little help from some frenemies if they are to save their beloved teacher and stop a mad man. Features green and black illustrations. Reader can participate in the adventure as each coding challenge the characters face is also a challenge for the reader, new coding techniques being introduced and added.

The coding in the book has gone beyond my skill level. The students who like graphic novels love the first book, but lose interest as the skills required to meet the challenges have gotten harder. That being said, I have had a few die hard fans who have loved this series and it always gains popularity during December, after our school participates in The Hour of Code. But it would be a great fit for Middle School, and could even be used for an (the funnest ever) assignment for a computer class/coding class.

EL, MS –ADVISABLE Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017/...

[Joseph R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

After discovering the secret previous school beneath their current school, students Hopper, Eni, and Josh start learning to program robots from the previous school. This plan is going well until the principal uses the school's rugby team to capture them. That's the big cliffhanger that gets resolved here in book three.

The kids get out of a fiendish situation thanks to their coding skills (naturally) only to find out more backstory about the school. Janitor Bee was originally Professor Bee at the previous school. The school closed after a rogue student (Pascal Pasqual) built his own army of robots to take over the world. Bee and his selected team of former students (including Hopper's dad) defeated Pascal. Pascal is back as Doctor One-Zero and seeks the one tool that defeated him the last time--the most powerful turtle robot in the world! He has a new mission--to make humanity happy. He has a pretty bad idea of how to bring that about. No details because I don't want to spoil the surprising condition he thinks will make people happy! It is an interesting bit of philosophy thrown into a story focused on writing code.

Recommended.

The books have a web site with activities including learning to code.

[Jill Jemmett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is great for kids. It teaches how to do simple coding, which I know a lot of kids are interested in these days. Since they like using technology, it’s great to teach them how to create it.

The plot of this story was very good too. The story is developing more with each book. This story included an evil villain who they had to stop from destroying their town. However, while the bad guy was trapping him in his dungeon, he stopped to teach them some more coding tricks. I know villains in stories often stop to explain things while they should be running away, but I’ve never seen one stop to teach kids, so that was very weird.

One thing that would greatly improve this series is if there was some kind of refresher at the beginning of the story which summarized the previous books. There was a gap between the time I read them, so it would have been nice if there was a page or two to remind me of what happened before. This would be helpful for kids who take the books out of the library and can’t flip through the previous book before moving on.

However, this is a great series for kids!

[Ginu Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Secret Coders Secrets & Sequences is an action filled book that teaches you how to code. I would recommend this book for beginners. This book uses the programming language UC Logo. I would recommend starting from the beginning of the series for better understanding. Each book just continues on the story from Secret Coders #1 .

The story starts off with the main character, Hopper passing the schools, janitor/professor Mr. Bee test. His friends Josh and Eni along with Hopper are psyched because the professor said that if they passed the test they they would be shown the schools secrets. They soon discover that the school was not just an ordinary school but a coding school that had been destroyed by Mr. Bee's archenemies, Pascal Pasqual. Hopper and his friends are soon dragged into an adventure against Pascal Pasqual and the schools principle, Mr. Dean.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Secret Coders are getting closer to some answers as they use their growing computer skills to track down who Principal Dean is working for, why he's after the biggest turtle, and what this Dr. One-Zero's end game is.

I liked several of the positive resolutions that we get in this one. Hopper and her mom come to a better understanding. And the bullies that were working for Principal Dean show some repentance and get a chance to redeem themselves. And we're starting to get some answers about why this all is happening. What I really love about this series is the way it works coding into the plot and pauses to give readers a chance to see if they can puzzle out new code on their own before showing it. A great pick for kids who like puzzles and scifi graphic novels.

Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. Two robot attacks give some people bumps and bruises, but no permanent booboos.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

With Mr. Bee tied up and one of his former students making connections at the school as he plans to find the most powerful turtle in existence, it's up to Hopper and her friends to foil his dastardly plans. Principal Dean turns out to be even more of a villain than expected, and the coders must figure out a way to escape from his secret prison where they've been detained. But first they must use their coding skills to get past a robot watch cat named Cuddles. All the pieces of the puzzle start coming together as Hopper learns that her father was once a student at the Bee School. Once again, readers have the chance to practice their own coding skills to see what moves the youngsters should make next. To their dismay, though, One-Zero is right where he wants to be. Readers will need to wait for the next book to find out what happens next. The coding keeps getting more and more complicated, just as the stakes are getting higher as well.

[Lonnie]

Its an exiting book its funny to me it tells of a group of friends that have to truest each other and they have to learn to work together.so good read seven times!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Forever Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool series that integrates puzzles and coding elements into the plot. This is the third installment. I didn't read the first two but was able to follow this story fairly easily. Hopper, Eni & Josh are aspiring coders who find themselves on a quest to save their coding mentor, Professor Bee when he is abducted by an unexpected villain. Together, they use their coding and inductive skills to solve a series of problems, each getting them closer to saving their professor and school from destruction. A mystery evolves around Hopper's missing dad and a villain from the past emerges. Some humor, friendship, puzzles, a cliffhanger ending, and action make this a fun graphic novel. Quick read with black & white, green accent illustrations. Grades 4-7.

[Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot in this one is a little contrived, but the readers won't mind. The coding gets much more advanced with "if false statements" and the bad guy turns out to be a tool of the really bad guy. Readers will love that the stakes, and the learning, are getting more advanced. There's even a secret message, written in code, at the end, to encourage more interaction with the website. I love how this series can motivate kids to code in a way that is both intuitive and written from scratch, rather than using pre-made blocks or segments like both electronic and physical "STEM/coding" toys sold today.

[Kam Yung Soh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The next instalment of the Secret Coders series. Here, the trio learn more about the background of a previous set of coders, including Hopper's father and how they managed to thwart the plans of one coder who turned bad.

But then the Dean of the school forces the coders to open a portal, revealing a powerful turtle and then proceeds to take them to the hideout of the evil mastermind, Professor One-Zero and his plans to turn all of humanity into one big happy family.

It is up to the coders, who have upgraded their coding skills with loops, function parameters and multiple decisions (if-then-else), to thwart his plans before Professor One-Zero blasts the town.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Secret Coders graphic novel in the books. This one definitely intensified, both in plot and coding. I may not understand the coding parts, but it's been entertaining to read as the coders advance in their knowledge and know more and more what to code in each situation.

This story intensified as Hopper, Eni, and Josh learn more about Professor Bee's secrets and history and the people he worked with. By a chain of scary moments, the coders end up on a mission to escape an evil man who wants to take over the world. It ends abruptly, so I'm hoping Book 4 of the series arrives soon from the other library branch! This was quite an enjoyable way to spend getting my tire plugged.

[Stacey Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the concept of this series. You learn computer programming (coding) while reading a very fun story. It makes it easy to learn in a different way. The books are sequential with the coding getting a bit more complex with each book.
In this story the gang, Hopper, Eni and Josh are trying to stop their principal and Dr. One-zero who are trying to rule the world by using the most powerful turtle robot. Plus Hopper finds out some important info about her missing father. Coding comes into play of course. Can the students defeat the bad guys? Facing green men, robot cats and flying laser shooting turtles they do their best.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun way to introduce computer programming to kids in grades 4-7! While the drawings are cartoonish, colored only using shades of green, black and gray, the story is humorous and the coding puzzles are interesting. Kids learn about binary numbers and how to code elementary geometric shapes, like triangles and polygons.

The programming language used in the book is called LOGO, which can be used to create computer graphics. The author's website has a link to download a free version of the LOGO interpreter so kids can practice what they learned in the book.

[Noah Liechty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stately Academy is no ordinary school: it was once home to an elite institute where teachers, students, and robots worked together to unravel the mysteries of coding. Hopper, Eni, and Josh won't rest until they've learned the whole story, but they aren't the only ones interested in the school's past. Principal Dean is hot on their trail, demanding that the coders turn over their most powerful robot. Dean may be a creep, but he's nothing compared to the guy who's really in charge: a green-skinned coding genius named Professor One-Zero.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the most complete narrative arc in the series to date, I have noticed a growing Secret Coders fan club in my classroom. Several of my students told me this week they are already looking forward to reading the next book in the series; a few students have even pre-ordered it! With the villain now in charge of the school, I can't wait to see how Hopper, Eni and Josh respond in book four, Robots and Repeats (10/03/17)!

[Abigail · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would recommend reading the series in order, because this third volume starts right in the middle of a scene that is apparently continued from the previous book, and then ends in a cliffhanger. I eventually figured out enough of what was going on to follow the story, but it took me a bit. (I started with this one because I won it in a contest.)

[Counting for "A graphic novel" in Challies 2017 Reading Challenge.]

[alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

another fun edition to this series which introduces young readers to simple coding. the abrupt beginning and ending have me thinking it would be good to have the whole series on hand when reading them. I'd forgotten the last task at the end of book two so getting the answer at the beginning of this volume was confusing. so basically I'm thinking I should buy them all. shocking. the turtles are so cute!

[Adan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlike the previous two entries in the series, this one resolves a lot of plot points very, very quickly, and feels almost like an ending of sorts (like maybe the first three entries should have been one larger entry). This gives it the opposite pacing problem that the previous entries had: they were too slow, and this one was too fast. Still, Yang writes a pretty fun educational comic, and there are still some mysteries left to solve.

[Bodea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book in the series so far, in my opinion. The plot is great, exciting and we finally get some answers. The codes are getting tougher, but that just means more fun. My niece and nephew were stalking me so hard for my copy that I went out and purchased two more. Whew. Can't wait for the next book!

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The action starts to ramp up in the third book in this series, which starts to get a bit more into the villainy and plotting behind the scenes. This still incorporated coding, but it maintained the story with the characters, instead of neglecting them in favor of straight teaching. Things are developing more than in previous books, which made it more engaging.

[Serenity · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher through my district library services*

I struggle a bit with understanding the code in these books because I am not a coder, but I think kids picking up this series will probably put forth the effort because it is a fun challenge. This book was a fun addition to the series and at the end I was eager to jump into #4.