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Secret Coders #5
Secret Coders: Potions & Parameters
From graphic novel superstar (and former computer programming teacher) and New York Times bestselling author Gene Luen Yang, Secret Coders: Potions & Parameters is the fifth volume in a wildly entertaining series that combines logic puzzles and basic coding instruction with a page-turning mystery plot!
Dr. One-Zero won't stop until the whole town—no, the whole world—embraces the "true happiness” found in his poisonous potion, Green Pop. And now that he has the Turtle of Light, he’s virtually unstoppable.
There's one weapon that can defeat him: another Turtle of Light. Unfortunately, they can only be found in another dimension! To open a portal to this new world, Hopper, Eni, and Josh's coding skills will be put to the test.
112 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 27, 2018
28 people are currently reading
519 people want to read
About the author
Gene Luen Yang
363 books3,376 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 55 reviews
December 12, 2018
The fifth book in the Secret Coders, series, this one continues their battle against the evil Professor One-Zero who plans to use the controlling potion he's manufactured to control the town and it's up to the coders to stop him with the help of some programming.
The book makes a digression into the history of Professor Bee, showing where he came from and how his arrival here lead to the creation of his school, via interactions with some famous computer scientists that originally created the Logo programming language.
The book ends with instructions from Professor Bee to return to his home and obtain an item that may be the only way to ultimately stop Professor One-Zero.
As with the rest of the books in the series, the reader is asked to accomplish simple coding tasks before proceeding, and is then shown what the pieces of code do. Drawing with multiple loops as well as a command to draw circles (up to now, coding could only be done with straight lines) are introduced.
The next book in the series is the concluding one and promises to be an interesting showdown.
The book makes a digression into the history of Professor Bee, showing where he came from and how his arrival here lead to the creation of his school, via interactions with some famous computer scientists that originally created the Logo programming language.
The book ends with instructions from Professor Bee to return to his home and obtain an item that may be the only way to ultimately stop Professor One-Zero.
As with the rest of the books in the series, the reader is asked to accomplish simple coding tasks before proceeding, and is then shown what the pieces of code do. Drawing with multiple loops as well as a command to draw circles (up to now, coding could only be done with straight lines) are introduced.
The next book in the series is the concluding one and promises to be an interesting showdown.
April 19, 2018
This was cute - I love how it is engaging to the reader so that we can code too, or attempt to think/code for ourselves. The second dimension that Prof Bee is from and how that hierarchy worked was fascinating (and could easily have been our society, like back in the day). SO, I am excited for the next book to come out because this one ended on a cliffhanger!!
Isn't it interesting how One-Zero wants everyone to be happy "green" zombies... but he isn't consumed by that either - as if he wants to be the only clear thinking individual so that he essentially would take over the world? "Purge the world of evil" without realizing that what he's essentially doing IS evil (or twisted)? Sounds like leaders/dictators that we read about and "just don't understand" how they could do what they do/did.
Isn't it interesting how One-Zero wants everyone to be happy "green" zombies... but he isn't consumed by that either - as if he wants to be the only clear thinking individual so that he essentially would take over the world? "Purge the world of evil" without realizing that what he's essentially doing IS evil (or twisted)? Sounds like leaders/dictators that we read about and "just don't understand" how they could do what they do/did.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2018
Secret Coders is definitely coming to a climax as the stakes get higher and higher. While the kids have rescued Hopper's dad, they've lost the Turtle of Light and the kids feel like they might have lost their fight against the evil professor. On the other hand, Professor Bee has an idea! This is still a great series for beginner coding logic, and I quite enjoy the character development and plot shenanigans that accompany the more serious learning. Not so sure about the odd romance subplot that came up...
August 28, 2017
I had high expectations for this book, as I have loved all of Gene Luen Yang's past books (at least those I've read). Sadly, I was let down a little.
Check out my full review on my blog For the Love of Words.
Check out my full review on my blog For the Love of Words.
September 15, 2020
Copyright 2018. Genre Science fiction. I had no idea what coding was until I read this book, and I enjoyed learning about binary coding and following the adventure. I would use this book in my class to support my students that have an interest in STEM.
June 4, 2018
Well I did not see THAT plot twist coming.
January 22, 2020
Another good chapter in the secret coders story. One character find her dad--yay! One character professes his love for another in light of impending possible doom--yay! What's not to love?
May 2, 2021
Things got really busy in this one. The Coders get in big trouble, loose an important thing and find missing people.
The cliffhanger was really good.
The cliffhanger was really good.
November 16, 2022
Repeats, Arcs and Parameters
April 27, 2018
The Secret Coders use LightLight and their growing coding skills to help them hunt for Hopper’s dad, but things don’t go as planned and it is revealed that Dr. One-Zero has something even more evil in the works for the entire town.
Several big things happen in this one. The situation is getting more serious. Big secrets get revealed. The secret Professor Bee reveals was probably the most interesting (and unexpected). And everyone will be withering away waiting for Secret Coders #6 to come out. Sorry, can’t tell much more than that without some big spoilers. This series is so good in helping readers learn coding basics in a very fun way. Things covered in previous books get resurfaced or built upon so you don’t forget what you’ve already learned, and constant progress is being made in knowledge. How to code circles gets introduced in this one, as well as how to code any polygon.
No content issues.
I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Several big things happen in this one. The situation is getting more serious. Big secrets get revealed. The secret Professor Bee reveals was probably the most interesting (and unexpected). And everyone will be withering away waiting for Secret Coders #6 to come out. Sorry, can’t tell much more than that without some big spoilers. This series is so good in helping readers learn coding basics in a very fun way. Things covered in previous books get resurfaced or built upon so you don’t forget what you’ve already learned, and constant progress is being made in knowledge. How to code circles gets introduced in this one, as well as how to code any polygon.
No content issues.
I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 25, 2025
”Man, ducks with teeth are the creepiest.”
They kids (Josh, Hopper and Eni) programming skills have gone to both inner and outer loops.
And it appears they are using something like Green Lantern’s power ring to create light constructs. It’s a turtle called “Light Light”.
But its’ quickly stolen by a mad scientist type called Dr. One-Zero. Who along with his student/niece called Paz are setting about to mind control the world with green soda pop.
But Paz slipped Josh a note in binary and since we know Eni carries an ASCII chart with him at all times (as do I) they figure that can determine the password to use on the keypad locking the door.
Though clever use of ASCII they figure out the password.
They take the ‘Green’ zombies to the hospital, but no one believes them about Dr. One-Zero.
Hopper sees principle One-Zero in chemistry class. He doesn’t know how she escaped, but he doesn’t care because he has the Green Lantern turtle.
She runs out and finds Eni and Josh. Eni is threatened by his sister that he shouldn’t hang out with these delinquents or his mom will transfer him out of Stately Academy.
Hoppers’ mom wants to do the same thing.
Josh meets Paz who tells him One-Zero is going to turn the whole city into Green Zombies.
Josh rounds up Hopper and Eni and tells them that they can’t give up.
”It doesn’t matter how bad things look! We’re Coders! We’ll figure it out! Figuring things out is what we do!”
Said at every programming job I’ve ever worked at.
So they go to Professor Bee and get an army of Hover Turtles.
”Wait. Is it peeing?”
”Why’s everything gotta be about your butt?”
”I used to believe that if humans were properly educated about technology, they would naturally - - automatically — be inclined to use it for the benefit of society. ”
The last story is side story of Josh losing his dog and Eni, Hopper and Josh using the Giant Flying Laser Turtle to find it. Of course, first they have to program a path for it to look over the entire park.
Secret Coders is a weird fun book with weird fun characters. I highly recommend it for budding programmers. For others, it will make you smile, but you might not want to hunt it down.
Definitely 4 stars material.
March 26, 2018
Hopper, Eni, and Josh continue their efforts to take down Dr. One-Zero before he can control the entire town. And that is just what he plans to do with his "green pop." He has the students creating gallons of the stuff during their chemistry classes, and readers already know from previous books that drinking the soda can hypnotize people into what the villain calls "true happiness." How does he plan to use this stockpile to take over everyone in town?
When the Coders use the Turtle of Light, the most powerful programming tool that Professor Bee has, they manage to find Hopper's missing father and some of the professor's other students. But while they are preoccupied, One-Zero gets his hands on the Turtle. With Eni's parents threatening to transfer him to another school (because Hopper and Josh are bad influences), Hopper's mother worried about her safety and distracted by the health of her newly rescued husband, can the Coders stay together long enough to put an end to One-Zero and his plans for good?
Like the other Secret Coders books, Potions and Parameters has plenty of explanations of coding concepts as Professor Bee teaches the Coders the skills they need to fight the villain. And there are pauses so that readers can work out the coding challenges themselves. For middle graders who enjoy graphic novels and have an interest in robots and coding, this is the perfect series.
Highly recommended for elementary school libraries and classrooms. I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
When the Coders use the Turtle of Light, the most powerful programming tool that Professor Bee has, they manage to find Hopper's missing father and some of the professor's other students. But while they are preoccupied, One-Zero gets his hands on the Turtle. With Eni's parents threatening to transfer him to another school (because Hopper and Josh are bad influences), Hopper's mother worried about her safety and distracted by the health of her newly rescued husband, can the Coders stay together long enough to put an end to One-Zero and his plans for good?
Like the other Secret Coders books, Potions and Parameters has plenty of explanations of coding concepts as Professor Bee teaches the Coders the skills they need to fight the villain. And there are pauses so that readers can work out the coding challenges themselves. For middle graders who enjoy graphic novels and have an interest in robots and coding, this is the perfect series.
Highly recommended for elementary school libraries and classrooms. I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
April 11, 2018
Three friends try to stop an evil professor from poisoning their town by using their coding skills.
Full disclosure: I requested this book on NetGalley because I’ve read other Gene Luen Yang books and enjoyed them (American Born Chinese, Boxers & Saints). I want to learn more about the basics of coding, and I figured a graphic novel about coding by a great author would be a good way to dive in. I didn’t realize that this book is fifth in a series… and that you REALLY need to read all of the books in order for this one to make any sense. Had I read all previous books, I’m pretty sure my rating would be higher. That said, I also shouldn’t have requested an ARC because this version was missing some artwork… CODING artwork that was pretty essential to learning anything about coding from the book. I did get the sense from it that, if you read the whole series, you’d get coding practice AND an interesting plot with characters you grow to care about. (But I didn’t read them. So… I’m kind of left with a ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ on this one.) MG. Graphic Novel.
Full disclosure: I requested this book on NetGalley because I’ve read other Gene Luen Yang books and enjoyed them (American Born Chinese, Boxers & Saints). I want to learn more about the basics of coding, and I figured a graphic novel about coding by a great author would be a good way to dive in. I didn’t realize that this book is fifth in a series… and that you REALLY need to read all of the books in order for this one to make any sense. Had I read all previous books, I’m pretty sure my rating would be higher. That said, I also shouldn’t have requested an ARC because this version was missing some artwork… CODING artwork that was pretty essential to learning anything about coding from the book. I did get the sense from it that, if you read the whole series, you’d get coding practice AND an interesting plot with characters you grow to care about. (But I didn’t read them. So… I’m kind of left with a ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ on this one.) MG. Graphic Novel.
July 22, 2024
This fifth installment in the Secret Coders series follows our three protagonists, Eni, Josh, and Hopper, as they code themselves away from the ducks with teeth and into a showdown with Dr One-Zero and Paz. Our heros work with Professor Bee to foil Dr. One-Zero. Professor Bee helps Eni, Josh and Hopper to create a code that draws a polygon with any number of sides in effort to create a portal to Flatland. Flatland is where they will face Dr One-Zero in their final challenge in the last installment of the series. The Secret Coders series is a fun way of looking at code and making it a little bit more adventure friendly. Because the code that the heroes are creating is facing a direct problem, it helps the reader see a more direct correlation to how the code is being created. The series is fun but I believe it would have a small audience which causes me to recommend it as an optional purchase for libraries. This book was provided by the publisher for professional review by SWON Libraries.
February 23, 2018
The coding keeps getting more advanced, and the storyline keeps getting crazier! What will happen next? In this volume, they rescue Hopper's dad (yay!), thwart One-Zero multiple times as usual (yay!), and some start to realize they may have more-than-friends feelings for each other (which I could have done without. Do we really have to go down this path with every boy-girl friendship in books? Sometimes they're just friends! Let's focus on the coding and adventures!)
I got an advanced reader copy from NetGalley and did point this out to the publisher so hopefully it is fixed by true publication, but there was a coding error on page 13! Gasp! The code given does not match the picture! The code provided would create a 12 point star, while the picture is an 8 point star. :-P
As always, I found it too short and I do hope one day these are all published together in one volume. Or maybe I'm just impatient since I have to wait for each one to be published!
I got an advanced reader copy from NetGalley and did point this out to the publisher so hopefully it is fixed by true publication, but there was a coding error on page 13! Gasp! The code given does not match the picture! The code provided would create a 12 point star, while the picture is an 8 point star. :-P
As always, I found it too short and I do hope one day these are all published together in one volume. Or maybe I'm just impatient since I have to wait for each one to be published!
June 8, 2019
The trio from Stately Academy find Hopper's dad. They are too late, however, because he's been fed Dr. One-Zero's Green Pop. It makes Dad perfectly content...by staring at the color green and nothing else. They also discover One-Zero's plan to poison the city. Unfortunately, they lose the most powerful turtle--a robot made of light that can build things from solid light. Now the trio has to travel to a strange world to get a replacement with which they can continue the fight against the evil doctor's schemes.
The story takes a fairly fun twist, revealing the background of Professor Bee (the adult good guy) and explaining why he has no nose. The programming is getting progressively harder and readers still have the chance to practice their own coding skills before the characters write their program.
Recommended.
The story takes a fairly fun twist, revealing the background of Professor Bee (the adult good guy) and explaining why he has no nose. The programming is getting progressively harder and readers still have the chance to practice their own coding skills before the characters write their program.
Recommended.
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.
October 19, 2020
Copyright Date: 2018
Genre: Science Fiction
Theme: Coding, Science, Adventure
My favorite part of this book is how it teaches and explains what coding is to the readers in a fun way. Hopper, Eni, and Josh try to take down Dr. One-Zero before he can control the entire town. While they are trying to accomplish this task they are using coding to do so. I've never used or seen coding before so this book was very interesting and a simple explanation to follow. This is a fun adventure book for those who like science fiction. I will use this book in my class to teach my students about coding through a fun adventure.
Genre: Science Fiction
Theme: Coding, Science, Adventure
My favorite part of this book is how it teaches and explains what coding is to the readers in a fun way. Hopper, Eni, and Josh try to take down Dr. One-Zero before he can control the entire town. While they are trying to accomplish this task they are using coding to do so. I've never used or seen coding before so this book was very interesting and a simple explanation to follow. This is a fun adventure book for those who like science fiction. I will use this book in my class to teach my students about coding through a fun adventure.
March 15, 2023
Potions & Parameters is the fifth volume in a wildly entertaining series that combines logic puzzles and basic coding instruction with a page-turning mystery plot!
Professor One-Zero won't stop until the whole town—no, the whole world—embraces the "true happiness” found in his poisonous potion, Green Pop. And now that he has the Turtle of Light, he’s virtually unstoppable.
There's one weapon that can defeat him: another Turtle of Light. Unfortunately, they can only be found in another dimension! To open a portal to this new world, Hopper, Eni, and Josh's coding skills will be put to the test.
Professor One-Zero won't stop until the whole town—no, the whole world—embraces the "true happiness” found in his poisonous potion, Green Pop. And now that he has the Turtle of Light, he’s virtually unstoppable.
There's one weapon that can defeat him: another Turtle of Light. Unfortunately, they can only be found in another dimension! To open a portal to this new world, Hopper, Eni, and Josh's coding skills will be put to the test.
May 19, 2018
This was yet another fun tale of the Coders learning more code in order to take down the evil Dr. One-Zero. In all honesty, I thought this was the final book in the series, so I was very much looking forward to them taking him down for good, so when I found out it wasn't the end of the story and the next book still needs to come out, I was a bit sad.
That being said, the coding intensified and I learned more about repeats and variables and got a bit more lost than before, but I was entertained the whole time. I look forward to the next book coming out!
That being said, the coding intensified and I learned more about repeats and variables and got a bit more lost than before, but I was entertained the whole time. I look forward to the next book coming out!
May 12, 2023
The coders are on their way to find Hopper's dad. Unfortunately they get caught and locked up by one-zero. They find out Josh's friend Pax isn't who they thought. Mr. Bee is mad when he realizes the coders stole the Turtle of Light but he's willing to help them. One-zero must be stopped before he infects all of the world with his happiness potion. The coding gets a bit more involved. The process of teaching coding within a story like this is so great. You don't even feel like you're learning, it's just fun.
March 26, 2018
The Coders are back in their penultimate adventure where they must outwit ducks with teeth, discover a betrayal, recover a stolen item, and prepare to travel to another dimension- or is it one-dimension less?
I would say a reread of the previous books in the series is always a good idea before reading the latest one. This includes the bonus short story "Lost & Found" previously only available online.
I would say a reread of the previous books in the series is always a good idea before reading the latest one. This includes the bonus short story "Lost & Found" previously only available online.
April 4, 2024
This book was an easy and fun read. It incorporated mathematical rules throughout its plot. The concepts in the book relate to measurements of shapes and programming these shapes. This would be a great book to have in a middle school math classroom. Because it is a comic book, students of lower reading levels will be able to understand the book. I will definitely have this book in my future classroom!
April 7, 2018
I'm not sure if these are getting less exciting, or if it maybe it just feels like there isn't enough story in each book now, but I've been enjoying them less. They've always felt a little bit like the coding was tacked on, but this one is the worst for that so far, I think. (With "challenges" at the end of the major plot points.)
April 13, 2018
Further adventures of our three coders and Professor B. This time they stop the evil professor from contaminating the water reservoir and controlling everyone in the city. At the end, they learn that B is actually from another dimension - Flatland. The book ends with them figuring out the code to get to Flatland to get another triangle.
December 18, 2018
Some of the books in the series deal more with explaining coding, and others work more with the plot. This is one of the latter and it's nice to see some more from the characters while the story reiterates past topics. It definitely makes this more interesting than just being a lesson plan with characters - I'm interested to see how it all wraps up in the next book.
June 28, 2018
Certainly not the best in the series. I can appreciate its nod to Flatland, a point that does give a reasonable basis for the Turtle of Light, but I'm dubious that it will actually improve the plot or the narrative in upcoming installments.
2.5 stars rounded up.
2.5 stars rounded up.
November 3, 2018
I love how this series breaks down coding in a simple way yet also tells and interesting story. I do think readers would benefit from a “last time” refresher page as I questioned whether I read the last book or not when I started this one, even though it wasn’t too long ago when I read it.
July 15, 2019
While Yang has written so many better works I can say that even though this series is mostly annoying he does keep you turning the page to find out what will happen next. Could our answers lie not here but in another dimension?
October 11, 2020
Copyright © 2018, Novel Science Fiction, Coding, Computers.
I loved how the author engages the reader while teaching how coding works. I think I would use this book to let my students experience what coding is.
I loved how the author engages the reader while teaching how coding works. I think I would use this book to let my students experience what coding is.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews