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RUBY WIZARDRY

Name: RUBY WIZARDRY
Author: Eric Weinstein
ISBN: 978-1-59327-566-2

AN INTRODUCTION TO PROGRAMMING FOR KIDS

by Eric Weinstein ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2015

An enjoyable book that can turn any kid (or adult!) into a programming wizard.

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An introductory programming guide is structured around a whimsical original fairy tale in a land run on the Ruby programming language.

Weinstein turns his professional programming expertise and his experience as a computing educator designing curriculum for Codeacademy to creating an accessible introduction to coding for kids. The first chapter gives instructions on downloading and installing Ruby, as well as when to program “in window” and when to use a text editor. For an optimal experience, readers should read it while at a computer, inputting the suggested code and playing with it alongside the characters. The story stars young Ruby wizards Scarlet and Ruben, who find a king in great distress. After solving his problem, they notice more mishaps in the code that runs the kingdom. Deducing sabotage, they must travel the kingdom reprogramming code to correct errors and apprehend the guilty party. An episodic structure makes the book easy to put down and pick up again (as it’s a lot of information for one sitting), and chapters frequently end with “You Know This!” recaps. Comprehensive backmatter includes further resources, troubleshooting and more. After completing their introduction to Ruby, readers can move onto Nick Morgan’s JavaScript for Kids (2014), which, though it doesn’t present a narrative such as this, is an absolutely phenomenal guide with a crisp design and clear, concise explanations.

An enjoyable book that can turn any kid (or adult!) into a programming wizard. (index) (Nonfiction/fantasy. 10 & up)

Pub Date: April 1, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-59327-566-2

Page Count: 352

Publisher: No Starch Press

Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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TASTING THE SKY

A PALESTINIAN CHILDHOOD

by Ibtisam Barakat ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2007

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It’s the first night of the 1967 Six-Day War between Israel and Arab countries. Three-year-old Ibtisam, hunting frantically for a shoe, loses her family as they join the throng of anxious Palestinians fleeing Ramallah into Jordan. Desperate hours will elapse before the family is reunited. This beautifully written memoir of the author’s childhood on the Israeli-occupied West Bank unfolds against a harsh backdrop of war and cultural displacement. The family endures poverty, separations and frequent relocation. Yet life goes on, by turns surprising, funny, heartbreaking and rich with possibility. In an overcrowded Jordanian school-room housing refugees, Ibtisam discovers Alef, the first letter of the Arab alphabet, and a key unlocking the magical world of written words. Courageous and curious, but by no means always well-behaved, Ibtisam and her brothers find ways to assert their strong wills in defiance of the authorities that govern their lives. The injustices that rankle come at the hands of parents and teachers, not broader geopolitical realities. A compassionate, insightful family and cultural portrait. (map, historical note, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 10+)

Pub Date: May 1, 2007

ISBN: 978-0-374-35733-1

Page Count: 192

Publisher: Melanie Kroupa/Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2007

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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SKYWALKERS

MOHAWKS ON THE HIGH STEEL

by David Weitzman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 14, 2010

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Weaving together architectural, engineering and Native American history, Weitzman tells the fascinating story of how Mohawk Indian ironworkers helped construct the sprawling bridges and towering skyscrapers that dominate our urban landscape. The book begins with a brief but informative history of the Kanien'kéhaka—People of the Flint. Leaders in establishing the League of the Iroquois, a confederation of Indian nations in the New York region, Mohawks had a longstanding reputation for their sense of tight-knit community, attraction to danger and love for physical challenge, qualities that served them well when hired in the late 1800s to do the most arduous work in railroad and bridge construction. With the advent of the skyscraper, Mohawks possessing agility that seemed gravity-defying worked hundreds of feet above the ground. They were not immune to tragedy, and the author discusses in detail the collapse of the Québec Bridge that killed 31 Mohawk workers. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs that capture the daring spirit of these heroic workers, the concise, captivating account offers great insight into the little-known but considerable role Native Americans played in our architectural and engineering achievements. (glossary, bibliography, source notes, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)