NINA SHINER WANTS TO BE A WEB DESIGNER

In Childs’ debut middle-grade book, a young student formulates a plan to create the ultimate yoga website for kids featuring her hand-drawn cartoon pal, Rosie.

From this book’s charming first lines (“If families were yoga poses, my parents and I would be a triangle because there are three sides to us”), one thing is made clear: seventh grader Nina Shiner lovesyoga. So when her parents send her off to a STEM boarding school, Nina is horrified. After all, what could computer programming and science gadgets have to do with her beloved yoga? Nina reluctantly attends P. Design, a Silicon Valley Technology Charter School, after she’s promised that the school can help bring Rosie from a piece of paper to a computer screen—and embarks on the adventure of a lifetime. Alongside a host of new friends—including unicorn-loving Jericka Reynolds, brilliant robot builder Brad McNealy, and Josh Chello, a surfer with mood swings—she learns what technology can really do, including a project involving high-tech artificial limbs. But when a key part of the project mysteriously disappears, it’s up to Nina and her friends to track down the thief. Childs’ work makes a few missteps, such as the repeated use of schizoto describe Josh. However, the novel largely handles individual differences with grace. Tech-oriented thinking—such as an “Innovators of our Time” class that discusses the impacts of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk—is thoughtfully contrasted with Nina’s more emotional approach; she’s a big believer in omens, from the color blue symbolizing truth to dragonflies representing change and transformation. It’s a true joy when Nina triumphantly demonstrates that one can, in fact, inhabit both worlds.

An often sparkling, tech-heavy tale of friendship, imagination, and following one’s dreams.