This is such a relevant topic now with a lot of kids coding. This is a perfect addition to the My Life As A...series. I love the vocabulary weaved throughout. Thank you for allowing me to read this book.

I have been a fan of this series since the beginning and even have a class set of the first one. This is number nine in the series and it does not disappoint. Derek is a reluctant reader and a struggling student. When his parents surprise him with a new laptop, but there is a catch--he has to take a coding class to learn how to program it. As Derek struggles with the coding class, he also gets help from his friends and helps them. Carly is struggling with some anxiety and possibly depression issues, but Derek involves her in some miniature horse therapy. Derek is also paired up in coding class with the mysterious female coding genius, Machiko. He loves that being her partner means less work for him, but their relationship is rather contentious.

This series is great for reluctant readers and is great to use with third graders making the transition from the Captain Underpants series and away from graphic supports like the Big Nate series. As a teacher, I really appreciate the vocabulary development that is included in all the books.

I read this book aloud to my students and the absolutely loved it. They are into coding themselves, so they were really interested. Many of them have read the rest of the series, so they enjoyed hearing about some of their favorite characters. Most of them liked the entire book, but there was a big discussion if it was a satisfying ending. They had many other ideas of how they would have ended the book.

If you know any middle school students, chances are good that you know some kids that don't like to read. My LIfe as a Coder is the perfect book to put in the hands of any reluctant middle=grade reader. Janet Tashijian combines a funny, entertaining story with plenty of graphics. Plus, she presents a protagonist that most middle-grade students with which many middle-grade students will immediately identify. This book should be on every middle school teacher's shelf. I predict it won't stay on the shelf long!