Review Detail

In this second installment in the Girls Who Code series, we follow Sophia and her friends as they enter a hackathon- a marathon day of coding, robots, and competition. If you haven't read the first book, there are still plenty of background information weaved in to get readers up to speed. Sophia's voice is so lively and engaging, familiar and unfamiliar readers of the series should expect their fingers to fly through the pages.

While there is much to love in this book, my favorite part, especially since this is geared towards young readers, is the range of interests the group has. So often, schools and communities set up STEM subjects and humanities subjects, like literature, fashion design, etc. as binaries where you can only like one or the other. This series proves that sometimes the best activities and subjects are when multiple interests and talents can be combined. Coding is a skill that can cross all sorts of subjects and disciplines, and readers will have fun imagining how they can tie coding into their own passions. Even the fact that a book like this exists, a middle grade contemporary story about a group of friends who code together and have fun, is proof that art and science aren't nearly as far apart as we sometimes imagine them to be.

Another highlight of Team BFF is the team itself. Though 5 girls make up the group, their dialogues are all well balanced and personalities all distinct. Sophia's perspective provides a grounding lens that allows you to see into all aspects of her life (home, school, time outside the group, etc.) while still getting plenty of characterization of the other girls with some truly touching scenes. (And, while I'm hestitant to pick a favorite, I do think Maya is particularly cool).

An excellent series for both readers who find coding fascinating and for readers who haven't heard of it before, Girls Who Code delivers a funny, heart-warming sequel that will leave you ready for more.