A helpful book on beginning coding. I was apprehensive about reviewing a book coding (even one for children) when I knew absolutely nothing about the subject.

Coding for Kids: Scratch is amazing. I actually built a simplistic video game. I was so proud. I believe that is how kids will feel, as well. Matthew Highland takes the reader step-by-step through the process. Using the website Scratch, the reader is able to use drop-n-drag coding. There is so much packed into this book, like instructions and tips on how to use paint editor and adding sounds.

This book is very good for children wanting to learn code or inquisitive about how video games work.


I received an ARC from Callisto Media Rockridge Press through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

I have received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. This was a fun introduction to get kids to start coding their own games. It gives simple intructions on how to go about this. I have to say that even I learned a couple of things from this book and it got me into thinking about other things I would like to read about coding. It was a short read.

I had hoped that a kids book on coding would make more sense to me (I'm definitely not a kid) yet my poor eyes crossed in reading this book. That being said, Coding for Kids is incredibly interesting and (I think) written for ages 12 and up -- unless your kid is extremely into coding, or just someone who's not me :). It's easily laid out with screenshots, cute illustrations, helpful hints, and necessary tips and tricks.

for someone that doesn't not much about coding, who wants to be able to help kids learn, this was a good book. I enjoyed the steps in the book. Helped me alot.

This is a pretty neat resource for kids wanting to learn to Code through Scratch. Scratch is a great program that really simplifies things for children and/or beginners. The book was great and layout was fantastic. I think that some sections were a bit confusing, but overall, it is a great and informative book!

"Coding for Kids: Scratch" teaches readers how to use the drag-n-drop coding language called Scratch. You sign up (for free) to use the Scratch website and need to use one of the following web browsers: Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. Kids 6 years old and older can use the language, but the author suggested that kids 6-8 years old may need an adult's help while they learn (and I'd agree). I'd suggest the adult work through the book first rather than learn it at the same time as the child, but either would work. Basically, you need to have your internet-connected computer and you follow his instructions to learn how to use the Scratch coding interface. Then you put together his codes for the 10 games to learn how to make functioning games. In the game coding section, he simply showed the finished code and explained why the different pieces were needed. You must look for the code blocks and put it together.

Overall, it's an informative book written at a level that kids can understand. You can put together the suggested, basic games pretty quickly. But there were a couple times in the instructions about using the Scratch coding interface where he'd say to do something and just assume you'd see how to do it. For example, I initially thought you were supposed to type "timer" into a slot when you were supposed to drag-n-drop that piece from the code selection area. Or he didn't say exactly where to find the code, so I had to scroll through the options to find it. It wasn't until coding the actual games that I got frustrated, though. I followed his code exactly, but the code for the first game sometimes worked perfectly and other times wouldn't completely reset. I figured out what piece of code was missing to make it always work, but I was disappointed that the very first game code that he gave us wasn't complete. Overall, though, this is a great way to teach your kids the basics of coding games.