Becoming a coder is all fun and games!

Everyone should learn to code. Much like drawing and sketching, playing an instrument, cooking, or taking pictures and shooting videos, coding is a creative endeavor, which means it's a way to actually create stuff, and creating stuff is incredibly rewarding and satisfying. Sure, it's fun to spend hours on your phone looking at what other people have created; but that's nothing compared to the joy and satisfaction of creating things that other people consume and use. Yep, coding is fun!

And if that weren't enough, when you learn to code you develop all sorts of invaluable skills and traits beyond just coding. These include planning, problem solving, communication, logic, empathy, attention to detail, patience, resilience, persistence, and creativity. And it turns out that these skills (especially creativity and creative problem solving) are some of the most in-demand out there. So, coding will help your future career, too, regardless of what that career may be.

But, where to start?

Captain Code is a welcoming, engaging, and fun introduction to becoming a coder, designed for the young (ages 10-17) and young-at-heart. Experienced educators and coders Ben & Shmuel Forta will guide you using Python, one of the most popular programming languages in the world. You'll learn by creating games, yes, games, from simple projects to retro text-based adventures to complete graphical arcade style games. Captain Code is 400 glossy color pages of goodness packed with welcoming images, useful tips and tidbits, and engaging, readable text that focuses on doing while having fun. All code listings are in full-color and QR codes link to bonus content, downloads, challenge solutions, and more.

Captain Code makes coding exciting and rewarding, as it prepares a new generation to take their next steps forward―in education, careers, or both.

So, are you ready to unleash your coding superpower and become Captain Code?

Contents 

PARTI It's All Fun and Games

CHAPTER 1 Getting Started

CHAPTER 2 Mad Libs

CHAPTER 3 Roll the Dice

CHAPTER 4 Calculate the Day

CHAPTER 5 Rock Paper Scissors

CHAPTER 6 Secret Codes

CHAPTER 7 Guess the Number

CHAPTER 8 Becoming a Coder

CHAPTER 9 Hangman

CHAPTER 10 Keep Going

PART II On an Adventure

CHAPTER 11 Getting Func-ky

CHAPTER 12 Exploring

CHAPTER 13 Cleanup Time

CHAPTER 14 Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refactor

CHAPTER 15 Carrying (and Using) Stuff

CHAPTER 16 Keeping It Classy

CHAPTER 17 Color Your World

CHAPTER 18 Keep Going

PART Ill Racing Around

CHAPTER 19 Crazy Drive

CHAPTER 20 lmage-ine the Possibilities

CHAPTER 21 We Like to Move It

CHAPTER 22 Crash, Bang, Boom

CHAPTER 23 Finishing Touches

CHAPTER 24 Keep Going

CHAPTER 25 Tinkering, Testing, and Debugging Revisited

Review

" This is the book I needed that I did not know I needed. Having taught myself Python and having taught students, there are still some gaps in my knowledge that Captain Code quickly filled. The overall design of the book is wonderful and easy to read. All of the questions I have normally had when it comes to Python are answered on the pages. The code is cleanly written and the ability to scan a QR code so you can copy the code digitally is a major time-saver. What is most evident about this book is that it has been written by people that have worked with students. Too often books are written for students by people who have never taught and it never translates well on the pages. Captain Code is accessible for students and teachers and I think it is a must have for any classroom that is exploring Python. I know I will keep one at home for me and a few more in the classroom." ---Nicholas Provenzano, TheNerdyTeacher, MACUL OutstandingTechnology Using Teacher of the Year, and ISTE Outstanding Teacher of the Year

About the Author

Ben Forta is, first and foremost, an educator who has been teaching in some capacity since he was a teenager (many centuries ago). He is Adobe’s Senior Director of Education Initiatives, and has more than three decades of experience in the technology sector in product development, support, training, and product marketing. Ben is the award-winning author of more than 40 books, some of which have been translated into 16 languages, and many of which have become college textbooks. Through his books, lectures, lessons, and videos, Ben has taught coding skills to over a million people. Ben lives in Oak Park, MI, with his wife Marcy and their children. He welcomes your emails at ben@forta.com and invites you to visit him online at http://forta.com/.

Shmuel Forta is an engineer, coder, maker, tinkerer, and teacher. He is a software developer at General Motors and has years of programming experience, including both writing and instruction of code. He has been teaching Python coding to middle school students for more than five years. Shmuel has a Master’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Michigan and has published research work in IEEE. Shmuel lives in Oak Park, MI, with his wife Chana Mina. He would be happy to respond to any questions or comments via email at shmuel@forta.com.