Girls Who Code – An Empowering Graphic Novel By Reshma Saujani And Andrea Tsurumi

by Hannah Means Shannon

Girls Who Code: Learn to Code and Change the World, written by Reshma Saujani (the founder of Girls Who Code) and illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi has recently been released by Penguin Random House and is available in shops.

It’s a book that’s appropriate for YA audiences, starting as young as ages 10 and up, but meaningful for all ages of readers interested in closing the gender gap in tech.
Penguin explains:

Since 2012, the organization Girls Who Code has taught computing skills to and inspired over 40,000 girls across America. Now its founder, Reshma Saujani, wants to inspire you to be a girl who codes! Bursting with dynamic artwork, down-to-earth explanations of coding principles, and real-life stories of girls and women working at places like Pixar and NASA, this graphically animated book shows what a huge role computer science plays in our lives and how much fun it can be. No matter your interest—sports, the arts, baking, student government, social justice—coding can help you do what you love and make your dreams come true. Whether you’re a girl who’s never coded before, a girl who codes, or a parent raising one, this entertaining book, printed in bold two-color and featuring art on every page, will have you itching to create your own apps, games, and robots to make the world a better place.

This celebratory volume is beautifully illustrated by Tsurumi, who has a remarkable history in illustration and comics, and brings bold, fresh attitude to each of her panels. The aqua green color themes are brisk and appealing, too.
Here’s a sampling of that artwork:

Andrea Tsurumi will also be at the Princeton Children’s Book Festival on Saturday, September 23rd from 11:00am-4:00pm at Hinds Plaza in Princeton, N.J. with Girls Who Code.