Girl Code & Tampon Run (Game)

Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral and Getting It Done

By: Andrea Gonzales & Sophie Houser

Grade: A

I’m not big on games though I always loved the idea of coding. So when I picked up the book and saw it was about two girls who took a summer coding camp and created a game called Tampon Run I knew I had to read the book and try my hand at the game.

Honestly the game probably isn’t much for people who are used to or play more than I do. It’s just a girl throwing tampons at people who are trying to get in her way. You jump to collect other tampons and once your out your pretty much dead. Simple and straight forward. The kind of rare game that I get totally into for a couple of days and then stop forever. Also it was free on Apple!

(High score of 77!)

I really enjoyed the book. The girls tell their story in alternating chapters but it’s different enough and they’re different enough that though they are essentially doing the same thing it doesn’t get repetitive. Both are pretty relatable even though I’m older than them at this point. I especially connected with Sophie’s fears of public speaking and of being the person who brings down a team or a partner that’s more knowledgable and advanced.

You don’t need to know anything about coding to follow the story of putting the game together and it gives some interesting insight into that world. There is a section in the back of the book that teaches you how to do some very basic coding. There’s even pictures and a nice bit where the girl’s decide what they want to do with their lives and if they want to continue in this field which I thought was very honest and realistic.

Recommend: Yes. But mostly if you’re interested in coding.