I am 37 years old. My background is in Computer Engineering.
<p><em style="color:rgb(24,24,24);font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;line-height:17.563634872436523px;">After centuries of religiously motivated war, the world has been split in two. Now the Blessed Lands are ruled by pure faith, while in the Republic, reason is the guiding light—two different realms, kept apart and at peace by a treaty and an ocean.</em><br style="color:rgb(24,24,24);font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;line-height:17.563634872436523px;" /><br style="color:rgb(24,24,24);font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;line-height:17.563634872436523px;" /><span style="color:rgb(24,24,24);font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;line-height:17.563634872436523px;">Children of the Republic, Helena and Jason were inseparable in their youth, until fate sent them down different paths. Grief and duty sidetracked Helena’s plans, and Jason came to detest the hollowness of his ambitions.</span><br style="color:rgb(24,24,24);font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;line-height:17.563634872436523px;" /><br style="color:rgb(24,24,24);font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;line-height:17.563634872436523px;" /><span style="color:rgb(24,24,24);font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;line-height:17.563634872436523px;">These two damaged souls are reunited when a tiny boat from the Blessed Lands crashes onto the rocks near Helena’s home after an impossible journey across the forbidden ocean. On board is a single passenger, a nine-year-old girl named Kailani, who calls herself “the Daughter of the Sea and the Sky.” A new and perilous purpose binds Jason and Helena together again, as they vow to protect the lost innocent from the wrath of the authorities, no matter the risk to their future and freedom.</span><br style="color:rgb(24,24,24);font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;line-height:17.563634872436523px;" /><br style="color:rgb(24,24,24);font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;line-height:17.563634872436523px;" /><span style="color:rgb(24,24,24);font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;line-height:17.563634872436523px;">But is the mysterious child simply a troubled little girl longing to return home? Or is she a powerful prophet sent to unravel the fabric of a godless Republic, as the outlaw leader of an illegal religious sect would have them believe? Whatever the answer, it will change them all forever… and perhaps their world as well.</span></p>
About this e-book. I am 37 years old. My background is in Computer Engineering. My son, got into programming on Scratch at 7 years of age. I started looking for books on Scratch on the Internet for children of 7-9 years old, but I could not find anything. All Scratch textbooks are for 11-13 years old children, though there is nothing difficult in Scratch. Having basic Math knowledge it is possible to use more than half of Scratch capabilities and make cool games and cartoons. After my son had mastered Scratch, he got very upset once he learned that they would not be studying it at school and that other children, his friends and classmates would never learn about this interesting program. I made a decision to sacrifice my Sunday evenings to organize a club of programmers on Scratch. And so a year ago my son and I started teaching a club of young programmers on Scratch for kids of 8-11 years old. For each class I with my son would think of a new game that would use new Scratch blocks. As a result, we have collected enough material for a whole book. In the fall of 2013 new children came to the club and the book was tested on them. The children made a few comments, I explained complex points in more detail, and now the book is published. Some children have already studied the whole book and are asking for a continuation! As of May 2014, the second book is already half finished. The children like studying the book a lot, because everything has been explained in great detail and does not require their parents' participation. The parents also like it because they can do their chores in the meantime. All the examples from the book are published on the website http://scratch.mit.edu/users/scratch_book
<p style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-size:24px;font-family:arial, 'ms pゴシック', 'ms pgothic', '돋움', dotum, helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(255,255,255);text-align:justify;"><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(71,115,83);"><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:enriqueta, serif;"> A Book for Young Programmers On Scratch by Denis Golikov and Artem Golikov is about grasping the concepts of the program called Scratch. It is aimed at secondary grade children and it explains how to become familiar with the program and eventually progress to more complex ideas. I had never heard of this particular program before reviewing this book. At first glance I thought it would be something similar to other things on the market, but it was actually unique in its own right. You can change and add characters, animals, and even people. You also have the ability to create a simple platform which can become enhanced with practice.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-size:24px;font-family:arial, 'ms pゴシック', 'ms pgothic', '돋움', dotum, helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(255,255,255);text-align:justify;"><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(71,115,83);"><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:enriqueta, serif;"> I was very impressed with A Book for Young Programmers On Scratch. Denis and Artem Golikov are a father and son team, and they have captured the essence of a unique program and are keen to share their experiences with the rest of the world. As I began the book, the theories and diagrams looked easy to comprehend. However, the further I got into the book, the more I found things a little more complicated.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-size:24px;font-family:arial, 'ms pゴシック', 'ms pgothic', '돋움', dotum, helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(255,255,255);text-align:justify;"><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(71,115,83);"><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:enriqueta, serif;"> I ultimately downloaded the program onto my computer and went through each scenario, following closely the steps provided. With fifteen minutes I was in awe of this wonderful program. I may need a little more practice with the more challenging platforms but I found it exciting nevertheless. I think this book would be extremely beneficial to new users as it is written in a way which is clear to understand. Every different aspect and example is included and I was excited to read that a second book is almost finished. Overall, this book is easy to read and understand and the program called Scratch is a welcome revelation.."</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-size:16px;font-family:arial, 'ms pゴシック', 'ms pgothic', '돋움', dotum, helvetica, sans-serif;color:rgb(255,255,255);text-align:justify;"><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-weight:bold;"><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline;font-family:enriqueta, serif;"><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline;"><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(71,115,83);">Reviewed by Lisa Jones for </span></span></span></span><a style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:#0000FF;vertical-align:baseline;font-weight:bold;font-family:enriqueta, serif;font-size:14px;"><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(71,115,83);">readersfavorite.com</span></a></p> <div> </div>