#BookTour: Team BFF: Race to the Finish! (Girls Who Code #2) by Stacia Deutsch with @_AwesomeAnnie

  Perfect for fans of The Babysitters Club and anyone interested in computer science, this series is published in partnership with the organization Girls Who Code!

Sophia and her coding club BFFs have the best time together. Sure, they work on coding projects, but mostly they gossip about crushes, eat cookies, and do totally silly impersonations. Now they're about to participate in their first hackathon--a full day of coding and meeting other coders--so it's time to step up their game! 
Just when Sophia and her friends think their hackathon project is ready for the big time, a change of plans threatens to tear their group apart. Will they have each other's backs, or are they destined for an epic fail? They know that coding is all about teamwork and problem-solving--maybe friendship is, too!

Stacia Deutsch is the author of more than fifty children's books, including the award-winning chapter book series Blast to the Past. She also wrote the tween novel Mean Ghouls, as well as books for the Nancy Drew, Clue Crew, and The Boxcar Children series. Stacia has been on the New York Times Bestseller list for the novelizations of the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and The Smurfs movies. Visit her website at: www.StaciaDeutsch.com

Chapter One

“Touchdown!” I mouthed, holding my camera steadily in place. Coach Tilton pumped his fist excitedly downfield, and I let the viewfinder stay on him for a few seconds. The towering oak trees that surrounded the Halverston Middle School athletic field were just beginning to turn color, and the air was crisp and cool. Perfect football weather.

“Did you get that?” Tyson called over to me. I was in charge of filming the play from across the field, and Tyson Phillips, the other student manager, was getting the close-up.

I made sure the mic was off and adjusted the strap on my camera. “Like you even need to ask!”

We liked to compare video footage and make sure we’d gotten everything Coach wanted. People thought being a manager meant standing around, telling the players what to do, or filling the coolers with water bottles, but it was actually hard work—especially when Coach Tilton was in charge.

Tyson was lying on his stomach, getting one last shot. The football players were piling up on one another as if it were the first touchdown they’d ever scored—and this was just practice. I sprinted over to Tyson and nudged his giant foot with my sneaker as he rolled over. “Show me what you got, superstar,” he said, squinting up at me.

Tyson was in ninth grade, and at first I’d been a little nervous around him. But he was really funny and down-to-earth. Sometimes I forgot he was three years older than me.

I knelt down beside him, and we quickly looked at the playback. We had to be fast if we didn’t want to miss anything—or get mowed down by the players.

“Nice work, Soph,” Tyson said, nodding appreciatively. “You’ve got a good eye.”

“Thanks,” I said, feeling proud.

“For a middle schooler.” He winked, and I crossed my arms and sighed. I should have known he’d tease me. I didn’t really mind, though. Since I was only in sixth grade, it was a big deal that Coach had given me the job alongside a high-school freshman. Coach usually only picked seventh- or eighth-graders to co-manage the high school football team along with a high schooler. But I’d lobbied hard for it—I was curious what it’d be like to be a manager—plus, I was good at being in charge. I’d been playing sports since I was little, I was a hard worker, and I think I’d impressed Coach with my ideas for keeping the team organized. Honestly, it didn’t feel that different from taking care of my three little sisters, Lola, Pearl, and Rosie. Not that I’d tell the guys that.

I shielded my eyes from the sun and looked back toward Coach as he yelled at the players to run faster. But a flash on the nearby soccer field caught my eye. A supercute, athletic, smiling kind of flash named Sammy Cooper, a boy I’d known since we crashed into each other playing soccer back in kindergarten—and who happened to be in coding club with me.

His cleat made contact with the ball, and—whoosh!—it sailed across the field, sending the midfielders scrambling.

“Amazing,” I muttered, nodding. It wasn’t easy to impress me, but Sammy had serious skills. And even though he was Focused with a capital F, he had a huge smile plastered on his face. I swear I never saw him not smiling.

Except apparently he wasn’t that focused, because he turned and looked in my direction. Unless he also had supersonic hearing, there was no way he’d heard me compliment him, but still, I quickly averted my eyes. I didn’t want him to think I was staring at him.

Because I wasn’t.

Okay, maybe just a little.

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Posted in: 5 Stars, AwesomeAnnie, Middle Grade, Penguin, Review, Tour