Giving Kids a Jump Start: The Humble Braniac Book Bundle (UPDATED)

As many of you are no doubt aware, I have a very long list of books that are in the hopper to be read, processed, applied and reviewed. Those books all come from somewhere. Some of them I buy, but a fairly large percentage of them are given to me (with the proviso that I review them). NoStarch Press has been a partner with me in this process for the past four years. I am very appreciative of their contributions to my technical knowledge and understanding.

It's with this in mind that I want to alert TESTHEAD readers to a special offer. NoStarch Press and the folks at Humble Bundle have teamed up to offer a jump start for kids who want to learn programming and other technical skills. This is really significant right now for me, as I have a 14 year old daughter in the early stages of learning how to program.

What could that special offer be? I'm glad you asked ;).

Until February 18, 2015, 2:00 p.m. EST, Humble Bundle will be offering the "Humble Braniac Book Bundle". This is a variety of e-books geared towards kids so that technical subjects are more accessible to them. What makes this bundle interesting is that YOU get to decide how much you want to pay for it. Yes, you read that right, you get to name your price for a selection of books that, if purchased separately, would cost more than $250.


What do you get with this deal? There are three levels:

1. You can pay any amount of money (seriously, you decide) and for that payment, you will receive:

• Ruby Wizardry: An Introduction to Programming for Kids
• Lauren Ipsum: A Story About Computer Science and Other Improbable Things
• The Manga Guide to Electricity
• Snip, Burn, Solder, Shred: Seriously Geeky Stuff to Make with Your Kids
• The LEGO Adventure Book, Volume 1: Cars, Castles, Dinosaurs & More!

2. Humble Bundle keeps track of the average payment. For those willing to pay more than the average (which at the time of this writing is $13.08), NoStarch will sweeten the deal and throw in:

• LEGO Space: Building the Future
• The Manga Guide to Physics
• Python for Kids: A Playful Introduction to Programming
• Incredible LEGO Technic: Cars, Trucks, Robots & More!
• Build Your Own Website: A Comic Guide to HTML, CSS, and WordPress

3. Customers who pay $15 or more will receive all of the above, plus:

• Steampunk LEGO
• JavaScript for Kids: A Playful Introduction to Programming
• The LEGO Neighborhood Book: Build Your Own Town!

For less than the cost of one retail NoStarch book, you can purchase and download thirteen books that will entertain and educate kids and adults alike. My personal recommendations, "The Manga Guide to ..." series of books are great fun and super informative. I have also read or am reading Ruby Wizardry, Python for Kids and JavaScript for Kids books (reviews pending), and they are all individually worth the price of purchase. In this format, plus all the other titles being offered, really, this is a sweet offer.

As if that weren't enough, all Humble Bundle promotions let purchasers choose how much of their money goes to the publisher (NoStarch), Humble Bundle, and charity. The two charities supported by this bundle are the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the Freedom of the Press Foundation.

NoStarch has been great to me for many years. I really appreciate their willingness to provide me books to review. To be transparent, I have many of the books in the list already (that NoStarch gave me for free to write reviews), but there are several in this bundle that I don't have, and I have bought in for the Full Monty :).

This Humble Brainiac Book Bundle ends February 18, 2015 at 2pm EST time, so if you want to take advantage of it, best get a move on!


UPDATE: As of February 11, 2015, The Humble Brainiac Book Bundle just got a little sweeter. Three new books just got added to the "pay more than the average" bundle. Those new books are:

- The Manga Guide to Calculus
- Beautiful LEGO
- The LEGO Build it Book, Volume 1: Amazing Vehicles

If you have already purchased your Humble Brainiac Book Bundle, go to the confirmation email and click on the download link... the new books have been added and you can download them from there. Yes, they've been added to orders already purchased. Nice job, Humble Bundle and NoStarch... well done :)!!!