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 · 584 ratings  · 40 reviews

Start your review of A Smarter Way to Learn JavaScript: The new approach that uses technology to cut your effort in half

Sep 08, 2015 Grace Nellore rated it really liked it

Just like its HTML/CSS counterpart, I think this book is wonderful as a quick reference guide. It is clear and well organized, and gets straight to the point--code everywhere. Learning by doing is a great strategy, but I feel that for long-term learners, a book like "The Eloquent JavaScript" might be a better start. Still a good buy and I would recommend to others. Just like its HTML/CSS counterpart, I think this book is wonderful as a quick reference guide. It is clear and well organized, and gets straight to the point--code everywhere. Learning by doing is a great strategy, but I feel that for long-term learners, a book like "The Eloquent JavaScript" might be a better start. Still a good buy and I would recommend to others. ...more

Nov 10, 2015 John Shrader rated it it was amazing

Great intro to JavaScript , especially as a first programming language

Pros:
-Gets you writing code quickly
-Includes online practice problems, that if completed, really help you retain the information
-Doesn't assume previous programming experience and has clear explanations where needed
-Author asks for and responds to feedback

Cons:
-won't be the only JavaScript book you need, as it doesn't really cover design patterns, or any super in depth stuff
-doesn't go over any of the new ES6 stuff

This was my

Great intro to JavaScript , especially as a first programming language

Pros:
-Gets you writing code quickly
-Includes online practice problems, that if completed, really help you retain the information
-Doesn't assume previous programming experience and has clear explanations where needed
-Author asks for and responds to feedback

Cons:
-won't be the only JavaScript book you need, as it doesn't really cover design patterns, or any super in depth stuff
-doesn't go over any of the new ES6 stuff

This was my first programming book and I'm glad it was. I couldn't recommend it enough to people who have never programmed before and decided to make JavaScript their first programming language. After you finish this book, I would recommend reading some others to round out some of the topics and go a little more in depth, but that is to be expected since this isn't meant to be an all inclusive book.

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Mar 01, 2015 Jamil Lawrence rated it really liked it

Good javascript practice. It will seem repetitive, but it forces some common things into memory, and it forces to execute quickly.

Aug 07, 2015 Kay rated it really liked it

Full disclosure: I've been using CodeCademy for a while to learn Javascript when I switched over to this book. So I'm not a total neophyte, but I definitely don't know everything about Javascript. (I also read the last quarter-ish of the book after taking a 6 month coding bootcamp immersive course, so it was all much more familiar.)

Written in small portions, the chapters are manageable in under half an hour for the most part. This means that people could conceivably do a chapter a day and finish

Full disclosure: I've been using CodeCademy for a while to learn Javascript when I switched over to this book. So I'm not a total neophyte, but I definitely don't know everything about Javascript. (I also read the last quarter-ish of the book after taking a 6 month coding bootcamp immersive course, so it was all much more familiar.)

Written in small portions, the chapters are manageable in under half an hour for the most part. This means that people could conceivably do a chapter a day and finish the book in about three months. Pretty short when you consider this is teaching you a new language. I will say that the chapter stop being manageable in under half an hour around chapter 50. That's when it got more complicated, at least for me. That said, I think it's still a manageable set of tasks that each chapter sets forth.

The book is particularly invaluable given the corresponding online exercises that the author has devised and made available. It's not quite the gameified approach that CodeCademy takes, but it's close. There's some timed exercises along with some regular ones. I think the way that the exercises are laid out makes sense: he starts you off by asking simple questions, then progresses to slightly more complicated ones while making it so that if you type the correct beginning character, the answer autocompletes. After that, he moves on to even more complicated and sets you a time limit. It's interactive without being overly stressful and the time limits are very reasonable for those with decent to fast typing skills.

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This is a great book for beginners who don't have any programming experience, for it is very simple and straightforward. The chapters are short and each covers only one topic, so they're easy to read and understand, plus online coding exercises make learning even easier.

However, the book doesn't go beyond the surface of JavaScript, it merely slightly touches programming best practices, and it won't bring readers in-depth understanding of the language's inner machinery. So experienced programmers

This is a great book for beginners who don't have any programming experience, for it is very simple and straightforward. The chapters are short and each covers only one topic, so they're easy to read and understand, plus online coding exercises make learning even easier.

However, the book doesn't go beyond the surface of JavaScript, it merely slightly touches programming best practices, and it won't bring readers in-depth understanding of the language's inner machinery. So experienced programmers who want to master JavaScript are better choose something more comprehensive

...more

Jul 05, 2014 Steve Dalton rated it really liked it

Good and basic intro book for JS

This is a great first book for someone who knows absolutely nothing about JavaScript. But I'm not sure such people really exist anymore. For the typical reader, some of this might be too elementary (and a little too repetitive). Still, it's definitely worth going through for the exercises, which are also very repetitive (but that might be a good thing). I would've liked little more coverage of JavaScript, but there are plenty of other books for that.

Good and basic intro book for JS

This is a great first book for someone who knows absolutely nothing about JavaScript. But I'm not sure such people really exist anymore. For the typical reader, some of this might be too elementary (and a little too repetitive). Still, it's definitely worth going through for the exercises, which are also very repetitive (but that might be a good thing). I would've liked little more coverage of JavaScript, but there are plenty of other books for that.

...more

May 23, 2020 Dan rated it really liked it

Great book for anyone new to JavaScript or programming in general.

I have a fair amount of programming experience already, but I still learnt a lot from this book, as I had no prior experience with front-end development at all (aside from HTML stuff by osmosis).

I liked that you really spend the vast majority of your time doing the online exercises rather than only reading, and I felt that the knowledge stuck a lot better compared to many other learning resources I have tried over the years.

Big re

Great book for anyone new to JavaScript or programming in general.

I have a fair amount of programming experience already, but I still learnt a lot from this book, as I had no prior experience with front-end development at all (aside from HTML stuff by osmosis).

I liked that you really spend the vast majority of your time doing the online exercises rather than only reading, and I felt that the knowledge stuck a lot better compared to many other learning resources I have tried over the years.

Big recommend! I'll be, in a somewhat unorthodox order, be going through Myers' HTML and CSS book next, followed by the jQuery one. Even though I don't (currently) aspire to be a front-end developer, having the fundamentals down to be able to hack together a web app when needed, seems really useful.

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Excellent for its stated purpose

Explanations are thorough without being overwhelming. He explains what items are optional, variable, and required. It is not an exhaustive treatment of all the functionality of Javascript, nor does it claim to be. It provides a strong foundation that can be built upon by other, more technical books. Easy to read for the novice non-programmer, but someone more experienced may find it moves a little slow for their liking. Again, think INTRO not advanced.

Little fundamentals, but nothing much

I had some expectations because of the previous reviews. Unfortunately, I am very disappointed after reading this book for couple of reasons.
1. There is basically no visual representations to visualize
2. Just concepts after concepts, without having much logical connections
3. No higher order functions and array methods, which are very crucial to step up your knowledge on JavaScript
I would suggest go for other book or probably the best bet is go to Udemy and

Little fundamentals, but nothing much

I had some expectations because of the previous reviews. Unfortunately, I am very disappointed after reading this book for couple of reasons.
1. There is basically no visual representations to visualize
2. Just concepts after concepts, without having much logical connections
3. No higher order functions and array methods, which are very crucial to step up your knowledge on JavaScript
I would suggest go for other book or probably the best bet is go to Udemy and take one course with high reviews.

...more

Woo-hoo! I finally finished this. Three minutes to 00:00 hrs.
It contains the very basics such that the more advanced concepts you'll go on to learn elsewhere will be more easily understood. If you're beyond beginner level, you'll probably think it useless. Just as well.
Javascript is a pretty knotty language. I'm speaking for myself when I say that.
As with any other thing, a solid foundation will pay off dividends. This book is a good start, but only a start. Woo-hoo! I finally finished this. Three minutes to 00:00 hrs.
It contains the very basics such that the more advanced concepts you'll go on to learn elsewhere will be more easily understood. If you're beyond beginner level, you'll probably think it useless. Just as well.
Javascript is a pretty knotty language. I'm speaking for myself when I say that.
As with any other thing, a solid foundation will pay off dividends. This book is a good start, but only a start. ...more

Sep 01, 2019 Ignaz rated it it was amazing

I wish I had started with this book.

This is a great way to start programming/JavaScript. The book and exercises are explicitly designed not to overwhelm a beginner and to build up confidence by drilling basic syntax and practicing to write small junks of code. I wish I had started with this book. It would have saved me a lot of frustration on other online learning platforms. But better late than never. Oh, and the author is also fun to read!

Aug 05, 2020 Dick rated it really liked it

The first half of the book offers very good explanation on the key concepts in JS, it helps solidify what I already learnt. The second half is very much web programming focus, I am glad I read the HTML/CSS book before I start this half. Unlike "JavaScript for kids" this one does not involve creating interactive games but basic concepts on how to build website and database using JS. This is useful but it cannot be your first and only book on JS.

Jul 16, 2017 Steven Dyk rated it did not like it

Probably I / you could learn JS with this book, but this is tightly integrated with the online exercise tool that too often flags responses as incorrect when they are OK, but do not adhere to the specific answer accepted by the program. There are better - much better - books and online resources available for learning JS

The only reason I put three stars due to lack of updated with new JavaScript. And this author still put some Js stuffs in html. My mentor at bootcamp said that kind of learning should be avoided. So eh.

Great approach to learning and Wonderful exercises

I have used several books to learn different programming languages but the approach used in this book is excellent. Hats off to Mr Myers! Thank you so much for making my journey to leaning JavaScript a bit easier👏🏼

I read this book in order to learn something new about Javascript. This book is not targettg towards experienced developers. This book is probably great for beginners completely new to programming.
The book is pretty basic and too simple for people who have several years of experience.

Enjoyed this book, it has excellent examples, plus the author provides a webpage to practice everything you have read. It took me a LOT of time to go through everything, but it is worth it and of course this book does not cover everything.

Feb 03, 2019 Pxljedi rated it it was amazing

Best JavaScript Book for Truly Learning JavaScript

I love doing the timed exercises. The book is broken down into small parts—which make it easier to digest the material.

Easily digestible, discreet learning chunks, with online exercises thrown in. Worked for me.

A wonderful book for starters, it combines theory with practice, which is may be the best part. I'd totally recommend this to starters. A wonderful book for starters, it combines theory with practice, which is may be the best part. I'd totally recommend this to starters. ...more

Aug 13, 2021 Chris Russell rated it it was amazing

Great book. Completing the exercises as you go really makes it stick. Shame that the promised certificate at the end didn't materialise but I'd definitely recommend this book. Great book. Completing the exercises as you go really makes it stick. Shame that the promised certificate at the end didn't materialise but I'd definitely recommend this book. ...more

Aug 01, 2022 Flatliner_ rated it really liked it

Honestly, I think it's better and faster to learn JavaScript via w3schools. Honestly, I think it's better and faster to learn JavaScript via w3schools. ...more

Location: GG5 IRC
Accession No: DL028516

Apr 01, 2015 Carl rated it it was ok

If you're a beginner programmer I have no doubt that this book could be of value to learning how to code in JavaScript. What the book has going for it is very clear instructions and breakdown of the example code, as well as practical work to do and explanation of syntax and a style guild. While there were a few editing mistakes I didn't see any code related ones. I'm not quite sure what the author regards as the "smarter way". Unless like the author of Learn Python The Hard Way he simply feels t If you're a beginner programmer I have no doubt that this book could be of value to learning how to code in JavaScript. What the book has going for it is very clear instructions and breakdown of the example code, as well as practical work to do and explanation of syntax and a style guild. While there were a few editing mistakes I didn't see any code related ones. I'm not quite sure what the author regards as the "smarter way". Unless like the author of Learn Python The Hard Way he simply feels that seeing lots of code and then following the instructions will make you a better programmer (this worked for me with Python btw). I however think there are **much** better ways to learn JavaScript, from FreeCodeCamp.com to Javascript.com, codecademy, codeschool.com or treehouse.com to codeEval, or any of hundreds of other free resources. I also feel there are much more in depth books available so I wouldn't recommend this book if you're just starting out (though it wouldn't hurt). Certainly wouldn't recommend it if you're already coding in another language. And if you've been coding in JavaScript for more than 3 months I would say this is a joke. ...more

I was initially excited at the concept of a book/online exercises combo. In practice, the book was pretty good for a beginner's guide to Javascript, but the online exercises, after about chapter 40 or so, were not up to the task of really teaching you how a javascript program fits together.

I had several problems with the exercises:
-They were repetitive. All chapters used the same number and type of exercises, even when longer-form exercises would be more appropriate.
-The coding of the questions

I was initially excited at the concept of a book/online exercises combo. In practice, the book was pretty good for a beginner's guide to Javascript, but the online exercises, after about chapter 40 or so, were not up to the task of really teaching you how a javascript program fits together.

I had several problems with the exercises:
-They were repetitive. All chapters used the same number and type of exercises, even when longer-form exercises would be more appropriate.
-The coding of the questions does not look like modern browser code. Pop-ups are used frequently and some exercises prompt the user to check their answer instead of testing it like a Codecademy course would.
-Exercises are done in a coding vacuum. The user doesn't get to use a real syntax-highlighting editor like they would for a real project.

Despite my objections to the online exercises, I felt that the content of the book was useful and I feel like I learned a lot, but I'm not sure if it was worth the price over some of the better free online-only options.

...more

This was a solid book for learning syntax, and very basic programming concepts and techniques. It was not very exciting, in that you don't actually build anything useful in the exercises. The format is to read a chapter for 10 minutes, and then do some exercises. Rinse and repeat.

Some things feel outdated, while others definitely still hold up. Splice vs. slice was an especially helpful section for me. Would recommend for absolute beginners looking to learn some basic JavaScript syntax!

This was a solid book for learning syntax, and very basic programming concepts and techniques. It was not very exciting, in that you don't actually build anything useful in the exercises. The format is to read a chapter for 10 minutes, and then do some exercises. Rinse and repeat.

Some things feel outdated, while others definitely still hold up. Splice vs. slice was an especially helpful section for me. Would recommend for absolute beginners looking to learn some basic JavaScript syntax!

...more

Feb 08, 2017 Marlous rated it really liked it

very helpful, easy to understand and the practice that comes after every chapter really helps you to understand what the chapter is about

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Mark Myers is a former lecturer in the Communications School of Boston University. He develops interactive training and websites. He holds an A.B. from Harvard.

His professional focus is on using technology to reduce the effort and tedium of learning, primarily through interactivity. He is developing the "A Smarter Way to Learn" series on programming, a collection of instructional books paired with

Mark Myers is a former lecturer in the Communications School of Boston University. He develops interactive training and websites. He holds an A.B. from Harvard.

His professional focus is on using technology to reduce the effort and tedium of learning, primarily through interactivity. He is developing the "A Smarter Way to Learn" series on programming, a collection of instructional books paired with online interactive exercises. He runs the website http://www.ASmarterWayToLearn.com.

Mark, his wife Judy, and their three politically-active cats live in Taos, NM, where he cooks under the ghostly supervision of Marcella Hazan, reads extensively, plays showboat frisbee once a week, and longs for more episodes of "Breaking Bad."

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