Debian Perl: Digital Detective is a five-book series in which middle-grade readers will join Debian and Digits on mystery adventures all while building practical knowledge of coding, algorithms, algebra, and logical problem-solving.

"Debian Perl will not only teach readers about STEAM-based education, but also about the importance of friendship, loyalty, identity, and, of course, solving the scientific puzzles of the future." –Dr. Katie Monnin, Pop Culture Classroom

Megalopolis used to be the city hub for all the makers, doers, and dreamers. It was a better time according to Debian Perl, a technomancer known for her out-of-date computer programming skills. Now the city streets are filled with “Egg-heads,” those in thrall to the ease and simplicity of new technology as opposed to Debian’s way of doing things. Digits is one of those Egg-heads. She is a young social media guru and knows her way around all the newest, latest technology. Debian and Digits cross paths when they both stumble across a 100-year-old lost robot named Ray-Bot. They soon learn that Ray-Bot’s CPU was suspiciously overclocked, leaving him unable to perform basic functions and commands. To find out where the robot came from, Debian must teach Digits everything she knows about computer coding and programming. Along their journey to bring Ray-Bot home, they begin piecing together the mysterious puzzle about his malfunction and uncover some sinister secrets. Debian Perl: Digital Detective is a five-book series in which middle-grade readers will join Debian and Digits on mystery adventures all while building practical knowledge of coding, algorithms, algebra, and logical problem-solving.

About The Authors

Mel Hilario

Mel Hilario is a writer who empowers readers by helping them understand the world around them. She received her MFA in creative writing from Mills College, has been a recipient of the Elizabeth George Foundation Grant and residencies at VONA (Voices of our Nations Arts), Las Dos Brujas Writers Workshop, Writing by Writers, and Hedgebrook. She has developed characters for toy lines, masterminded educational workbooks, and written wrenching essays, most recently for the Kindred Souls anthology Angry Women. She lives in Oakland, California, with two of the largest cats her friends have ever seen.

Lauren Davis

Lauren Davis almost became a lawyer but found that her love of research and sharing weird facts was better suited to comics. After receiving her JD from the Georgetown University Law Center, Lauren wrote for several years at the speculative fiction blog io9 and eventually got her MFA in comics at the California College of the Arts. In addition to making comics, Lauren is a teaching artist and a longtime organizer of San Francisco Zine Fest. She also collected, edited, and published the comics anthologies The Comic Book Guide to the Mission and Sci-Fi San Francisco. Her 12-year-old self would be proud that she wrote a book about unicorns.

About The Illustrator

Katie Longua

Katie Longua has the power to make anything more magical. She has designed toys, developed video games, created logos, illustrated comic book covers, and drawn frame-worthy infographics. Her self-published comics include the award-winning RÖK, Her Space Opera, and Munchies. She’s done work for BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment, Image Comics, IDW Comics, Oni Press, Tapas Media, the San Francisco Exploratorium, Girls Make Games, Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls, and Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates. With a personal color palette that is both art and manifesto, she lives in a haunted house with her partner, Josh, and a small army of transforming robots.