Worm Burner, age 10 and resident Tech Support, asked if I would
teach him C++ this summer. Sure, no problem. Except that the
last time I used C++ was during my Ph.D. dissertation and my
summer plans did not include hours in front of the terminal re-
learning how to program. I highly recommend Beginning C++
through Game Programming, by Michael Dawson. This book is great
for beginning programmers, especially if they have some previous
programming experience (Worm Burner had already programmed in
QBasic on Windows). Even if they had no previous experience,
this book would walk them step-by-step through concepts like
variables, input/output, loops, strings, and arrays. Best of
all, it uses game example programs like Word Jumble, Mad Lib,
and Tic-Tac-Toe to hook kids into figuring out the logic behind
programming and applying their nascent C++ skills in a way
that's fun and entertaining. Note that this book is not intended
for children. It just has a great easy-to-use format and style
that lends itself to children