Books
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Books for students
Blue Pelican Java by Charles Cook
Blue Pelican Java was written by a high school Computer Science teacher. It's one of the few Java books I've seen that was written specifically for High School students. It is easy to read, with short chapters and clear examples. My students find this to be easily readable. Each chapter ends with a comprehensive set of short questions. Best of all, you can try it out at no cost because there is a free version avaialable on the web-site. The only restriction on the free version is that you cannot print, so students must read on the screen. If you want a printed copy and a printable PDF, it costs 39.95 USD.
The book covers all the topics in IB SL and HL, except RandomAccessFile. The book contains 57 chapters, and it makes sense to do about 2 or 3 chapters per week for HL (fewer for SL). There are also lots of appendices covering history of computing, binary arithmetic, BlueJ IDE, and many other useful topics. There are also accompanying videos that you can purchase - samples available on the web-site. (review by Dave Mulkey)
Computer Science Java Enabled by Andrew Meyenn and Richard Jones
This is the only book that specifically covers the IB Syllabus. The authors are both IB examiners and wrote a book that covers the knowledge needed for the IB Comp Sci exams. It thoroughly covers the theoretical topics about hardware and computer systems. The chapter about Java programming is rather too brief, but it's easy to supplement this with a Java programming text.
The book makes good use of diagrams and specific examples. My students find the reading level a bit difficult, but the information is clear, concise and comprehensive. I wish it had more exercises and practice questions - but this is easily supplemented by past-paper questions and other resources. This is an indispensable resource for IB teachers and students, thanks to it's complete coverage of the IB syllabus. (review by Dave Mulkey)
Java Methods by Maria and Gary Litvin
Publisher: Skylight Publishing ISBN: ISBN: 0-9654853-7-4 (hard cover) ISBN: 0-9654853-3-1 (soft cover) (An Introduction to Object Oriented Programming) ISBN: ISBN: 0-9654853-7-5 (hard cover) (For AP) These books (published 2003) have since been re-issued and revised under one volume: Java Methods A&AB, AP* Edition
A well written and popular textbook that covers the ground needed for AP and IB Standard Level Java programming as well as introducing basic computing concepts.
Plenty of helpful resources on the website and lots of exercises, ideas and quizzes throughout the text. The chapter on graphics and GUI components and events may hold some interest for students following those routes. The final chapter covers OOP concepts such as inheritance, polymorphism and encapsulation. (review by Richard Jones)
Computing Concepts with Java Essentials by Cay Horstman
This is a printed (costs money) book. It's extremely well written. I especially like the "Random Fact" entries which are 1-2 page stories about Computer Science, ethics, history of computing, etc. Explanations are comprehensive and clear (although lengthy), with lots of sample code. Chapters end with a comprehensive set of practice exercises.
The book covers enough Java for the IB, including an excellent chapter on the Software Life Cycle and CRC cards. It has a chapter on Linked-Lists, but no trees, so it's not quite enough for HL.
I bought a class set of these a few years back, but my students find it difficult to read. I don't think the level of the language is difficult, but the explanations are quite long and my students are not patient readers. Other than that, an excellent introductory text for Java. (review by Dave Mulkey)
Java au Naturel by Dr. William C. Jones, Jr.,
Java au Naturel starts directly with OOP, but does it very clearly and simply so that beginners don't get lost. The OOP approach continues throughout the book. There is a fair bit about graphics. It also covers Swing GUI. It's may be the only book that covers Linked-Lists and Trees from the ground up, without using the built in Java.util classes, so it is a good resource for HL students. The book is quite readable and uses clear, straight-forward examples.(review by Dave Mulkey)
Books for the teacher or the library
Object Oriented Design & Patterns by Cay Horstmann
Publisher: Wiley This is a review of the first edition; if anyone has a review of the second, please post it here.
Cay Horstmann is one of the best writers on Java and C++ at High School and College level and has written many books aimed at this level (you can find them by following the link). Object Oriented Design & Patterns is more of a teacher text at IB level and, if you have struggled with these concepts through the famous (but somewhat impenetrable) books by the "Gang of Four" and other authors, this will help put that into a more manageable context. Lot's of interesting sidebars and stories to share with your students as well.
It also includes a useful and accessible account of simplified UML notation. (review by Richard Jones)
Java Pitfalls & More Java Pitfalls by Daconta et al
Publisher: Wiley
There are two books in the series although the first one might be out of print by now.
A reading of these books may well save you hours of de-bugging in the classroom and elsewhere. If you teach Java long enough, these pitfalls will come up and can cause a great deal of frustration. From apparently overridden methods to hidden fields, to using GridBagLayout correctly these books will be a useful source of reference and reflection.
A lot of what is in here is completely irrelevant to IB Computer Science, it's true, but having them on your shelf or in your library may save you considerable pain. (review by Richard Jones)
Learning Java by Niemeyer and Knudsen
An understandable and thorough explanation of Java, from Hello.java through utility classes and files, Swing, applets, Web programming, multimedia, etc (Table of Contents - loads slowly). It's very readable - has very clear, understandable explanations (not overly technical). I read it pretty much from cover to cover during 3 weeks commuting on the train - that means you can actually read it without sitting at a computer and trying things out. It contains lots of clear, concise code examples. It's my favorite Java reference book - whenever I have a technical question, I look here first and almost always find the answer. It might be useful to a VERY capable student (it's not a textbook), but probably only useful for teachers.(review by Dave Mulkey)
Also available from the Amazon Bookstore at: ISBN: 0-596-00873-2
