Learning Computer Programming: It's not about Languages by Mary Farrell

This book is written for aspiring programmers, and teaches basic programming skills that can be applied to any language. It covers the key concepts of Loops, Functions, Pointers, Boolean Conditions, the Array, and more. There are so many programming languages in use today that it's difficult to decide which one to learn, especially for novices. With this in mind, Learning Computer Programming: It's Not About Languages focuses on "programming skills". The book stresses concepts over language, but still includes examples from the most popular C++,JAVA, and HTML (each has its own chapter). Using helpful hints, analogies, and exercises, the book gently guides you through the maze of programming techniques, concepts, and pitfalls. Written by a high school teacher, Learning Computer Programming emphasizes the most relevant topics for beginners and pinpoints the essentials of programming success.