Josh Willett is a sixth-grader who loves biking, skateboarding and, most of all, computers. He practices coding after school and uses his laptop in every class. Every class, that is, except English.

More than 25 years later, the pen of another name meets a new generation of wordsmiths. By Jon Agee Jon Agee is the author, most recently, of the picture book “My Dad Is a Tree.” There’s a moment in ...