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1. A Brilliant Mind In A Time When Women Were Not Expected Or Deemed Able To Think
   Before reading this book, I had learned a few basic facts about Ada Lovelace from a computer class I had taken. I knew she had aided Charles Babbage in his invention of the difference engine which was the forerunner of the modern computer. That was all I knew.She was brilliant in her own right. We have computer languages thanks to Ada Lovelace. She is the one who created the first computer language.Whether you use a computer a lot, a little, or not at all, reading her story will be a fascinating read because she was a fascinating person.

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2. Well organized biography
   I bought this book to supplement a project my nine-year-old was doing on Ada Byron Lovelace. I like how this biography is organized and, even though it was likely written for a younger teen in mind, my daughter was able to follow along.

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3. Exceedingly Informative
   Ada Byron Lovelace is fascinating. She was an incredibly smart person who ignored labels and limitations forced onto women of her time. Author & illustrator Emily Arnold McCully says that “Brave girls and women are her favorite topics.” Oh, how Lovelace fits that ideal.While this book is exceedingly informative, I was a bit disappointed in its execution. McCully filled her pages with everything you would ever want to know about Lovelace, including a few end-of-life details that I was surprised to learn about her, her husband, and her mother.Maybe because I came into it thinking it was a children’s book (read: picture book), I felt slightly frustrated by how it read more like a (beautifully achieved) textbook than a kidlit biography. The cover even threw me by giving the impression it was aimed more at elementary school readers, rather than the late middle/early high school for which it was clearly intended.Overall, very well written and researched book…just not what I had been looking for at the time.A big thank you to Candlewick Press & NetGalley for the digital edition to read and review.

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4. Blazing a Trail
   Dreaming in Code is a biography about a very intelligent female pioneer named Ada Byron Lovelace born in the 1800s when women were not as encouraged to contribute to the world of science, technology, engineering and math as today’s women are. This book introduces the first computer programmer, Ada Byron Lovelace. When Ada was only a baby, her mother, Lady Byron, left her father, Lord Byron, a famous English poet because he did not treat his wife well. Lady Byron hired some of the most intelligent tutors for Ada. Ada had a passion for math, science, mental puzzles, and inventions. When Ada was 8 years old, her father died of an illness, so she never met her father. Growing up, Ada knew very little about her father and what it was like growing up with a father. Ada didn’t know of the poems her father wrote for her until later in her life. Throughout most of Ada’s life, she battled a sickness. Ada regularly complained of headaches. Ada became sick with measles in 1829. As a result, Ada was put to bed and unable to walk for nearly two and a half years. Ada’s mother saw this as an opportunity to fit more studies in. At age 17, Ada met Charles Babbage, an inventor. Babbage invented the Analytical Engine. From that night forward, they became lifelong friends and Babbage became Ada’s mentor. Babbage and Ada shared a common interest in that they were both intrigued by the concept of computer programming. Ada continued to be interested in computers and later became the first computer programmer. Sadly, on November 27, 1852, Ada passed away from Uterine Cancer at a young age. Would you like to discover more about Ada Byron Lovelace’s short, important life, which was often full of sadness?This book covers almost every detail of Ada Byron Lovelace’s life. It covers very important people in Ada’s life. This includes her mother, the one who pushed her to learn as much as she could. Are you interested in learning more about her husband, her three children, and the role Charles Babbage played in her life? All that information is covered in this historical, non-fiction biography.Some parts of this book were hard to understand and follow because of advanced vocabulary, wording, and descriptions about her work. In the book, when it is describing machines or engines, they describe it in a challenging way for children to understand. Therefore, I recommend this book for young adults and high schoolers who really enjoy scientific books or for writing a research paper on women who blazed a trail!Review by Alexis N., age 13, North Texas Mensa

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5. Mediocre
   This book outlines the life of Ada Byron Lovelace. Ada is known throughout the world as the first computer programmer. Raised by a strict and domineering mother, Ada never met her father, the famous poet Lord Byron. Interested in math, mental puzzles, and inventions, Ada was a woman born well before her time.I thought this book was a bit mediocre. I didn’t feel like I really got to know Ada. The book rushed through her life story, leaving out huge periods of time. The book spent a lot of time talking about Ada’s mother, but then barely discussed her husband and children. Overall, this book was a bust.

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