Ada Lovelace and the Start of Computers by Jordi Bayarri Dolz was such a delightful book! A book that belongs on every library shelf! I felt so lucky to get a copy for myself! I have shared on my goodreads, bookstagram, and booktok!

This book gives a brief introduction of Lady Augusta Ada Byron, also known as Countess of Lovelace and Ada Lovelace, who played an interesting role in history that I had not known about prior to reading this. Many other historical scientific figures that influenced Ada’s love of math and science are highlighted in this book as well.

I found this children’s graphic biography to be a quick and enjoyable read, especially having discovered that Ada is my distant cousin through her father, famous English poet Lord Byron.

Thank you NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for sending me a free digital ARC of this book to read and review!

I had a hard time putting this graphic novel down. We learn all about a woman who was way ahead of her time. In these pages we see how smart they are and the challenges they faced along the way. The illustrations are wonderful and really help bring this story to life. Most people are going to have a lot of fun reading this graphic novel.

This book was very informative! I love that it shows the process of invention and that things do not start out perfect and inventions go through a process before they are even presented to the public. I think a lot of times kids in this generation think that when they create something it should be perfect after the first attempt otherwise they failed. Not only do I think you could use this to teach a biography or informative text lesson but you could also also use it as an introduction to your first project of the year or your first paper, while discussing that there needs to be a revision process to the things you do in order to make them better. For instance, when you write an essay there is an editing process afterwards before you get to the final draft. Just as Babbage changed his creation of the computer multiple times, and just like Ada altered what he wrote about it and added notes to increase understanding.

Jordan Bayarri Dolz provides kids with an accessible way of learning about a transformative person in history. Her story is told in a meaningful way through pictures and dialogue. Providing this book to young children bring to the forefront an opportunity to learn about a person often overlooked in the textbooks.

This was such a cute comic!!!! Perfect for young girls who are looking into such a male dominated field, It is especially hard to look in history and not have these rolemodels. The art though not my favorite style did not distract from the story. I did not know Lord Byron had a daughter, let alone that she was so accomplished. Her mother's insistence that her daughter be driven towards science, and thus completely different from her father was comic and sad at the same time. However, this led her to such a well rounded education. One critique I have of this is that the only person that questions Ada's gender as a factor in this field is herself. I understand for the audience this is important, but not entirely factual. I enjoyed this quick read overall, and would love to read it to my niece.

I enjoyed this graphic novel of Ada Lovelace's life.

It was a clear and concise intro to her and her achievements. I think it will be greatly beneficial to kids looking to learn a bit more about computer science history.

I would have liked to see more about her, though. It seemed to end abruptly, and I just would have liked a more complete biography. I know this was just meant as an intro, and I did enjoy what content there was.

Thank you for the e-arc!

In a Nutshell: A very good book about a computing pioneer. Not a picture book but a graphic novel. Will work better for teens.

While I have heard of Charles Babbage and his Analytical Engine right since my childhood days, Ada Lovelace came into my life only in my college years when I saw a list mention Ada the programming language and learnt whom it was named after. Since then, I have had a soft spot for this brilliant lady on whose shoulders we the female techies of today stand.

This graphic biography focusses on Ada’s early years under her mom, her interactions with various tutors who recognise the potential in the young genius, and her collaboration with Charles Babbage. There is a timeline of Ada’s life (along with a rather striking portrait of her) and a glossary of computing terms provided at the end.

It was just a few years ago that I found out about Ada being THE Lord Byron’s daughter. I had assumed that his creativity and guidance would have had a lot to do with her aptitude for mathematics and analytics. However, it was only with this book that I discovered that he had nothing to do with her education nor upbringing, and it was, in fact, her mother who deserves the credit for recognising the spark in her daughter and allowing it to flourish. I appreciated the fact that Ada’s mom was finally recognised for her role in nurturing Ada’s talent.

Most of the other information was already known to me, but it was still fun to read them in a comic format. That said, the book stops quite abruptly. Of course, the title should have prepared me for this as it mentions “the start of computers” and limits its focus to its agenda. But as the story began with Ada’s early life, I wish it could take us a little bit beyond her contribution to Babbage’s Analytical Engine and the French article related to it. It is a biography, so there should have been some more info about Ada’s personal life, especially in adulthood. Sometimes, it just jumps from event to event without focussing on the ‘why’. I suppose a 40-page restriction does have its disadvantages.

The illustrations are decent. The sketching style appears suitable for comics. However, once Ada reaches her teens, she looks more or less the same till the end. Also, if you have seen the limited portraits of Ada, she was a gorgeous woman, and a Countess at that. The illustrations in the book don’t do her justice.

If you wish to know more about this amazing lady who was so ahead of her times, this graphic novel will serve your purpose as a beginner’s guide to her life. Because of its vocabulary and the inherent complexity of the topic, it will be suitable to readers in their teens or above.

4 stars.


My thanks to Lerner Publishing Group and NetGalley for the DRC of “Ada Lovelace and the Start of Computers”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

I had no idea that Ada Lovelace was the daughter of Lord Byron, one of the greatest poets ever. It was fascinating to learn how she became deeply involved with the creation of the original “computers”. How she fought as a woman for her right to be heard. This was a short but informative graphic novel. I enjoyed the drawings, which were able to convey the storyline without taking away from it.

This graphic novel will keep students reading as they learn about the litte known contributions of Ada Lovelace to the development of computers. Ada is a role model for girls in seeing their potential in STEM fields, even when females may be in the minority. Students will see the value of intelligence, problem solving, and following their dreams. The illustrations will keep the readers’ attention.

💻 This is a great graphic biography of Ada Lovelace – the woman credited as being one of the very first computer programmers.

💻 The story covers her life as a child through her success with the “computer” she worked on with Charles Babbage.

💻 I love the graphic novel format (only 40 pages) and I believe it will appeal to the targeted age group of 10 to 14 years old. There is quite a bit of math discussed, but thankfully there is a glossary at the end for middle grade readers to use.

💻 There is also a timeline of her life at the back of the book.

💻 I’m a huge advocate for STEM, and particularly women in STEM, so I think books like this are extremely important.

Thank you @netgalley and @lernerbooks for an eARC of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This is the second book about Ada Lovelace that I've read and I think her life was really interesting! She had a famous father and she was way ahead of her time with realizing what machinery of the future would be able to do for computing numbers and statistics. This version is a graphic novel which makes it fun and engaging!

Thanks to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book was a great way to get a younger person interested in an amazing role model like Ada Lovelace, as well as the STEM path for women. Great job!

I received an ARC of this book for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a short graphic novel that summarizes the life of Ada Lovelace and her role in spreading awareness of what would eventually become the computer. The art style is cute, and I recommend it for any young student, as this is a good introduction to the big names of mathematics and science in this time period. The ending felt abrupt but it works in the overall context of the book.

Some words might be too advanced for young children but this book offers the perfect opportunities to practice learning new words and identifying context clues. There is a glossary in the back but it’s a list of mathematical terms rather than general vocabulary.

There’s also a helpful timeline at the end which will help children with their school reports.

"Ada Lovelace and the Start of Computers" is a fantastically accessible way to teach young children about the importance of Lovelace's role in building the first components that would eventually lead to the construction of the computer. The pictures and dialogue are pleasant and engaging and the story is full of facts that avoid being overwhelming. The construction of this comic makes the reader feel they are delving into fantasy and lets the education feel fun and unforced. Highly recommend for purchase in all libraries where graphic novels are appreciated by their younger patrons.

This is a great biography of an important woman in history! The graphic novel format will appeal to even those reluctant readers. I think this is a great introduction to all classroom libraries!

Pros: I am a big believer that (good) children's books are not just for children but are also for the adults who read them with/to children. I find myself learning a lot from children's books and did just that in this book on Ada Lovelace, who I knew almost nothing about before reading this book. I was not expecting a comic book format, but I thought it was a fun way to feature this story. I was excited to see that this is part of a larger series of graphic biographies of scientists and appreciate that women are included in this series.

Cons: None that I can think of!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group, Graphic Universe for the opportunity to read this book!

Ada Lovelace has always fascinated me. She was instrumental in the world of math and science at a time when women were not welcome. This small graphic novel is a lovely addition to the world of Ada Lovelace books. The illustrations were charming and the story was very informative while not being dense!

I like the format of the graphic novel to introduce the person. It was easily to follow and a great way to learn about Ada Lovelace. I would love to see more books like this.

Ada Lovelace and the Star of Computers
Loved this young reader’s look Ada Lovelace. Who thinks to her help pave the way for us to have computers.