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Carlos Bueno

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Lauren Ipsum Paperback – November 20, 2011

by Carlos Bueno (Author), Ytaelena López (Illustrator)

78

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A story about computer science and other improbable things. Laurie is lost in Userland. She knows where she is, or where she's going, but maybe not at the same time. The only way out is through Jargon-infested swamps, gates guarded by perfect logic, and the perils of breakfast time at the Philosopher's Diner. With just her wits and the help of a lizard who thinks he's a dinosaur, Laurie has to find her own way home.

Lauren Ipsum is a children's story about computer science. In 20 chapters she encounters dozens of ideas from timing attacks to algorithm design, the subtle power of names, and how to get a fair flip out of even the most unfair coin.

Get one, Give one: For every copy of Lauren Ipsum sold, another copy will be donated to schools, libraries, and educational programs. See www.laurenipsum.org for more details.

Reading age

9 - 12 years
Print length

156 pages
Language

English
Grade level

3 - 4
Dimensions

6 x 0.5 x 8.75 inches
Publication date

November 20, 2011
ISBN-10

1461178185
ISBN-13

978-1461178187
See all details

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Inspiring students to become the developers, engineers, and innovators who will create solutions to some of the Nation's toughest challenges." -The White House

"A Looking Glass tale for the computer age." -School Library Journal

"Lauren Ipsum is part of a much larger movement that seeks to bring programming skills to, well, everyone." -Wired

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (November 20, 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 156 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1461178185
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1461178187
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 9 - 12 years
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 4
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.5 x 8.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,580,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,422 in Children's Computers & Technology Books

Customer Reviews:
78

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Carlos Bueno

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Carlos Bueno is an engineer at Facebook, where he makes things go faster. He is the author of the children's novel "Lauren Ipsum" and many articles about programming and the structure of the internet. Carlos was recently honored by the White House for his work promoting computer science and technology to children.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

78 global ratings

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Holy_Handgrenade

Incredible! Finally an accessible intro to comp sci for kids!

Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2011

Verified Purchase

I was excited when I first learned about this project almost a month ago. Carlos decided to post the first chapter up on the projects main website which hooked me instantly. As soon as it was available I got it for the kindle and took the time to read it fully.

The exceptional part of this work is that it is an accessible introduction to computer science and how the various systems work. While this is not the first attempt I've seen at directing kids into the fascinating world of computer science, this is the first one that doesn't stumble on presenting complex topics such as math as a workbook or otherwise try to explain binary in a "textbook" sort of way.

Everything is presented in a very Alice in Wonderland style of story where every concept is explained from a character's point of view and uses characterizations to convey or represent specific concepts. In the case of binary, Carlos presents the ways that it is used first showing it in action, with our heroine, Laurie, asking the "how does it do that?" question which gets explained clearly by another character. Covering things like algorithms, encryption, security concepts, precision and heuristics, even presenting how to work on a timing attack. Userland is also described beautifully and makes some, not as obvious as other, attempts at explaining how computer systems are organized.

As an adult, I enjoyed the read. It was fun to go through and constantly going back through the chapters going "Ahh, I see what you did there!" All in all I highly recommend this book for anyone, not just kids.

13 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Well done. Written for adults and kids to share.

Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2012

Verified Purchase

I found out about Lauren Ipsum on Reddit and downloaded the book to my Kindle. I found the preview I read to be quite clever, and I wasn't disappointed with the rest of the book.

I am a computer programmer by trade, and I recognized all the references to classical computer science problems and lore in this Alice in Wonderland style book. I enjoyed the book so much that I bought a paperback copy for my Godson, who is learning about computer programming in elementary school. I know he won't get the references, but I plan to check in with him on his progress reading the book and talk with him about the problems Lauren helps solve.

Other reviewers have mentioned the illustrations as a point of weakness. I have to agree with them, even though I'm sure the illustrator put a lot of work into them. They are interesting and beautiful, but somehow, to me, the illustrations do not quite fit the spirit of the book. One specific illustration has a character with a sharp knife on her belt, and I am not a big fan of knives in books written for children.

One person found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

An amusing little book

Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2013

Verified Purchase

When my brother quoted parts of this to me, it seemed a little amusing, but to be using too many obvious puns etc.
As it was so cheap, I ended up getting it anyway.

Because of the snippets I'd heard in isolation, I really wanted to not like this book. I failed. I reckon it was probably the jargons right near the start which first dashed the idea of not liking this book...

Anyway, it's a quick and light read, but it does manage to cover a lot of ground. If you are a programmer/computer scientist, you probably won't learn much. And yes, it does have a number of computer science in-jokes and bad puns. I think that's part of its charm though.

Disclaimer: I am a software engineer, so I can't judge how it will appear to non-programmers...
I do intend to lend it to my 12 year old brother sometime and see what he makes of it.

Helpful

Ann E. Howard

Fantastic! Great for kids, and those new to programming.

Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2012

Verified Purchase

I found the book charming, interesting and engaging. My son, who had no interest in learning to program before, is very interested now. As a software engineer, I had explained the concept to him as "making software, like websites and video games", which hadn't sparked his interest. The book goes into details about solving problems, doing things cleverly and not being so concerned with bit-wise operations and the limitations of silicon. It explores the mysteries in computation, not the mundanity in computer science that so often textbooks begin with. There are no shortage of people who feel like computer science has a story to offer, and this captures it beautifully.

3 people found this helpful

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Oliver Mason

Good to get kids familiar with some CS concepts

Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2012

Verified Purchase

This is a good book for kids; easy to read at bed time, and entertaining. My daughters loved it and always wanted to hear another chapter...

There is a lot of 'name dropping', so that some concept names (red-black trees, round robins) will sound familiar, but the descriptions are sometimes a bit too cryptic or vague to be helpful in explaining the relevant concept itself. But maybe that would be too much too ask from a book like this. I think my kids will think they sound familiar when they come across them in real life, which will hopefully take some of the mystery away from doing CS.

Some other review commented on the images: I agree that the style is a bit 'weird', and not really all that suitable for a children's book.

I definitely enjoyed reading it to my kids, and so did they.

One person found this helpful

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Michael Cramer

Alice in Wonderland and Flatland have a new companion.

Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2012

Verified Purchase

When I told my 8-year-old daughter that our new bedtime book was going to be all about computer science, her response could be summed up as, "finally!" The book is a great introduction to concepts familiar to computer programmers, without being a series of lessons or even explanations. It reveals the ideas inherent in computers without forcing them onto the command line. From traveling salesmen to poetry-following turtles, the book is a treasure trove of ideas. By the time we finished my daughter said, "can we read more books like that? More computer science-y books?" I hope we don't have to wait long for "Lauren's Further Adventures in Userland"!

3 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer

Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada on March 23, 2016

Verified Purchase

Great way to introduce computer to kids

Michael Davis

Computer Science for Primary School

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 21, 2012

Verified Purchase

I am a Computer Scientist and I bought this book for my 8-year-old daughter. We have just finished reading it together; I say "together", but every evening after I stopped reading, my daughter would take the book and read ahead a few chapters under the covers. The story is witty and engaging, and packed full of concepts from theoretical computer science, presented in a way an 8-year-old can understand; but also entertaining and perhaps even enlightening to adults who already know something about complexity theory. Absolute genius!

My daughter has her favourite chapters which she asks me to read and re-read to her: she especially loves the part where the Tortoise proves to Zeno that an infinite piece of string is exactly two inches long. The book is also a great jumping-off point for doing little projects in Logo or Scratch.

Every school library should have a copy of this book: so all the better that for every copy you buy, the authors will donate one copy to a school.

Darcy Benoit

Was mostly what I expected...

Reviewed in Canada on September 23, 2013

Verified Purchase

This book was mostly what I expected - it introduced some concepts without actually talking about computers. It was a bit obtuse in parts, and I wasn't really sure where the book was going, but my kids (6 and 8) liked it. Not sure how much CS they took out of the book, but I'll read it again to them when they are older.

One person found this helpful

Kiwi ET

Good but ..

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 20, 2013

Verified Purchase

Some good fairy tale ideas for introducing computer science ideas but not as good as Kubica's computational fairy tales. The two books do develop different themes so used together they are good teaching aids.

One person found this helpful

Amazon Customer

My kids loved this book!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 22, 2012

Verified Purchase

I read this to my kids (age 6 and 8) every night for a week and they were always begging for more. There is so much to learn here about computer science, but when it comes down to it, its an interesting story told in an amusing and engaging way.

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Lauren Ipsum Paperback – November 20, 2011

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