Jordan and Justin are best friends and the only two kids in their class’s advanced math group. So it isn’t until Stephanie Lewis marches into their classroom that they meet someone who’s as good with numbers as they are. Their shared interest in math quickly draws them together, and the three soon form The Math
Kids.
Unfortunately, life as math club kids isn’t always easy. In addition to extra homework, the three friends have two new problems. First, a string of mysterious burglaries has the whole neighbourhood on edge, including their parents. Then, they manage to earn unwanted attention from Robbie, the class bully. Luckily, Jordan, Justin, and Stephanie soon learn that their new club may give them the skills they need to solve both problems.
**
### Review
Excerpt: “I wish they'd catch whoever it is that's robbing the houses,” I said. “Joe said that the police were looking at a lot of clues.”Joe Ponnath is a year behind us in school, and his dad is a sergeant in the police force. The burglaries were a big topic at school and Joe was enjoying being in the spotlight. Even the fifth graders were paying attention to him. At recess, there was a crowd gathered around him asking him questions about the robberies. I don't think he knew much about them really, but he wasn't going to let anyone else know that.“The police are looking for one guy, but my dad thinks it might it might be an entire gang,” Joe said to the crowd. “He said we need to be careful because they could be armed and dangerous.”I wondered if his dad had really said anything about the criminals being armed I think Joe was just glad to have someone pay attention to him, so he needed to make it seem as if he knew everything about the case.“The chief of detectives is even thinking about calling in the FBI,” he said, drawing some oohs and aahs from the crowd, especially the younger kids. The FBI? That was big league!“Does your daddy have to go running to the FBI every time he can't solve a simple crime?” asked Robbie.Joe started to defend his dad, but then wisely shut his mouth when he saw Bryce and Bill standing behind Robbie. Joe was a scrappy little kid and didn't mind fighting with the older kids, but he wasn't about to take them on when he was outnumbered three to one.What? Math is fun. Math is useful. Aah, come on, that can't be right. But author David Cole has written a novel that absolutely proves that math can be fun and useful. Jordan, Justin and Stephanie are all math whizzes in school, and, like most students, they face many challenges every day. They must deal with Robbie and his gang who are all bullies. Stephanie has trouble with their teacher, and all of them are faced with burglaries in their neighbourhood that are scaring all the kids in school. The three form an after-school math club and realize they can use math to help solve some of their problems. Perhaps they can even use math to solve the mystery of the burglaries and where the burglars will strike next. Wouldn't it be cool to help the police.As a teacher, I have heard so many times that math isn't fun. Many students can't foresee what good it will ever be in their daily lives. Well, The Math Kids is a novel that will help readers see its value. The three characters learn that a math problem does not necessarily have just one solution and that there is often more than one way to solve a math problem. This chapter book even includes questions readers can try, and it also shows with illustrations and charts how the three characters solved their problems. At the end, there is a section that helps readers do math just like the math kids.The Math Kids: The Prime-Time Burglars is a fun book to read, and it really encourages readers to try some of the math challenges presented.Highly Recommended (Elaine Fuhr, Elaine Fuhr, a retired teacher, resides in Alberta. *CM: Canadian Review of Materials, November 9, 2018 Volume XXV Issue 10*)
Best friends Jordan and Justin are in a special math group in their class, and definitely unwelcoming when a new girl, Stephanie, is put with them. Although they have to admit that she is bright, she is also dangerous as she shows no fear when confronting the class bullies. When a series of burglaries go unsolved by the police the trio decide to apply their minds to solving the problem. The threesome are credibly drawn and the story movies at a good pace to a satisfactory solution.The book is comprised of 15 chapters in 91 pages and an appendix. This last section dis- cusses the math problem mentioned in the early part of the story, together with some other famous math problems. The art work in the text is in pen and ink by Shannon O'Toole. An enterprising math teacher could have some fun with a group of students and this bookThere are two more in the series coming soon.Thematic Links: Mathematics; School Stories; Problem SolvingRated E (Mavis Holder *Resource Links, February 2019 Volume 24, Number 3*)
### About the Author
David Cole is a writer and a math teacher. He has been interested in math since he was a very young boy. After pursuing degrees in math and computer science, he shared this love of math at many levels, teaching at the college level but also coaching elementary math teams and running a summer math camp for a number of years. He has also always loved to write, and has written a number of plays which have been performed. He has always wanted to combine my love of math and writing, and The Math Kids series was born as a great way to exercise both sides of his brain at the same time.
**Shannon O'Toole is a Toronto based illustrator, painter and elementary school teacher. Her playful illustration work is inspired by the unique and humorous characters in her life. Aside from illustrating books for children, Shannon has exhibited her artwork in galleries across Ontario. When she is not drawing, Shannon can be found curled up with her dog, Edgar watching old movies. You can visit her online atwww.shannonotooleart.com or follow her on Instagram @shannonotooleart **
Description:
Jordan and Justin are best friends and the only two kids in their class’s advanced math group. So it isn’t until Stephanie Lewis marches into their classroom that they meet someone who’s as good with numbers as they are. Their shared interest in math quickly draws them together, and the three soon form The Math
Kids.
Unfortunately, life as math club kids isn’t always easy. In addition to extra homework, the three friends have two new problems. First, a string of mysterious burglaries has the whole neighbourhood on edge, including their parents. Then, they manage to earn unwanted attention from Robbie, the class bully. Luckily, Jordan, Justin, and Stephanie soon learn that their new club may give them the skills they need to solve both problems.
**
### Review
Excerpt: “I wish they'd catch whoever it is that's robbing the houses,” I said. “Joe said that the police were looking at a lot of clues.”Joe Ponnath is a year behind us in school, and his dad is a sergeant in the police force. The burglaries were a big topic at school and Joe was enjoying being in the spotlight. Even the fifth graders were paying attention to him. At recess, there was a crowd gathered around him asking him questions about the robberies. I don't think he knew much about them really, but he wasn't going to let anyone else know that.“The police are looking for one guy, but my dad thinks it might it might be an entire gang,” Joe said to the crowd. “He said we need to be careful because they could be armed and dangerous.”I wondered if his dad had really said anything about the criminals being armed I think Joe was just glad to have someone pay attention to him, so he needed to make it seem as if he knew everything about the case.“The chief of detectives is even thinking about calling in the FBI,” he said, drawing some oohs and aahs from the crowd, especially the younger kids. The FBI? That was big league!“Does your daddy have to go running to the FBI every time he can't solve a simple crime?” asked Robbie.Joe started to defend his dad, but then wisely shut his mouth when he saw Bryce and Bill standing behind Robbie. Joe was a scrappy little kid and didn't mind fighting with the older kids, but he wasn't about to take them on when he was outnumbered three to one.What? Math is fun. Math is useful. Aah, come on, that can't be right. But author David Cole has written a novel that absolutely proves that math can be fun and useful. Jordan, Justin and Stephanie are all math whizzes in school, and, like most students, they face many challenges every day. They must deal with Robbie and his gang who are all bullies. Stephanie has trouble with their teacher, and all of them are faced with burglaries in their neighbourhood that are scaring all the kids in school. The three form an after-school math club and realize they can use math to help solve some of their problems. Perhaps they can even use math to solve the mystery of the burglaries and where the burglars will strike next. Wouldn't it be cool to help the police.As a teacher, I have heard so many times that math isn't fun. Many students can't foresee what good it will ever be in their daily lives. Well, The Math Kids is a novel that will help readers see its value. The three characters learn that a math problem does not necessarily have just one solution and that there is often more than one way to solve a math problem. This chapter book even includes questions readers can try, and it also shows with illustrations and charts how the three characters solved their problems. At the end, there is a section that helps readers do math just like the math kids.The Math Kids: The Prime-Time Burglars is a fun book to read, and it really encourages readers to try some of the math challenges presented.Highly Recommended (Elaine Fuhr, Elaine Fuhr, a retired teacher, resides in Alberta. *CM: Canadian Review of Materials, November 9, 2018 Volume XXV Issue 10*)
Best friends Jordan and Justin are in a special math group in their class, and definitely unwelcoming when a new girl, Stephanie, is put with them. Although they have to admit that she is bright, she is also dangerous as she shows no fear when confronting the class bullies. When a series of burglaries go unsolved by the police the trio decide to apply their minds to solving the problem. The threesome are credibly drawn and the story movies at a good pace to a satisfactory solution.The book is comprised of 15 chapters in 91 pages and an appendix. This last section dis- cusses the math problem mentioned in the early part of the story, together with some other famous math problems. The art work in the text is in pen and ink by Shannon O'Toole. An enterprising math teacher could have some fun with a group of students and this bookThere are two more in the series coming soon.Thematic Links: Mathematics; School Stories; Problem SolvingRated E (Mavis Holder *Resource Links, February 2019 Volume 24, Number 3*)
### About the Author
David Cole is a writer and a math teacher. He has been interested in math since he was a very young boy. After pursuing degrees in math and computer science, he shared this love of math at many levels, teaching at the college level but also coaching elementary math teams and running a summer math camp for a number of years. He has also always loved to write, and has written a number of plays which have been performed. He has always wanted to combine my love of math and writing, and The Math Kids series was born as a great way to exercise both sides of his brain at the same time.
**Shannon O'Toole is a Toronto based illustrator, painter and elementary school teacher. Her playful illustration work is inspired by the unique and humorous characters in her life. Aside from illustrating books for children, Shannon has exhibited her artwork in galleries across Ontario. When she is not drawing, Shannon can be found curled up with her dog, Edgar watching old movies. You can visit her online atwww.shannonotooleart.com or follow her on Instagram @shannonotooleart **