Adventures in math How to level up your math game

This is a great book for libraries to have on hand when a parent comes in needing help with their child who's struggling with math. Part of the book's appeal is that there's relatively little math compared to the amount of practical, entertaining, and reassuring advice on changing mindsets and discovering the fun aspects of problem solving. The engaging premise is that a bunch of kids are trekking through the jungle, facing all kinds of challenges, and need to come up with pretty complex solutions. There are multiple ways of solving each problem, involving exploration, estimation, and experimentation, and the narrative is all about slowing down, persisting, asking for help, learning from mistakes, and playing around--whether they're creating drawings, diagrams, charts, or digital models. Multiple sidebars highlight individuals who used math to come up with innovative ideas (including many who weren't very good at math as kids); others highlight real-world conundrums (building bridges, operating robotic arms in outer space), artistic applications (crocheting hyperbolic geometry models, coding video games), and helpful hints (try singing formulas to help remember them). Colorful graphics bounce off pages and effectively support concepts; references and sources are provided. The author is a math coach, and her expertise is evident. Be sure to leave this out for browsers to discover, too.

A math coach's winning techniques for taking the mystery out of mathematics, and for acing math problems and tests. Dismissing as myth the idea that some people are just born with a "math brain," Wu offers a mix of specific techniques--all evidence-based from cited sources--and general encouragement designed to make mathematics less intimidating or inscrutable for anyone willing to make an effort. While urging readers to ask for help when necessary and to think of mistakes as learning opportunities, she introduces role models of the present and past like Maryam Mirzakhani (the first Iranian and first woman to win a prestigious Fields Medal) and points to math's roles in unlikely pursuits like crochet and fashion design. She closes each chapter with a set of projects or activities ("Make a pie chart about how you feel during the day"). Meanwhile, along with spot art and periodic achievement badges, Simpson's cartoon illustrations take a racially diverse group of young explorers successfully past various obstacles to a jungle's sunny edge in tandem with the reader's metaphorical journey from cluelessness to a self-affirmative "I've got this." "It all adds up," the author closes reassuringly, beneath a pithy summary of her main points. Positive in tone throughout and solid both in principles and procedures. (source lists, index)(Self-help. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.