Book of Perfectly Perilous Math - 24 Challenges

by Sean Connolly, Allan Sanders (Illustrator)

Math rocks! At least it does in the gifted hands of Sean Connolly, who blends middle school math with fantasy to create an exciting adventure in problem-solving. These word problems are perilous, do-or-die scenarios of blood-sucking vampires ( How many months would it take a single vampire to completely take over a town of 500,000 people? ), or a rowboat of 5 shipwrecked sailors with a single barrel of freshwater ( How much can they drink, and for how long, before they go mad from thirst??? ). Each problem requires readers to dig deep into the tools they’re learning in school to figure out how to survive.Kids will love solving these problems. Sean Connolly knows how to make tough subjects exciting and he brings that same intuitive understanding of what inspires and challenges kids’ curiosity to the 24 problems in The Book of Perfectly Perilous Math . These problems are as fun to read as they are challenging to solve. They test readers on fractions, algebra, geometry, probability, expressions and equations, and more.Use geometry to fill in for the ship’s navigator and make it safely to the New World. Escape an evil Duke’s executioner by picking the right door—probability will save your neck.

Genres: Mathematics, Childrens, Nonfiction, Education

240 pages, Paperback

First published March 14, 2012

About the author

Sean Connolly will be familiar to listeners of BBC Radio Five Live and Radio Wales. Among his more than 50 books aimed at children and adults are Wholly Irresponsible Experiments and Witness to History: The Industrial Revolution. He has also written for the Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia. His three children are either collaborators or guinea pigs, depending on the project.

Reviews

[Selene · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are so much fun! The students absolutely love them!

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh My Gosh! This book is AWESOME!!!! You get to save yourself from killer tornadoes, Zombies, asteroids, and much more using math!!!! However, they are a bit hard....

[SaraLaLa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to do all of these activities with my students! How inspiring!! :-D

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much fun! And I could understand almost all of these, but I still learned to understand the principles better. I mean, it's true that a lot of the math we learn after fifth grade we don't normally truly need, so after a half century it was really good to get a refresher... which means I can actually now solve irl problems more efficiently. And maybe have more fun with more brainteasers for slightly older students...?

Two things especially 'wowed' me:

It's amazing to see how small a 'patch' is needed to increase the circumference of a circle, if the radius is increased. Six inches longer 'r' to an 8K miles C adds only 'pi' feet!

Next time I have a straw I'm going to do the water pressure lab. Blow bubbles with the straw near the top of the glass, then at the bottom, note how much harder the second position is.

[Ümit Mutlu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Görüp görebileceğiniz en orijinal, en eğlenceli matematik kitabı. Matematik kitabı olmasına karşın orijinal ve eğlenceli. Daha ne diyeyim?

Neyse, şunları diyeyim: Birbirinden heyecanlı ve maceralı 24 hikâye ile, matematiğin en çetrefilli konularını bile rahatlıkla anlatıyor bu kitap. Keşke benim zamanımda da olaydı da matematiğim az iyi olaydı be!

[Ming Ma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely engaging math puzzles and problems. My daughter and I worked on one every night while reading about the adventures. Highly recommended for any child fearful of math because it shows how math is applicable in so many circumstances. Extremely fun and addicting, making me craving for more.

[wildct2003 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short scenarios with math problems at the center of the situation. Insights provided.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twenty-four problems to solve along with projects to do. Can’t wait to use in my classroom.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nobody ever told me math could be fun, so for me, it wasn’t. However, math can be fun and this book proves it. There are 24 chapters, each with a “do or die” scenario, perfect for “reluctant mathematicians.” The scenarios are intriguing, well thought out and cleverly illustrated. There are lots of illustrations – colorful and funny, and that’s another thing that will make this book appealing to kids. The cover alone will pull them in. This does NOT look like a math book. Some chapter titles to choose from are Ship Wrecked, Deadly Spiders, Locked in a Tower, Avoid the Blade, Vampire Frenzy, and Deadly Pizza. Sound exciting? It is! Each chapter has Hints to get you started, deepen the mystery or stimulate more complex thought processes as well as the solution, worked out in great detail. No need to go to the back of the book to find the answer. There is also a Math Lab section with simple activities you can do with ordinary household items to reinforce the lessons. I can see this book having many uses. Teachers can use it for a regular math less, team projects, and a time filler. It’s a book to grow into because the lessons are a different levels. The intro says it’s aligned with the Common Core math standards for grades 5,6,and 7. Why shouldn't math be fun and exciting!

[Carina Windom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book, especially for older students, mainly because it has all different kinds of neat activities, word problems and scenarios to solve. I could see these problems being used for upper grade classes,especially one that is more male dominated. This book's puzzles could easily be used as a center, or as a morning meeting message introductions for the day.

[Gabrielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Milo loved this. It gives improbable disaster scenarios, which you can get yourself out of, if you use the right math tools.

[Margaret Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

We have a hit! The third-grade Ninja looooves it!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect book for a math lover. My 9 year old son LOVES THIS BOOK!!! It has a lot of fun tricks, games, and shortcuts.

[Gladius]

Alright as a math book.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE THIS BOOK!! its absolutely a MUST HAVE !! makes math soo fun!!