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Figuring Life Out
The Impossible Cube
Learning about Conflict Resolution
Danish is so tired of his parents fighting all the time. He wishes they would just stop, or at least fight when he’s not there to hear them. At every opportunity, he retreats into his room, where he tries to improve his speed at solving the Rubik’s cube, his only ‘safe space’ these days. At school, he freezes every time a potential confrontation looms, or runs and hides when conflict stares him in the face. But despite his best efforts, one day, all of this spirals out of control. Danish discovers that conflict cannot be solved by avoiding it.
Danish is so tired of his parents fighting all the time. He wishes they would just stop, or at least fight when he’s not there to hear them. At every opportunity, he retreats into his room, where he tries to improve his speed at solving the Rubik’s cube, his only ‘safe space’ these days. At school, he freezes every time a potential confrontation looms, or runs and hides when conflict stares him in the face. But despite his best efforts, one day, all of this spirals out of control. Danish discovers that conflict cannot be solved by avoiding it.
40 pages, Paperback
Published November 7, 2022
2 people want to read
About the author
Lyn Kang
5 books4 followersLyn Kang is the author of three books in “Figuring Life Out”, her debut children’s book series.
The series offers relatable stories that help children to better understand and appreciate themselves while developing positive relationships with others. From an otter going through friendship woes to a group of friends dealing with competition stress, these engaging tales introduce readers to valuable interconnected social-emotional skills such as: Self-awareness, stress management, conflict resolution, responding to bullying and responsible decision-making.
Singapore's Ministry of Education has listed these as 21st Century core social-emotional competencies, skills necessary for children to develop healthy identities, recognise and manage their emotions, develop care and concern for others, handle challenges, and act for the good of self, others and the society.
Born and raised in Singapore, Lyn has also lived in the UK and the US. She has travelled to 6 continents and 36 countries, including 6 South American countries. She currently resides in Singapore with her husband and children, and travels more to make memories with loved ones these days.
Apart from her reviews of books she enjoys on Goodreads, she also tries her hand at a decent flatlay with her bookstagram account on IG @BlueBottleBooks
The series offers relatable stories that help children to better understand and appreciate themselves while developing positive relationships with others. From an otter going through friendship woes to a group of friends dealing with competition stress, these engaging tales introduce readers to valuable interconnected social-emotional skills such as: Self-awareness, stress management, conflict resolution, responding to bullying and responsible decision-making.
Singapore's Ministry of Education has listed these as 21st Century core social-emotional competencies, skills necessary for children to develop healthy identities, recognise and manage their emotions, develop care and concern for others, handle challenges, and act for the good of self, others and the society.
Born and raised in Singapore, Lyn has also lived in the UK and the US. She has travelled to 6 continents and 36 countries, including 6 South American countries. She currently resides in Singapore with her husband and children, and travels more to make memories with loved ones these days.
Apart from her reviews of books she enjoys on Goodreads, she also tries her hand at a decent flatlay with her bookstagram account on IG @BlueBottleBooks
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 18, 2023
Very excited that we got our hands on three newly-released titles by Lyn Kang! These books are part of the Figuring Life Out series which teaches children social-emotional skills that help them better understand and appreciate themselves while developing positive relationships with others.
In The Impossible Cube, Danish is adept at solving the Rubik's cube but not quite the expert when facing conflicts. He soon learns that conflicts - be it his parents' fighting or confrontations in school - cannot be solved by avoidance.
In Otterly Awful, Lizzy is suddenly shut out of her cosy clique and becomes a target of cyberbullying. She soon realises why her friend turned into a bully and learns how to respond to her bullies.
In Double Trouble, twins - Olive and Caleb - live in the futuristic world of Zephlox City. But sibing rivalry soon has them making rash decisions that lead to unpleasant outcomes.
Recommended for primary school children at 7-12 years old, I like that these stories are very relatable to its target age group and at 30-40 pages long, are not too daunting for younger ones. At the end of the books are also discussion questions (e.g. What should you do when you cannot see eye-to-eye with a friend?) and thoughts to consider (e.g. In today's tech-saturated world, bullying is likely to be subtle and evidence of it can be easily erased with a few taps or clicks...) that help consolidate learning.
My personal fav is Otterly Awful. Having been socially excluded when I started secondary school, I really felt for Lizzy. Big E, my 12-year-old, says, "I like The Impossible Cube as the story is close to real life and teaches you how to handle conflicts."
Thank you, Lyn, for sending these lovely books over! We really enjoyed them!
In The Impossible Cube, Danish is adept at solving the Rubik's cube but not quite the expert when facing conflicts. He soon learns that conflicts - be it his parents' fighting or confrontations in school - cannot be solved by avoidance.
In Otterly Awful, Lizzy is suddenly shut out of her cosy clique and becomes a target of cyberbullying. She soon realises why her friend turned into a bully and learns how to respond to her bullies.
In Double Trouble, twins - Olive and Caleb - live in the futuristic world of Zephlox City. But sibing rivalry soon has them making rash decisions that lead to unpleasant outcomes.
Recommended for primary school children at 7-12 years old, I like that these stories are very relatable to its target age group and at 30-40 pages long, are not too daunting for younger ones. At the end of the books are also discussion questions (e.g. What should you do when you cannot see eye-to-eye with a friend?) and thoughts to consider (e.g. In today's tech-saturated world, bullying is likely to be subtle and evidence of it can be easily erased with a few taps or clicks...) that help consolidate learning.
My personal fav is Otterly Awful. Having been socially excluded when I started secondary school, I really felt for Lizzy. Big E, my 12-year-old, says, "I like The Impossible Cube as the story is close to real life and teaches you how to handle conflicts."
Thank you, Lyn, for sending these lovely books over! We really enjoyed them!
January 10, 2023
How many of us have been on the receiving end of life lessons delivered by a well-meaning elder and the adage, "I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice"? It's one thing to be told what life is about and quite another to learn through experience. How wonderful it is to have companions in storybook characters who walk alongside so that experiencing life need not be a lonely and frightening journey.
My girls received a set of chapter books written by @littlebluebottle and @alex_lohsy for Christmas. Each story centres around a child protagonist (kid bugs and mammals included) who faces one of life's challenges and learns to overcome it with the support of friends and family.
My eldest daughter - on the verge of teenhood, identified best with Otterly Awful, where the main otter finds herself ostracised by her social circle without rhyme or reason. My daughters and I have been talking about whether or not they should join the WhatsApp chat groups that their classmates are in. We talk about situations like these that could happen and potentially cause them anxiety and unhappiness, and how to manage them. We agreed that, for now, it wasn't necessary to be in a chat group while they could still meet and interact with their friends in school. Chat groups, could be an option for them to keep in touch with friends, should they move separate ways upon entering secondary school. @littlebluebottle, thank you nailing the challenges of peer relationships, bullying and parental pressure in such a sensitive and relatable story.
I identified most with Safarilympics where I was transported back to the nerve-wrecking moments on the track of the old National Stadium at Kallang! Complete with the feeling of fear in the throat, tightening chest, thundering heartbeats and sweaty palms. Just like Rhyce the Rhino, I had kenna warned by the race official for not keeping behind the start line while in action. Talk about STRESS!! I'm glad for a book that walks kids through learning how to recognise, get support for and to manage stress through a story about sports. @alex_lohsy, thank you for helping me relive my sporting days! 😂 #marshallcavendish #kidsread #singlit
My girls received a set of chapter books written by @littlebluebottle and @alex_lohsy for Christmas. Each story centres around a child protagonist (kid bugs and mammals included) who faces one of life's challenges and learns to overcome it with the support of friends and family.
My eldest daughter - on the verge of teenhood, identified best with Otterly Awful, where the main otter finds herself ostracised by her social circle without rhyme or reason. My daughters and I have been talking about whether or not they should join the WhatsApp chat groups that their classmates are in. We talk about situations like these that could happen and potentially cause them anxiety and unhappiness, and how to manage them. We agreed that, for now, it wasn't necessary to be in a chat group while they could still meet and interact with their friends in school. Chat groups, could be an option for them to keep in touch with friends, should they move separate ways upon entering secondary school. @littlebluebottle, thank you nailing the challenges of peer relationships, bullying and parental pressure in such a sensitive and relatable story.
I identified most with Safarilympics where I was transported back to the nerve-wrecking moments on the track of the old National Stadium at Kallang! Complete with the feeling of fear in the throat, tightening chest, thundering heartbeats and sweaty palms. Just like Rhyce the Rhino, I had kenna warned by the race official for not keeping behind the start line while in action. Talk about STRESS!! I'm glad for a book that walks kids through learning how to recognise, get support for and to manage stress through a story about sports. @alex_lohsy, thank you for helping me relive my sporting days! 😂 #marshallcavendish #kidsread #singlit
April 9, 2023
This is a little series that quite manages to pack a punch in just a few tens of pages.
They are all set in very different types of worlds, which will be refreshing and unpredictable for the age group it’s targeted at (I’d say 8+).
The Impossible Cube — a short tale about Danish, who retreats into his cube-solving when his parents fight, but realises he can’t solve this by avoiding it.
Myriad ideas and infinite possibilities in these worlds, good fun for a young reader ready for more text but which resolves in a short, appealing story arc.
📚: @marshallcavendish
They are all set in very different types of worlds, which will be refreshing and unpredictable for the age group it’s targeted at (I’d say 8+).
The Impossible Cube — a short tale about Danish, who retreats into his cube-solving when his parents fight, but realises he can’t solve this by avoiding it.
Myriad ideas and infinite possibilities in these worlds, good fun for a young reader ready for more text but which resolves in a short, appealing story arc.
📚: @marshallcavendish
January 29, 2023
Definitely worth a read. I enjoyed it a lot as someone very involved in the cubing community.
April 30, 2024
My children and I enjoyed the book. It is not too long, which I like but the message is so clear and positive. I love the book as i never think solving Rubik’s cube will teach us life lesson on how to manage conflicts. If you are in the cubing community, you will really enjoy this book!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews