The Truth Detective: How to make sense of a world that doesn't add up

by Tim Harford

***'A book that all children should read' - Matthew Syed***

-> Did you know that a toy spaceship can teach you about inflation?
-> Or that a pooping cow can show you how to invest your pocket money?
-> And that even the greatest detectives have been fooled by fake news and dancing fairies?

The world is often full of bamboozling headlines and numbers that don't add up. But don't panic. Within these pages you will transform into a Truth Detective, hunting down the truth about the world around you.

You will meet heroic truth detectives, such as Florence Nightingale who started a revolution with a pie chart. You will encounter dastardly villains who have tried to trip us up with dodgy data and misinformation. And you will learn how being smart and savvy with numbers, will help you be smart and savvy about everything else in life too.

So grab your detective cap, pick up your magnifying glass and start seeing the world like never before.

A must read for curious kids from presenter of BBC Radio 4's "More or Less", Tim Harford and with wonderful illustrations to enjoy by Ollie Mann.

***LONGLISTED for the SLA's Information Book Awards 2024***

Genres: Nonfiction, Childrens, Economics, Middle Grade, Mathematics

192 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 16, 2023

About the author

Tim Harford is a member of the Financial Times editorial board. His column, “The Undercover Economist”, which reveals the economic ideas behind everyday experiences, is published in the Financial Times and syndicated around the world. He is also the only economist in the world to run a problem page, “Dear Economist”, in which FT readers’ personal problems are answered tongue-in-cheek with the latest economic theory.

--from the author's website

Reviews

[gemsbooknook Geramie Kate Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE TRUTH DETECTIVE BY TIM HARFORD
March 13, 2023
Edit
‘-> Did you know that a toy spaceship can teach you about inflation?
-> Or that a pooping cow can show you how to invest your pocket money?
-> And that even the greatest detectives have been fooled by fake news and dancing fairies?

The world is often full of bamboozling headlines and numbers that don’t add up. But don’t panic. Within these pages you will transform into a Truth Detective, hunting down the truth about the world around you.

You will meet heroic truth detectives, such as Florence Nightingale who started a revolution with a pie chart. You will encounter dastardly villains who have tried to trip us up with dodgy data and misinformation. And you will learn how being smart and savvy with numbers, will help you be smart and savvy about everything else in life too.

So grab your detective cap, pick up your magnifying glass, and start seeing the world like never before.’

This book was great.

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it as well as by how much I actually learned from it.

Tim Harford has done a wonderful job with this book. The way he presented the information was smart and easy to understand. His use of relatable situations and comparisons makes this book compelling and accessible. As I am not the target audience for this book yet given how much I took from it, I can only imagine how much Middle-Grade readers will enjoy and learn from this book.

Adding to Tim Harford’s writing were the bold and bright illustrations by Ollie Mann. The illustrations perfectly complement the information provided without overshadowing it. Combining statistical information with illustrations makes for an interesting reading experience while still teaching young readers something very important.

The Truth Detective by Tim Harford is a must-have for all Middle-Grade readers.

Geramie Kate Barker
gemsbooknook.wordpress.com

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book building data literacy and helping us make sense of statistics, numbers and the news. It’s aimed at children but valuable and engaging for adults too with lots of fun case studies and examples, and good tools and skills to learn.

[I Read, Therefore I Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tim Harford is an economic journalist and broadcaster who hosts BBC Radio 4’s programme MORE OR LESS. This very useful guide to understanding statistics and data is aimed at readers aged 9+ and includes concepts such as inflation while looking at how information is presented and how that can be used to fool you. Ollie Mann’s accompanying illustrations are lively and witty and I enjoyed the conceit of drawing in fictional detectives.

[Jerome Perkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book everyone should read.

This is a book aimed at children but, like all good childrens books, it is well worth reading for an adult. Even if you are familiar with the subject there are bound to be some things you didn't know or that are presented in a different way which increases your understanding. Definitely something for everyone.

Buy this book for your children but make sure you read it as well, the world needs more Truth Detectives!

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of anecdotes summarising other people's books, interspersed with comics, Sherlock Holmes quotes and apologia for billionaires. Might be good for curious 8-12 year olds.

Feels like Harford ran out of things to say after the Undercover Economist and moved into popular science education to churn out more books.

[Vonprice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic non-fiction for anyone wanting to learn information literacy skills. You can read my full review here: http://vsviewfromthebookshelves.home....

[Issara Pooissarakit · Rating 5 out of 5]

รู้สึกว่ามันใช้งานได้ดีมากในปี 2026 นี้ โดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งเรื่อง หนังสือพิมพ์ 50 ปี อันนี้โดนใจอย่างจัง เราเลยอยากขอสรุปสิ่งที่โดนใยไว้คร่าวๆ ใครอ่านแล้วสนใจ หาอ่านเพิ่มเอง สปอยไว้ แค่นี้
- คิดเสมอว่า เรารู้สึกอย่างไร
- รู้ว่าต้อง โฟกัสตรงไหน
- สัมผัสด้วยตัวเอง
- ยอมรับว่าไม่รู้

[Alice Robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting

[Isabel Mwangi · Rating 4 out of 5]

really helpful and smart. I loved this book and learnt a lot. I'd recommend this to ages 9+. well done tim harford