Written by: Sean Connolly
Published by: Workman Publishers
Date: March 14, 2012
The title makes you wonder, doesn’t it? It made me wonder when The Book of Perfectly Perilous Math: 24 Death-Defying Challenges for Young Mathematicians was pitched to me, and being perfectly honest – math is not my thing – but, that title stood out! It does not disappoint! Full of adventure, danger, and math, this book is full of real world applications and challenges. In a world where fantasy meets math, the author provides 24 challenges that meet the Common Core State Standards for 5th, 6th, and 7th grade math in concepts such as fractions, algebra, geometry, expressions and equations, pattern recognition and more!
Each challenge puts you in the hot seat where you are faced with a tough, maybe even “do-or-die” problem that needs to be solved quickly. If you get stuck, each challenge provides a Euclid’s Advice section that gives you a few clues that may help you solve the problem. Additionally, you are provided with a worksheet area in each challenge, where you can work out the problem on paper (within the book) if necessary. Then, the author works out the solution step by step, all the while stating that it’s their way of reaching the solution – leaving it open for kids to work the solution their own way – which is what math is all about, right? Last but not least, the author provides a hands-on application of the process, listing materials and a method to determine a similar challenge.
This book is a fantastic resource for teachers to have on hand for challenges in the math classroom or for parents to have at home to challenge their children. In fact, I think I may use the book over the summer with my own son – if we have 10 weeks of summer, there are enough challenges for my son to complete 2 a week, with 4 left over (see what I did there?).
I had the opportunity to interview Sean and had just two questions:
I love the concept of this book. What made you decide to create a book of math challenges?
Quite a few reasons crowded themselves into my head as I thought through this book idea. First of all, I had really enjoyed working on the two science books that preceded it – Totally Irresponsible Science and Potentially Catastrophic Science. Both of those fanned the flames of my own interest in science…and in writing them, I called on my own school-age twins to decide what would get them involved and engaged. Along the way, we hit on the idea of using household ingredients – rather than “specialist” equipment – for our experiments.
I did three book tours, crossing the country more than once, with those books. I had a chance to meet educators, booksellers, TV and radio presenters, parents, and most of all the kids who connected with the books. One of the comments that came up again and again was that “these are books that get girls interested in science and boys interested in reading.”
Well, you can imagine that comments like that hit a nerve – for a father of girl-boy twins. So I figured, “if these books can do that with science, then how about math?” That was the real start. From that point on I thought that those old word problems (remember those trains leaving Chicago?) might have been boring, but they had a real aim – reading through the words to find the core mathematical problem.
And with that, I set off to work out some challenges – stories, really – that would wrap themselves around a mathematical solution, but which would be funny, scary, weird…but engaging. From that point on, I felt that I had the key to what would make the book work. And my twins certainly helped frame the challenges and the solutions.
What do you recommend for parents/teachers of reluctant math students?
I’d be silly if I didn’t recommend The Book of Perfectly Perilous Math! But seriously, I should ask those parents and teachers to think back to a subject that they might have found daunting – English, French, maybe even history with all those dates. If they can identify with their own past as they consider these kids, then they can begin to empathize with that sense of “everyone gets this except for me.” Then maybe they can come at the math from a different, more comfortable, angle. My daughter, for example, would shut the book on a math book if she found it boring – “all those numbers and symbols.” But if the problem were wrapped up in a story (and she loves English), then I’d have a head start. Well, for my daughter the route in was through stories, but maybe it could be some other routes – sports, fashion, math stuff in movies. Now it’s time for the grown-ups to use their imagination!
Are you local to DC? The author, Sean Connelly will be at the 2nd Annual USA Science and Engineering Festival at the Convention Center THIS Saturday, April 28th! See his schedule:
Saturday, April 28th
11:15 am – 12:15 pm
Book signing & chat with kids
Workman booth BF-11
12:45 – 1:30 pm
Onstage demonstration, Q&A, and book signing
Giveaway: Win a copy of the book!! Leave a comment telling me how you challenge your children/students in math. It may be something you do around the house or something you do in the classroom to keep kids interested in math. Whatever it is, please share, I’d love to know! Giveaway ends Tuesday, May 1st at 11:59 pm EST. Comments will be numbered and placed into random.org to randomly choose a winner. Winner will be notified via email. US residents only
Disclosure: I received a copy of the book from the publicist.
©2012 by Dawn Little for Literacy Toolbox. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.
by Dr. Seuss and 
by Ian Falconer. All three books are imaginative and could be used as an inspiration any time you are trying to motivate or encourage children. 
, while I was in the classroom teaching. And finally, during the 4th and 5th grade lunch period, I read aloud 
.
