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Math Doesn't Suck: How to Survive Middle-School Math Without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail
From a well-known actress and math geniusa groundbreaking guide to mathematics for middle school girls, their parents, and educators
As the math education crisis in this country continues to make headlines, research continues to prove that it is in middle school when math scores begin to dropespecially for girlsin large part due to the relentless social conditioning th...more
As the math education crisis in this country continues to make headlines, research continues to prove that it is in middle school when math scores begin to dropespecially for girlsin large part due to the relentless social conditioning th...more
Hardcover, 320 pages
Published
August 2nd 2007
by Hudson Street Press
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I enjoyed reading this book and the humor that the author put into explaining math concepts. This book is definitely written for the female persuasion as most of the examples pertain to buying nail polish, shopping (sales and percents off), comparing boyfriends (finding greatest common factor), making beaded friendship bracelets (factoring), etc.
I found most of the material in 3/4 of this book 5th grade level math. Factoring, fractions, adding with common denominators, finding common denominato...more
I found most of the material in 3/4 of this book 5th grade level math. Factoring, fractions, adding with common denominators, finding common denominato...more
I'm not a middle-school student by a long shot--I'm a woman in her late 20s with a lifelong fear of math--but found this book to be a refreshing refresher course. Is it silly? You betcha! Did I skip the quizzes and wince at some of the examples? Yes and yes. But it's also encouraging and it works. I read through the whole thing in a couple of days, will probably go back and do some of the "homework".
I have a recurring nightmare in which I haven't passed my high school math course and therefore...more
I have a recurring nightmare in which I haven't passed my high school math course and therefore...more
Ok, so like you've seen this drop-dead gorgeous dress at a boutique and it costs $62. Well, you've only got $50 bucks...what's a girl to do???
You wait 'til it goes on sale! Ok, so like the boutique is having a 1/5 off and no tax sale, yippee!! But do you have enough money to get the dress of your dreams?? Let's find out...
Danica McKellar uses practical stories like these to make math a necessity for living, even when you're a middle school girl. Her mathematic tips are easily explained.
We are t...more
You wait 'til it goes on sale! Ok, so like the boutique is having a 1/5 off and no tax sale, yippee!! But do you have enough money to get the dress of your dreams?? Let's find out...
Danica McKellar uses practical stories like these to make math a necessity for living, even when you're a middle school girl. Her mathematic tips are easily explained.
We are t...more
1 like · like · see review
Jan 18, 2008
Jada
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
many middle, and even high school, girls
Shelves:
non-fiction
While part of me is a good bit disturbed by all of the "girly-ness" (and my junior high self would be completely insulted), I would, and likely will, promote this book. It is a fact that many girls (and boys as well) are all tied up in the world that they are told is supposed to be theirs - makeup, celebrities, shopping, waxing(?!?), etc. I think this book could do a nice job of reaching those girls who could care less for something if it didn't involve these things.
McKellar draws girls in with...more
McKellar draws girls in with...more
Based on the covers of Danica McKellar's books - glamorous author and goofy names - I never would have picked them up, although I suppose the point is to appeal to teen girls, not their middle-aged mothers. When I learned that McKellar is an award-winning scientist/mathematician with a theorem named after her, I looked twice.
I love this book! It explains concepts in several different ways so if you or your child don't understand one explanation, you can move to another one. It also has lots of...more
I love this book! It explains concepts in several different ways so if you or your child don't understand one explanation, you can move to another one. It also has lots of...more
1 + 1 =……?
1 + 1 adalah….?
Dua kalimat matematika di atas nyaris sama tapi jawabannya berbeda jauh. Jangan minta saya menerangkan panjang lebar jawabannya, tapi kedua kalimat matematika tersebut adalah kalimat yang paling saya ingat selama ini. Kedua kalimat matematika tersebut diperkenalkan oleh pengajar di tempat kursus saya. Maksudnya untuk memberikan pemahaman bahwa sebuah kalimat matematika bisa menghasilkan jawaban yang tak terbatas.
....................
....................
Buku ini juga membe...more
1 + 1 adalah….?
Dua kalimat matematika di atas nyaris sama tapi jawabannya berbeda jauh. Jangan minta saya menerangkan panjang lebar jawabannya, tapi kedua kalimat matematika tersebut adalah kalimat yang paling saya ingat selama ini. Kedua kalimat matematika tersebut diperkenalkan oleh pengajar di tempat kursus saya. Maksudnya untuk memberikan pemahaman bahwa sebuah kalimat matematika bisa menghasilkan jawaban yang tak terbatas.
....................
....................
Buku ini juga membe...more
Grades 4-8
Written by a famous person I've never heard of, this is a combination math reference book and pep talk about math for girls. Piles of research has shown that even girls who excel at math in the early grades STOP excelling at math by 5th grade. It also serves a reference for what is referred to as "middle school" math, but by Illinois standards is really more like 4th and 5th grade math. A second volume continues through beginning algebra. This book will give girls food for thought (but...more
Written by a famous person I've never heard of, this is a combination math reference book and pep talk about math for girls. Piles of research has shown that even girls who excel at math in the early grades STOP excelling at math by 5th grade. It also serves a reference for what is referred to as "middle school" math, but by Illinois standards is really more like 4th and 5th grade math. A second volume continues through beginning algebra. This book will give girls food for thought (but...more
Though I'm sure he won't tell his friends, my math-averse 11-yr old son and I are working through this book and finding it tremendously helpful. The material is very well organized, is explained succinctly and intelligently, and the annoying shopping stuff is easily ignored.
I know my son's not the target audience, and I'm sure many girls appreciate a book tailored specially for them (I was a tom boy and would have hated it). And a "boy version" would have been just as irritating to my son, who...more
I know my son's not the target audience, and I'm sure many girls appreciate a book tailored specially for them (I was a tom boy and would have hated it). And a "boy version" would have been just as irritating to my son, who...more
This book helped me so much! I did well on my college placement test and I give lots of the credit to this book. The way she teaches stuck in my mind. No doubt I do have to work on a couple of areas in math but there was no way I would have been able to do as well as I did without having consulted this book. I am definitely considering getting the other 2 books she has written. Just in case I need more refreshing. I would definitely recommend this book to someone who has been out of school for m...more
Oct 19, 2007
Lp
is currently reading it
I actually had to pony up Real Cash to get this, as my library doesn't have it yet. Hrm. I've heard raves about this, but it seems too girly even for me (Horoscopes? Really necessary?) and I tend to the girl end of the spectrum when it comes to books. But I have kids learning math right now--not middle school yet, but I didn't do so well in math (actually did well, but didn't go beyond basic high school math), so I need to get prepared for that.
It really says something about my desperation to ha...more
It really says something about my desperation to ha...more
I loved this book because it provided a thorough review of math to help me prepare for 7th grade advanced math. I suggest it to anyone struggling with math as well as to anyone who loves math and would like to look at it from a new perspective.
This book is a guide to math. It provides fun, easy ways to remember complex math. You will learn about integers and mint-egers. It is also full of stories about real accountants and Danica's stories about math and that are also just fun to read.
This book is a guide to math. It provides fun, easy ways to remember complex math. You will learn about integers and mint-egers. It is also full of stories about real accountants and Danica's stories about math and that are also just fun to read.
As a middle school math teacher, I would recommend this book to a very select group of girls. You should really know a student before recommending this book. Recommend it to the wrong student and I think they could be very offended. This is only for the girly girl. As a not so girly girl myself, I was a little offended at how girly the book actually was. But, after I got past the girly-ness, the book does have great real-world examples that I might use in my classroom after a bit of "tweaking."
1 like · like · see review
This is a book attempting to make middle school math interesting, relevant and understandable for middle-school girls. I think the way she explains math is great and I found the book very interesting and fun. Her examples are usually of the more vapid "how to get a great deal on boots" variety, but hell, that's life, and math is relevant to life. I want to say that she should expect girls to be interested in math for its own sake, or not play in to stereotypes about girls being only interested i...more
I read this book looking for techniques to help me tutor middle and high school kids in math and it was chock full of great tricks! Her tone is a good mix of fun and youthful without sounding condescending or overly juvenile. The length of the book is good for kids, too. It covers a good amount of material without being too long. I am a really big fan of what Danica is doing with these books and I hope to read the rest of them.
This book is for middle school/early high school age girls, but I enjoyed reading the book regardless of the simple math concepts. Danica does a great job explaining math in an easy and even fun way to understand. There are illustrations and hand written problem solving solutions throughout the book. She even addresses why being smart is a good thing for girls and how to increase your confidence when it comes to math.
This is, like, TOE-tally written for junior high girls who just, like, don't get math. Since junior high was my mathematics trainwreck, I decided to pick this up and see if it would help me finally understand what I, like, SOOOOOOoooo didn't get back then. The cover looks like a teen magazine. There's a lot in there about how it's okay to be a smart girl. Really. Boys will still like you. And then there's the math stuff. I finally understand functions and other math concepts that never made ANY...more
Danica McKellar's books are such a gift for the math challenged like me -- especially when you are teaching it to a sixth grader.
The books are geared to teen girls, but she breaks things down with such a common sense approach that everyone will get something from it.
The books are geared to teen girls, but she breaks things down with such a common sense approach that everyone will get something from it.
"OMG", I thought as I walked down the hallway to math class. It was mid-year, in 7th grade. I was about to get my math test back... which I probably failed. If you get this feeling right before you get every math test back, then this book is perfect for you. Even kids in their early high school years may find this book useful because it takes middle school math and puts it into a way the middle school kids (and high school kids) can understand. This book is for anyone but it specifically targets...more
Dec 03, 2008
Jennifer Nabers
added it
While I'm not crazy about the title, the content is quite good. Danica relates a number of math topics to shopping and boys, which are often on the minds of middle-school age girls. Chapters are organized by topic and include practice problems as well.
Sep 09, 2007
Lisa
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
middle school girls, their parents and math teachers
Yes, girls can do math. Danika McKellar (the actress who played Winnie in "The Wonder Years" T.V. show) grew up and earned a degree in Mathematics from UCLA. She wrote this book to help middle school girls understand that they can be girls and also be good at math. Full of fun analogies that young girls can relate to -- for example, improper fractions are like sneakers while mixed numbers are like high heals, (you use improper fractions to do most everything, but if you want to present an answer...more
This book actually helped me think about math differently. It also, made it easier to do math!! Even though the book title is well.. "weird," "Never judge a book by it's cover." :)
LOVE LOVE LOVE it! This is one of those books that you highlight and keep around for future reference. As a math teacher, it has great suggestions to add to our "bag of tricks". For middle school girls, this is a must read.
Math Doesn't Suck is such a great book, it really helped me understand math a lot better. I actually lost this book in a house fire but I will defiantly want to get it again!
This book helped me so much when I was struggling with middle school math. It encouraged me to keep trying and gave me new ways of looking at the same problem.
All my life I've struggled with math. This book pulled me through a very difficult test and helped me keep my job. A must read for girls that "don't get math."
Love the way Danica introduces math terms in user-friendly, easy to understand ways. Especially like her enthusiasm for girls overcoming "mathophobia".
I love this book and learned so much from it! It is written clearly yet creative and funny! On my: Best Books list! I can read it over and over again!
Oct 11, 2012
Kerry Stewart
marked it as to-read
Brushing up on some of my math skills. I saw an interview with Danica McKellar and she seems like an amazing teacher. I'm curious to see how she makes math relative!
Good book. Not like my fav pick ever, but it did help me with some of my math, and there were some interesting stories about Danica's experiences!
Our math teacher told all the girls to get this book...it was terrible but 2 stars because it was entertaining, I couldn't stop laughing!
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American actress and mathematician.
She is best known for her role as Winnie Cooper in the television show The Wonder Years.
Now she is known as author of the nationally bestselling book, Math Doesn't Suck, which encourages and empowers middle-school girls with mathematics know-how.
Math Doesn't Suck was so popular McKellar wrote more novels about math, including Kiss My Math and Hot X. She also wr...more
More about Danica McKellar...
She is best known for her role as Winnie Cooper in the television show The Wonder Years.
Now she is known as author of the nationally bestselling book, Math Doesn't Suck, which encourages and empowers middle-school girls with mathematics know-how.
Math Doesn't Suck was so popular McKellar wrote more novels about math, including Kiss My Math and Hot X. She also wr...more
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Sep 10, 2008 06:05am
It's an excellent tutorial, pricey though.
Sep 10, 2008 06:07am