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1st out of 42 books
—
23 voters
Math Curse
From the inventive team that created "The Stinky Cheese Man," comes a tale of a girl in the relentless grip of math-mania.
Hardcover, 32 pages
Published
October 1st 1995
by Viking Juvenile
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I thought the plot for this story was so interesting. Somehow, this book has made math almost fun and interesting. I liked that there are different stages to the plot, first you see the initial spark, “You know, almost everything in life can be considered a math problem.” Then you watch as the narrator becomes a “math zombie”. The story continues like this until the curses is broken, but wait! The science teacher then says, “Almost everything in life can be viewed as a science experiment.” I lik...more
Math curse begins by asking the reader questions, and goes into regular math problems that we deal with everyday that we never really think about. It talks about having three different shirts and 2 different pairs of pants but creating only 1 good outfit. The book then goes into the story about a girl who is in math class and instead of leaving the math in the classroom her daily routine is filled with math problems. Each page has more and more math problems that we deal with everyday. I would r...more
This book was such a unique way of practicing math and I enjoyed every minute of it. The story follows a student who believes his teacher has put a math curse on him because all he can think about is math! Everything he sees has math related to it somehow whether its how many different outfits he can wear or how many liters are in a gallon. There are new problems on each page and the reader is given the chance to solve the problems while they read. At the end of the book you can find the answers...more
Dec 05, 2012
Barbara
added it
Math curse begins by asking the reader questions, and goes into regular math problems that we deal with everyday that we never really think about. It talks about having three different shirts and 2 different pairs of pants but creating only 1 good outfit. Which I have never thought about before but think was quite clever. The book then goes into the story about a girl who is in math class and instead of leaving the math in the classroom her daily routine is filled with math problems. If it takes...more
Grade/interest level: Grades 1-5
Reading level: Lexile Level 560L
Genre: Realistic fiction, Picture book
Main Characters: Student, Mrs. Fibonacci
Setting: Student's home and school
POV: from student
This book is a really fun story about a student whose mind becomes consumed with math when his teacher, Mrs. Fibonacci states that almost anything in life can be thought of as a math problem. The student wakes up the next morning to find himself thinking of everything from a mathematical perspective and h...more
Reading level: Lexile Level 560L
Genre: Realistic fiction, Picture book
Main Characters: Student, Mrs. Fibonacci
Setting: Student's home and school
POV: from student
This book is a really fun story about a student whose mind becomes consumed with math when his teacher, Mrs. Fibonacci states that almost anything in life can be thought of as a math problem. The student wakes up the next morning to find himself thinking of everything from a mathematical perspective and h...more
A = This book begins with the innocent statement by the nameless protagonist's teacher, "You know, you can think of almost everything as a math problem." From there, the poor student spins out of control into a math induced craze. Just when he / she has found "a solution", the science teacher says, "You know, you can think of almost everything as a science experiment."
B = This book perfectly illustrates both in text, arrangement, and illustration the overwhelming frustration often experienced by...more
B = This book perfectly illustrates both in text, arrangement, and illustration the overwhelming frustration often experienced by...more
Genre: Picture Book, Educational
Lexile: 560L
F&P Level: P
Age: Upper Elementary
In Math Curse, we are introduced to a nameless character whose mind starts running when her teacher makes the apparently simple statement: "You know, you can think of almost everything as a math problem..." From here, the narrator's world starts spinning out of control as she becomes overwhelmed with the immense amount of math problems in her everyday life. Just as this world of math problems is about to consume her...more
Lexile: 560L
F&P Level: P
Age: Upper Elementary
In Math Curse, we are introduced to a nameless character whose mind starts running when her teacher makes the apparently simple statement: "You know, you can think of almost everything as a math problem..." From here, the narrator's world starts spinning out of control as she becomes overwhelmed with the immense amount of math problems in her everyday life. Just as this world of math problems is about to consume her...more
Math Curse has now been added to my list of favorite children’s books! I absolutely loved this one and highly recommend it. It is by the same author of It’s a Book, Lane Smith. This author writes with a sense of sarcasm and humor that not only makes it a great for kids, but also for parents and teachers! As I was reading this book I was actually laughing out loud. It is quite entertaining. For example, I loved the part when he was talking about $5 bill, $1 bill, a quarter, and a penny and he say...more
This book is laid out in a landscape format and the illustrations on each page utilize a double page spread. Like most of Scieszka's works, the illustrations in the book are created using darker colors, but the illustrations are so unique and detailed that they hold the readers attention. The look of each page in the book varies in regards to the use of borders and the look/location of the text. For example, on one page the text snakes all along the border of the double page spread, requiring th...more
This book has colors that are extravagantly bright which indicates that the book is going to be a bright happy book - however, when I actually read the book, it can't be more opposite. The tone of the book changes to a more darker theme because it uses newspaper cut-outs in the illustrations, and it also includes very vintage like pictures of school-buses as well as graphs that have a very interesting scope in that its very math orientated because one can see the months listed on it as well as d...more
For extra credit in math class, over spring break we can review a childrens book that is in some way associated with mathematics. I picked Math Curse because I remember liking the Time Warp Trio series from Jon Scieszka when I was young. Alas, a classmate turned in her permission form for this book before me so I had to find a new selection.
Still, I'm glad to have read Math Curse. It is highly amusing for anyone who has ever had a teacher who's said, "You can use math for everything." (Haven't w...more
Still, I'm glad to have read Math Curse. It is highly amusing for anyone who has ever had a teacher who's said, "You can use math for everything." (Haven't w...more
Dec 15, 2011
Katelynn Callahan
added it
This is a great book for students learning how to do math. It is about a student whose teacher taught him that anything in everyday life can be turned into a math problem. The next day when the boy wakes up he sees math in everything. It drives him crazy because he is so overwhelmed with all the numbers but he is learning all different sorts of problems and he is able to figure them out on his own. By the end of the story the boy finally is able to do all of the math without it makeing him upset...more
This is one of my favorite stories. As a child in elementary school, i always would find myself having trouble understanding math problems and easy ways to look for examples to solve problems. My dad bought this book for me because i love to read and he thought i might understand things better if things were put in perspective. This story really helped me see that i am not the only kid having trouble in math and this boy is having as much of a hard time as what i've been going through. I liked r...more
Overall I thought that this children's book written by Jon Sciezka was extremely well written and thought out. This is because it is an entertaining children's book with creative pictures and illustrations with still a story behind it which teaches children math in a fun way. I also liked it because it shows children that even though they may not realize it, math is incorporated into their daily lives no matter if they are thinking about it or not.
One thing that I liked the most about Math Curs...more
One thing that I liked the most about Math Curs...more
Is it awkward that I was just as excited as the 4th graders were that I read this book to? I didn't realize this at first, but I grew up reading this author during his series of the Stinky Cheese Man. I did a read aloud to my 4th grade students and they giggled and were so responsive about each situation that the student in the book has. It is true, you can make a math problem out of just about anything in every day life. As a response I had my students come up with their own questions and the r...more
Jan 01, 2011
Lisa
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
elementary kids and their parents
Shelves:
fiction-children
When I read the author's dedication, "If the sum of my nieces and nephews equals 15, and their product equals 54, and I have more nephews than nieces, how many nephews and how many nieces is this book dedicated to?" I knew I would love this book. This math problem will later appear in Algebra 1 when covering systems of equations and it will be beneficial if your children have had experience using trial and error (along with a little common sense) to figure this type.
I wished that my math boy (no...more
I wished that my math boy (no...more
Math Curse is a very fun story about a student, whose hilariously-named math teacher, Mrs. Fibonacci states that everything can be seen as a math problem, which turns the girl into a “raving math lunatic.” From sun-up to sun-down, the protagonist anxiously ponders the solutions to a myriad of calculations: how much time does it take to get ready and be at the bus stop? (a solvable problem for the reader); estimate how many M&Ms you would eat if you had to measure the Mississippi River with M&Ms;...more
I think this book is a very cute book. It was pretty overwhelming and really made me go "wow" at how the little girl is thinking of everything in relation to math.
I know there are a few questions throughout the book, where it would be nearly impossible to figure out. So with the exception to those few questions, I think most of the questions are doable in the classroom. I will probably read one or two pages a day or so, if we have a few minutes to spare. My class will try to solve the questions...more
I know there are a few questions throughout the book, where it would be nearly impossible to figure out. So with the exception to those few questions, I think most of the questions are doable in the classroom. I will probably read one or two pages a day or so, if we have a few minutes to spare. My class will try to solve the questions...more
Oct 26, 2010
Lisa Vegan
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
for showing how math does, in fact, connect to “real life” and that science does too
Recommended to Lisa by:
Kathryn
This book is hilarious. It’s clever. It’s fun. It uses play on words as much as it does play with numbers. There’s a real story here and it’s very creatively done. I love it. I think it’s special.
There’s even a very amusing dedication page and a funny author’s bio section in the back of the book, etc. all using math, of course.
I’m embarrassed to say that there was at least one math problem that was over my head, this in a book for elementary school students. Ack!
I hated math until I took statist...more
There’s even a very amusing dedication page and a funny author’s bio section in the back of the book, etc. all using math, of course.
I’m embarrassed to say that there was at least one math problem that was over my head, this in a book for elementary school students. Ack!
I hated math until I took statist...more
I love this book. It's got some brilliant wordplay and uncanny math applications. It's important to read this book as if you've just downed your no-doze with a couple of Rockstars.
A couple of quotes to help you feel the tone of this book...
I don't even bother to take out the cereal. I don't want to know how many flakes in a bowl. Mrs. Fibonacci has obviously put a MATH CURSE on me. Everything I look at or think about has become a math problem.
George Washington is on both the quarter and the $1 b...more
A couple of quotes to help you feel the tone of this book...
I don't even bother to take out the cereal. I don't want to know how many flakes in a bowl. Mrs. Fibonacci has obviously put a MATH CURSE on me. Everything I look at or think about has become a math problem.
George Washington is on both the quarter and the $1 b...more
This book is about a boy that discovers that math problems are everywhere. No matter where he goes and what he does he is confronted with a math problem. He finally realizes that math is no problem and can solve anything he is encountered with. This book teaches fractions, multiplication, division, time and any other mathematical subjects in the relevance of everyday life. Teachers can use this book to get students to realize that math is not only in the subject of the classroom but everywhere....more
Math Curse, by Jon Scieszka, is an interactive book for students. Not only does it tell the story of a character who seees math in everything and is affected by the "math curse," but it provides examples of math in the story. While reading this book, children can stop and work the math problems. It is a great way to get students interacted and engaged in the reading. I especially like the illustrations in the book. I would love to use this book as an introduction to applying math to real world s...more
What a fun book! I loved the illustrations and the convoluted way of looking at math. It is how I have always viewed the subject. Take for instance word problems. Bane of my existence! Take the story of the trains leaving their stations heading toward each other. The books always tell the speeds of the trains and pretend that nothing else could ever be a variable. Such as: Supposing that one engineer is chewing gum. And the other train has just hit a snowstorm icing the tracks. Then add to that...more
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I really enjoyed this book! I thought that it was playful, but still really interesting. I would definitely read this to a class that is just about to learn fractions, because it shows the tentativeness about learning new things in math. I think that it would be fun to go through and answer a lot of the questions with students, because it is something that we could figure out together, since the answers aren't explicitly stated in the book. Either that, or read the book at the beginning of the f...more
I like how this book addresses the problems math brings up for kids. Yet it points out a very true fact, math is a part of everyday life. I really like the use of the font and page layout in this book. It is extremely creative and different, which I s what I like the most. This book can also be used an interactive book during a math lesson because it sets up word problems for you as the story is being told. It also gives you real life situations, and shows how a math problem can be created from...more
The Math Curse is a really interesting book that I think would intrigue any young reader. The book is about a boy who realizes that his entire life is consumed by math. His teacher introduces the idea of how to use Fibonacci when thinking about solving basic math problems. He feels that he is being cursed, because he can't seem to not think about something with out solving a problem. At the end, he escapes but when his science teacher introduces something new he knows he will be cursed again. I...more
Math is everywhere, and the book "Math Curse" helps readers see that. A young boy can't help but to see math all around him after his teacher, Mrs. Fibonacci, curses him with math. The boy sees volume and measurements at breakfast, fractions at lunch, shapes in art, money while trying to buy a candy bar, and even equations in his dreams. The boy manages to break the curse that has been taking over his life, until his science teacher says, "Experiments can be seen in everything." This story is ve...more
This book is hilarious, yet so true. It is a story about a young girl who’s teacher says math is everywhere. The next day from the moment the young girl woke up until she fell asleep and in her dreams everything turned into a math problem. No matter what she was doing, where she was going, what people said, what she ate, no matter what, there was a math problem that needed to be solved. I think reading this book to children would keep their attention, its big, the pictures are great, and it make...more
For ages > 6 and < 99
Have you ever had a math teacher that has said, "you will need to know this one day?" or how about a math teacher tell you that life can be viewed as a math problem? Meet Mrs. Fibonacci! On Monday, Mrs. Fibonacci says, "You can think of almost everything as a math problem." How many Lincolns are in a Washington? How many Washingtons are in a Lincoln? Is there an answer? How might Thomas Jefferson feel about this? Lunch, Social Studies, English, Phys.Ed. all have math i...more
Have you ever had a math teacher that has said, "you will need to know this one day?" or how about a math teacher tell you that life can be viewed as a math problem? Meet Mrs. Fibonacci! On Monday, Mrs. Fibonacci says, "You can think of almost everything as a math problem." How many Lincolns are in a Washington? How many Washingtons are in a Lincoln? Is there an answer? How might Thomas Jefferson feel about this? Lunch, Social Studies, English, Phys.Ed. all have math i...more
Dec 06, 2012
Jamala Alkeshi
added it
I think this is an excellent book about how math can relate to every aspect of your life from your cereal to what time you get up! It is very entertaining when this kid thinks that his math teacher has put a curse on him because he thinks about everything in terms of math. This was a very fun book to read, the best thing about it is that it follows this student throughout his typical day at school and the reader can see how much math affects understanding everything. Its also really cool how the...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finals week | 1 | 1 | Dec 17, 2012 04:04pm | |
| Childrens Literature in the Elementary Curriculum | 1 | 2 | Apr 10, 2012 05:45pm | |
| MCC Children's Li...: math curse | 1 | 1 | Apr 04, 2012 12:16pm |
Jon Scieszka is a writer and teacher. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and two children. Occasionally he has been known to howl at the full moon. --from the dust jacket of "The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs"
Jon Scieszka is also the author of the best-selling ALA Notable Book, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, as well as Knights of the Kitchen Table, and The Not-So-Jolly Roger...more
More about Jon Scieszka...
Jon Scieszka is also the author of the best-selling ALA Notable Book, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, as well as Knights of the Kitchen Table, and The Not-So-Jolly Roger...more
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Jul 04, 2011 05:30pm