Math Curse

Written by Jon Scieszka

Narrated by Nancy Wu

One morning a little girl wakes up to find everything in life arranging itself into a math problem, and she must find her way out of the Math Curse!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Weston Woods
• Release date: Jan 1, 2009
• ISBN: 9780545467469

Jon Scieszka

Jon Scieszka is the National Ambassador for Children's Literature emeritus and the bestselling author of more than twenty-five books for kids, including The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, Math Curse, Robot Zot!, and the Time Warp Trio series. Jon founded Guys Read to encourage a passion for reading among young boys, with the philosophy that boys love to read most when they are reading things they love. A former elementary school teacher, Jon lives in Brooklyn with his family. For more great books, more great facts, and more about your favorite authors, head over to www.guysread.com. You'll be glad you did.

Reviews for Math Curse

[tiffanynicole67 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This fun book is another great way to show students just how much we use math from day to day. And yes, sometimes math may seem like a curse but once you figure out how to solve your problems it gets a little easier and a little easier. I think this is a great book for all math classes and all ages, this book answers the biggest question students always ask their teachers.

[janetb2_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Clever book about math-anxiety. Exagerrated pictures and mathematical illustrations add to the story.

[ellenmaziekeyes · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a friendly, funny way to introduce kids of all ages to higher mathematical concepts in a logical sequence.

[stephanieweiner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really loved this book. I like that it shows how math problems can be applied to real life situations such as if i wake up now and takes me x amount of time to get dressed, will I be ready in time? The problems presented will make children understand math is an important part of life that cannot be escaped, which I believe is the big idea of the book. Along with this the illustrations to represent the problems were fantastically drawn and kept my attention on the problem at hand while reading.

[al04_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is an informational fiction book because it challanges students to think about many math problems in everyday life. The illustrations are wonderful because they are large and asethically pleasing. For people who don't necessarily enjoy math they are excited about the humor through the illustrations and words. The illustrations bring the words to life, and emphasize the problem of math equations everywhere.

[aks067 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In this book a young girl gets a math "curse" placed on her when her teacher tells her that "almost everything in life can be considered a math problem". From the time she wakes up to the time she goes to bed everything is math to her. Whether it be a English passage or a workout in PE, she thinks of it as a math problem. I gave this book a three because if a student is not good at math or doesn't like it you do not want to force on them that everything can be looked at as a math problem. This will just stress them out, but if a student loves math then looking at everything as a math problem is good especially if they are not good in other subjects they can start looking at English and PE as a math problem.

[maryettaj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

We read this book in the class and it felt like we was in a math class. We had to think logical and out of the box. I like this book and I would introduce this book to children who are in middle school. Some people has a fear in math, but once they get through this book they might just see math from a different point of view.

[meganschneider · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book. I think it would be great for any age because it brings elementary and more advanced concepts to life. It focuses on math anxiety and tackles it with humor. It shows that math doesn't have to be as scary as people think. A must have for any class!

[aengolia-414725 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book shed such a fun light on math. When I was in elementary school, I did not think it was possible for math to be fun, but this book easily makes it more enjoyable. With all of the questions, riddles, and play of words, it really gets children thinking in a fun way. The only downside to this book, is that the person reading it would have to really know their audience and make sure they are aware of some topics. For example, the money problem, if the audience did not know what president was on which dollar or change, then they would not be able to solve the problem. However, this was fun to read and definitely something that would be perfect to either start a lesson with or end a lesson with.

[pussreboots · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Cute book that introduces some math concepts to lower elementary school kids.

[kradish-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What happens if absolutely everything becomes a word problem? Our main character is about to lose his mind, until he embraces the math. Full of fun logic and math problems and a lot of silliness. Possibly good for breaking up the stress of LEAP time?

[replayguy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Scieszka is at it again with a book that focuses on math problems and how they are evident in everyday life. It's a fun look at a child's struggle with math as the problems start to take over everything. Getting dressed, eating meals and drawing are all converted into a math problem. This idea (or curse as the student saw it) was given by the teacher, cleverly named Mrs. Fibonacci. Fractions and Venn diagrams are also covered and in the end the math problems are all solved with mastery of the rules being taught.

[kbernard-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book explained how math is everywhere we look. Math can be found in waking up in the morning, as well as brushing your teeth. I wouldn't use it with my second graders because some of the math problems were on a higher level, but i would definitely add it to my library.

[reneepesheck · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Math Curse by Jon Scieszka begins by stating that "you know, you can think of almost everything as a math problem" at which point the main character goes through his day confronted by the many math problems that come up. Great to follow up on some of the problems with a class. My kids said that it was too much to do in one day!

[melscott_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When the wise and witty teacher exclaims that all almost anything can become a math problems the math curse begins for one of her students. For a whole day this math curse multiplies and manipulates her every thought and action. For every problem there is a solution! Until it's time for science class...

[andymcclellan_93 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I think this is a very honest portrayal of the ways in which math can affect students. I know for me growing up, math gave me a lot of anxiety (still does) and this books, I think, makes it ok to be anxious about math. And that to me is a beautiful thing.

[kwolinski-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Math Curse is a fun book that has a great story line but also shows various math problems throughout the book. When my children's literature professor read this book to my class, all of the students tried to solve the problems on each page. This would be a great book to show to children who struggle in math. They will find out that they too can concur the curse of math!

[ckarmstr1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Everything is a math problem. This is the theme of a book. I believe that this book would be good to read to kids who are apathetic about math and believe that they will never use math in real life because this book proves them wrong. Everything really is a math problem whether is is subtly or more obvious.

[kaitlyn5johnston · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Math curse like most John Scieszka books offers the reader a somewhat warped and humorous view of a topic, in this case math. With brilliant illustrations by Lane Smith, this book would be great for younger students, or as a class read along. However, due to the chaos presented in the book, sometimes the pages can be cluttered and certain students may have trouble focusing on the work.

[gjchauvin504 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Math Curse by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith is a great book because it teaches students about word problems and how they surround everything that we do. There is so many activities that teachers could do with their students from this book like give them word problems that they have actually do with blocks. Or you can give the students manipulative and they can create their own math problems. There is so many other fun activities that you could do with this book but these are just some of them. I would defiantly recommend teachers to read this book to their students because this is a fun and interesting way to teach students about math problems and how to solve them. I would defiantly read this book to my students because I think word problems are hard and I think the only way to help students learn about them is to make them fun and interesting and I think this book is a great way to do that.

[lissabeth21 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fun and a little mind bending for a tired mommy after 9pm!

[abruser_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Math Curse" is about a child that is literally cursed with math. The child sees everything as a math equation and begins to go crazy. The format of the book includes many math equations are both fun and applicable. In this way, "math Curse" could be a great way to introduce a math lesson or just get the class to think mathematically.

[kdufrene-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This a fun book that walks through the life of a child for a day that can't stop thinking about math equations. This book is humerus and can find relation to the things that the child is experiencing. This book also has math equations that you have to try to figure out which will be fun to do with a class.

[mwflood · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book made my head hurt. It was enjoyable but took forever to read because I insisted on figuring out every math problem. It was a fun and enjoyable trip through numbers and math problems.This would be an awesome book to get kids on the path to enjoying math and reading all in one book. A great book for also teaching kids about postmodern children's lit.

[ssandoe_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Math Curse is a short fictional story about a young boy who comes to see everything in life as a math problem because of his teacher, Mrs. Fibonacci. When he wakes up Tuesday morning he spends his entire day thinking in "math terms." He must figure out how much time he has before he needs to be at the bus stop, how many shirts he has in his closet, how much milk he has left for his cereal and so on and even dreams at night about math! Thankfully, when he wakes up Tuesday morning his "math curse" has ended, but little does he know a new curse is already peeking around the corner!Although I would recommend this book for third grade and up some pages can also be used in first and second grade (such as how many minutes in an hour question, which month has the fewest days or how many fingers are in our class). This book is an exemplary book for teaching a wide range of math concepts. It discusses the concept of time, measurement, counting, fractions, decimals, money and division. Perhaps the most effective part of the book is the large amount of questions it poses to the reader than can be answered by the surrounding text and information. Because many students can become intimidated or uninterested in math they will find this book amusing and relatable because not only is the main character their age but he also refers to his encounter with math as a "curse." It includes multiple visual representations (such as how to count my twos on your fingers or a pie that is divided into pieces/fractions) that allow students to see what the questions are asking them. This book can also be used with manipulatives; students could use or handle coins to assist them in learning amount exchanging cents for dollars and vice versa. Also, the storyline offers a sarcastic yet humorous twist that allows students to both vent about their similar frustrations with math yet also realize the importance and real-life situations in which they will use these important math concepts!

[amassingale-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a book where the main character keeps having problems with math. Everything in her life is a math problem. From getting ready in the morning, to having cupcakes in class. She even has math problems in her dreams. Throughout all of these problems, she is trying to find solutions, but just can't seem to figure it out. One night in her dream, she finally breaks free from the math curse, and never has a math problem like that again. I would use this for children in 3rd grade and higher. I would use this book as a fun way to look at math and all sorts of different math problems, I would also have my students create their own math problems from the things around them. Genre: fantasy because there is no such thing as a math curse

[meotoole · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Awesome active read aloud book!

[ghimbert_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed reading this book; it has so many levels to it. While it is written for children there are many parts of the book that children will not understand but an adult will. You can appreciate this book at any age because everyone has had their struggles with math. You can relate to all of the different problems and the book really gets you thinking on another level besides just reading and looking at the pictures.

[kratzerliz23 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When I first read this book I considered it a lower elementary book, but since I have read it to my 6th grade math students I think its a good book to read to higher elementary students. This is a fun reading book. Each page asks questions, which gets its readers to think. The fun reading text keeps the book from becoming too frightening when talking about math. Students who do not particularly like math should enjoy reading it, too. It's text connects math to things a student encounters every day in life. My class enjoyed answering the questions and the class made it into a math game.

[hhaddad1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a hilarious book that centers around a boy who becomes so frustrated with seeing math in every day life that he feels he is cursed. I, personally, think it is so funny because it is so true--once you realize math is literally in anything, its hard to not notice. I love how the book contains all the little math rhymes and riddles and equations. Great for 1st, 2nd or 3rd grade.