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Mon, 07/06/2009

Summertime Reading, by Danica McKellar:

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I hope you're all having a terrific summer! I trust you've all been making time to relax, maybe hang out by the pool or the beach with a fun book, maybe even a fun math book...

Um, did she just say "a fun math book"?

Yep! In fact, I'm very pleased to announce that the paperback edition of Kiss My Math (ages 12-14) is available as of June 30^th 2009, joining my first book in paperback, Math Doesn't Suck (ages 9-12).

Let's face it: Summer is a great time to brush up on math, so I'm really glad the Kiss My Math paperback has come out with plenty of summer left. I know that "extra math reading" probably sounds like a drag, but that's why I made sure my books are actually fun to read! I mean, why shouldn't math books look like teen magazines? Why shouldn't learning math involve topics that teens are already thinking about, like popularity, breath mints and parties? Well, that's my whole philosophy anyway.

The good news is that you can review vital pre-algebra topics - or get ahead before the school year starts - with this very philosophy! Turns out, distributing is as easy as remembering to say "hi" to everyone at a party. (See Chapter 10 in Kiss My Math for details.)

Need to review exponents? Then you may end up meeting my dear friend, Ms. Exponent, in Chapters 15 and 16. She's the powerful executive who sits high up in her corner penthouse office, stiletto heels and all. (She'll make an encore appearance in my third book, on Algebra, which comes out in August 2010.)

In Kiss My Math, I also teach integers using breath mints, the associative property using popularity, and much more! I've been an actress and entertainer my whole life, and I love writing entertaining stories and scenarios - that actually teach math.

REVIEWING

Let me be very clear about something - there is no shame in reviewing math topics! In fact, reviewing even very basic math can really beef up your more advanced math skills. That's because math is so cumulative. Just like reviewing the multiplication facts really helps with division, reviewing negative numbers or PEMDAS can really help when it comes time to simplify complicated expressions. Math just keeps building and building on itself.

But this is true in so many areas of life, like sports and music! Have you ever seen a golf player work on his/her grip or stance? Yes - just how a player stands can make a huge difference in the swing. And how about a piano player or singer who practices his/her scales, to help with more complicated songs? Math works the same way. And now there's a much more entertaining way to review and learn than you could ever get from a textbook.

I promise you that you'll actually enjoy reviewing math with Kiss My Math or Math Doesn't Suck. They're just not your ordinary math books - and now they're both in easy-to-carry paperbacks.