Back to School...and Math Class by Danica McKellar:

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When Penguin asked me to write a blog on "Back to School" my first thought was, Is summer over already? And I briefly flashed back to that feeling from my childhood of dread, as the freedom of summer evaporated and September loomed in front of me. I remember seeing television ads with excited kids wearing brightly colored clothes, jumping around with new backpacks amidst loud "Back to School" graphics, and I'd think, Why the heck are all those kids so excited about going back to school? I mean really, didn't they know this meant that we all had to wake up early and endure things like math tests?

So, although I'm writing in a "Back to School" themed blog this week, I promise not to pretend that going back to school is all hunky-dory and that you're all just ecstatic in your hot pink outfits and orange book bags. In fact, to all you middle school and high school kids who are about to go back to school, I will say this: I feel your pain.

And I hereby pledge to make it much, much less painful.

It would be hard to dispute that one of the least popular subjects, and therefore one of the most popular sources of September dread, is mathematics. If you're going into 6^th - 8^th grade, you're probably going to be learning some form of pre-algebra. And guess what? I've written two books, Math Doesn't Suck (paperback released on July 1, 2008), and Kiss My Math (hardcover released Aug. 5^th, 2008) that will help you not only get through pre-algebra, but actually enjoy the subject.

You may notice that the outsides of my books look more like teen magazines than textbooks. And there's a very good reason for that. They're a lot more like teen magazines than textbooks on their insides, too. Less painful than textbooks? You bet!

Yes, I teach the Pre-Algebra concepts you need to get ready for Algebra - and in a way that makes them easy to finally "get" - but I also show you how studying math will actually help you develop into a fabulous young woman - a young woman who not only looks great, but makes smart decisions about her fabulous life, therefore making it more fabulous. My books also include things like personality quizzes, horoscopes, real-life stories from girls, and so on. Kiss My Math even has reader polls and surprising graphs that reveal "What Guys Really Think" about smart girls.

I'll share some back to school tips and also tell you more about the new book, Kiss My Math: Showing Pre-Algebra Who's Boss, in the next post. In the meantime, I can't help but take the opportunity to thank all of you who write to me how Math Doesn't Suck has helped you find more success and feel more confident about math. Those emails are my favorite part of the day!

Cheers, Danica

kissmymath.com

mathdoesntsuck.com

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Danica McKellar, Kiss My Math, Math Doesn't Suck, mathematics, math, pre-Algebra, Algebra, math books, academics, school, Middle School, High School,education, teaching, teenagers, parenting, entertainment, television, tvbooks, Penguin Books