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Kiss My Math, Danica McKellar

Thu, 07/09/2009

So What's Next, by Danica McKellar:

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The paperback edition of Kiss My Math hits the shelves this week, and there's no time to waste - I'm hard at work, writing my third book, which will be on Algebra... and I'm taking suggestions! In my last post, I told you how much I love getting feedback about Kiss My Math and Math Doesn't Suck, but I also appreciate getting feedback on books I haven't written yet.

You see, I spend a lot of time talking with teachers and students to get a feeling for what's going on in math classrooms across this country, and to check in about what the most confusing topics for teens are these days. The more suggestions and requests I get, the better! I like to see patterns in what people struggle the most with in algebra, and the feedback helps me decide which topics to spend more time on than others, and which topics are easier and don't need as many pages dedicated to them.

What topic in Algebra do you need the most help with? Email me! You see, the style of my books is very conversational in nature, and it's important to me to take the time it requires to make the topics friendly - without my books becoming 700 page tomes. :)

Posted by Penguin Group USA on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 11:28am. in

Kiss My Math, Danica McKellar

Tue, 07/07/2009

Favorite Emails, by Danica McKellar:

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One of my favorite things about writing books like Kiss My Math is the happy emails I receive from my readers. I get messages from students, parents, teachers, aunts, uncles and grandparents who have bought the book for themselves or a loved one who is struggling in math, and the success stories are amazing.

I love hearing from parents how I've made homework time less stressful, or how the books have given teachers new ideas for making lesson plans easier and more fun!

Here are some of my favorite emails from students. I get so many of these every day, and they make me so happy - it never, ever gets old and I know it never will.

One of my favorite things about emails from teenagers is the hyperbole. The extra exclamation points, the saving of lives - it's just adorable and I love it.

Your book "Kiss My Math" saved my life! I'm in algebra in the eighth grade and your book covers it all. I have hated math all my life and now I am enjoying math class! Thank you so much!!
Kate, age 13, Missouri

Posted by Penguin Group USA on Tue, 07/07/2009 - 10:53am. in

Kiss My Math, Danica McKellar

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.)

Posted by Penguin Group USA on Mon, 07/06/2009 - 10:42am. in

Kiss My Math, Danica McKellar

Wed, 07/01/2009

Danica McKellar, author of Kiss My Math, our guest blogger for the week of 7/6:

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Danica McKellar is our guest blogger during the week of July 6th. If you have any questions for Danica McKellar, add a comment to any of her posts.

Here is more information about Kiss My Math: Showing Pre-Algebra Who's Boss:

Read an excerpt.

The New York Times bestseller-from the author of Math Doesn't Suck-teaches girls how to kick pre-algebra butt

In her New York Times bestselling books, actress and math genius Danica McKellar shatters the "math nerd" stereotype and gives girls the tools to ace middle-school math in her unique, just-us-girls style. Now, in her second book, Kiss My Math, McKellar empowers a new crop of girls-seventh to ninth graders-to tackle the next level of mathematics: pre-algebra.

Stepping up not only the math but the sass and style, McKellar helps math-phobic teenagers chill out and finally "get" negative numbers, variables, absolute values, exponents, and more. As she did so effectively in Math Doesn't Suck, McKellar uses personality quizzes, reader polls, real-life testimonials, and stories from her own life-in addition to clear instruction, helpful tips, and practice problems-revealing why pre-algebra is easier, more relevant, and more glamorous than girls think. McKellar is clearly reaching her audience: parents, teachers, and especially girls are asking for more.

Posted by Penguin Group USA on Wed, 07/01/2009 - 4:34pm. in

Kiss My Math, Danica McKellar

Thu, 08/07/2008

Back-To-School Article – Girls’ Performance In Math by Danica McKellar:

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Recently, I read an interesting article titled, "Girls as Good at Math as Boys, Finds Study", picked up by the Associated Press from Science Magazine, just in time for back-to-school.

"In the largest study of its kind, girls measured up to boys in every grade, from second through 11th. The research was released Thursday in the journal Science."

The article also cites that, "Parents and teachers persist in thinking boys are simply better at math, said Janet Hyde, the University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher who led the study. And girls who grow up believing it wind up avoiding harder math classes.

"It keeps girls and women out of a lot of careers, particularly high-prestige, lucrative careers in science and technology," Hyde said.

I recommend reading the entire article, if you get the chance.

(I can't help but mention that neither girls nor boys are doing "well" in this country, relative to the world. See for example: www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0923110.html)

Posted by Penguin Group USA on Thu, 08/07/2008 - 8:24am. in

Kiss My Math, Danica McKellar

Wed, 08/06/2008

Back to School Tips by Danica McKellar:

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So, let's talk about how to make back-to-school better for everyone - especially the students!

Undoubtedly, everyone's list is different, but here are some pretty universal issues that students grapple with every year - things probably found on the "to do" list of students and their parents, if such a list exists:

1. Get more confident and successful at taking tests
2. Learn to better handle and diffuse stress
3. Procrastinate less and get homework done on time (okay, this might only be on the parents' list for their kids!)

So, now that we have this list, what shall we do about it? I've talked to countless teachers and students about these issues, because it's well known that mastering the actual course material is only half the game. So, in addition to the math lessons covered in Kiss My Math, I filled the book with tips to make these 3 wishes come true. I'll show you some now!

1. Get more confident and successful at taking tests

With the increased number of standardized tests students are expected to take, this grows more and more important each year!

Posted by Penguin Group USA on Wed, 08/06/2008 - 8:47am. in

Kiss My Math, Danica McKellar

Tue, 08/05/2008

Writing Kiss My Math by Danica McKellar:

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Last year, after releasing Math Doesn't Suck, for back-to-school '07, we got such a positive response that we decided to follow up with the next step up in the math curriculum with Kiss My Math. And just in time for back-to-school ‘08.

When I wrote my first book, Math Doesn't Suck, I had about a year to turn in the first draft, and several months afterwards for rewrites. This time, we wanted to turn the whole thing around in a year! A year had always seemed like a long time, until I became an author.

It was more labor-intensive to write it more quickly, so I completely stopped acting for about 7 months in order to basically chain myself to my computer, and turn out the best book possible! An odd thing about Kiss My Math? For some reason, I wrote this one almost entirely during nighttime hours. I'd work late, until around 5am or so, go to sleep around 6am, and then sleep all day, wake up at 2pm and start again. I think I did that because there were fewer distractions, and I could get more done. See, I was determined to make Kiss My Math not only on par with Math Doesn't Suck, but even better. Thankfully I was cheered on by countless emails from girls, telling me how much Math Doesn't Suck had helped them, and how much they were hoping for a sequel. They made the late nights a lot easier!

So, what are the main differences between Math Doesn't Suck and Kiss My Math?

Posted by Penguin Group USA on Tue, 08/05/2008 - 8:18am. in

Kiss My Math, Danica McKellar

Mon, 08/04/2008

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.

Posted by Penguin Group USA on Mon, 08/04/2008 - 8:12am. in

Kiss My Math, Danica McKellar

Fri, 08/01/2008

Danica McKellar, author of Kiss My Math - our blogger for the week of 8/4:

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Danica McKellar is our guest blogger during the week of August 4th. If you have any questions for Danica McKellar, add a comment to any of her posts. Here is some brief information about Kiss My Math: Showing Pre-Algebra Who's Boss:

From the author of the runaway bestseller Math Doesn't Suck, the next step in the math curriculum-- pre-Algebra.

Last year, actress and math genius Danica McKellar made waves nationwide, challenging the "math nerd" stereotype-and giving girls the tools to ace tests and homework in her unique just-us-girls style. Now, in Kiss My Math, McKellar empowers a new crop of girls-7th to 9th graders-taking on the next level of mathematics: pre-Algebra.

Stepping up not only the math, but also the sass and style, Kiss My Math will help math-phobic teenagers everywhere chill out about math, and finally "get" negative numbers, variables, absolute values, exponents, and more. Each chapter features: