The Math Kids: A Sequence of Events by David Cole
Release: June 7th 2019
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Common Deer Press
Source: Netgalley
The Math Kids: A Sequence of Events Synopsis:
The Math Kids Club is back! After solving the case of the prime-time burglars, The Math Kids, Jordan, Justin, and Stephanie are ready to return to the original purpose of their club: solving math problems. And the district Math Olympics is the perfect opportunity to do just that. But before they can enter the competition, they need a fourth teammate. The Math Kids set their sights on Catherine Duchesne. Even though Catherine has been quiet in class, she knows some really cool math tricks that are sure to help The Math Kids win the competition. But when Catherine doesn’t show up for school and Jordan, Justin, and Stephanie find out her father’s been kidnapped, the group springs into action to help their new friend. The Math Kids: A Sequence of Events, the second book in David Cole’s fast-moving math adventure series, comes in spring 2019!
Review:
A big thank you to NetGalley and Common Deer Press for sending me an advanced e-copy of the book.
I thought “A Sequence of events” was a great continuation to the “Prime-time Burglars”. I enjoyed reading the previous book for my love of math, and 2nd book is equally good, if not better. Moreover, I loved how the author incorporates various math concepts like the pigeonhole principle, factorials and Fibonacci sequence into the plot. I especially loved the example that Catherine gives Stephanie using flowers for the Fibonacci sequence. The author also gives a few challenging questions to the protagonists and the readers as part of the math competition. As an adult, it also took me sometime to properly analyse and solve them.
In terms of the plot, I found the plot of this book more intriguing than the predecessor. Catherine’s father has been kidnapped, and it is up to the gang to save them. It was so much fun to read as to how they use various math skills to save him! The only problem I had with the plot was that the way the kids confront the kidnappers and save Catherine’s father was done in a light-hearted manner. In reality, these kinds of situations are very dangerous and I felt that the author has not seriously highlighted the implications on how they probably shouldn’t have taken the matter into their own hands. Furthermore, In terms of the characters, I really like Catherine as a new addition to the gang. In fact, I thought she was a better character than Stephanie.
I feel this is one of the very few children’s novels that I am enjoying thoroughly as an adult. I cannot wait for third book in the series to come out! Overall, “The Math Kids – A sequence of events” is a great continuation to the Math Kid series. Readers of any age would enjoy reading this one.
