The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure ANNOTATION
Annoyed with his math teacher who assigns word problems and won't let him use a calculator, twelve-year-old Robert finds help from the number devil in his dreams.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Finally available in paperback, the international best-seller that makes math a thrilling adventure for adults and children alike.
In twelve dreams, Robert, a boy who hates math, meets a Number Devil, who leads him to discover the amazing world of numbers: infinite numbers, prime numbers, Fibonacci numbers, numbers that magically appear in triangles, and numbers that expand without end. As we dream with him, we are taken further and further into mathematical theory, where ideas eventually take flight, until everyone-from those who fumble over fractions to those who solve complex equations in their heads-winds up marveling at what numbers can do.
SYNOPSIS
In twelve dreams, a twelve-year-old boy who hates math discovers the amazing world of numbers: infinite numbers, prime numbers, Fibonacci numbers, numbers that magically appear in triangles, and numbers that expand without end. As readers dream with him, they are taken further and further into mathematical theory, until everyone, from those who fumble over fractions to those who solve complex equations in their heads, winds up marveling at what numbers can do.
Hans Magnus Enzensberger is one of those amazing thinkers who can write for the most advanced intellectuals and yet has the wit, charm, and sparkle to speak directly to children. In The Number Devil he brings together the surreal logic of "Alice in Wonderland" with the kind of math all readers would love, if only they had a number devil to teach it to them.
FROM THE CRITICS
Los Angeles Times
Adults who know a little about math will find this book as enlightening as younger readers will. - Martin Gardner
Baltimore Sun
Rare and glorious. - Michael Pakenham
Publishers Weekly
In a starred review, PW noted that "exceptionally handsome four-color illustrations and vignettes deepen the magic of this mathematically minded fantasy. For certain kinds of readers--chess players, puzzle enthusiasts--this will be a favorite." Ages 11-up. (May) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|
Children's Literature - Mary Sue Preissner
Our shelves are screaming for books that will captivate kids dealing with the subject of mathematics. Sadly, we will wait longer. The Number Devil is a red, horn-eared and pointy-tailed individual who visits Robert in his dreams, attempting to allay Robert's math anxiety by providing him with simple explanations to mathematical problems. Each new chapter reinforces the previous, and builds from there. The book has been printed on quality paper, and Berner's colorful illustrations are delightful to see, in addition to adding to the mathematical explanations. The comprehensive index readily sends the reader to a myriad of mathematical topics. Unfortunately, I don't see kids running to pull this off the shelves, and I can't see teachers using it as a read-aloud.
VOYA - Julie Hudson
This is such an attractive book that one yearns for it to be a pleasure to read. Flipping through the pages, Berner's brightly colored, clever illustrations jump out (like the devil himself), making the reader stop to view them more carefully. However, NUMBERS jump out as well-numbers in charts, in formulas, on blocks, on walls. Fair or not, YAs who are not in love with the pleasure of math are not going to put up with this book no matter how clever it is (and boy, is it ever!).
Twelve-year-old Robert is annoyed with math taught by a boring teacher who will not allow calculators in class and frankly, the number devil (who appears in Robert's dream), agrees with him. Readers can truly feel the devil's enthusiasm for the subject in the language: "The thing that makes numbers so devilish is precisely that they are simple." The excitement is catching and some credit must be given to translator Heim, who is able to carry over a great deal of humor and sarcasm from the original German text. The number devil takes Robert on a journey of magical math concepts, and just as Dorothy awakens in Kansas, Robert awakens with his mother shaking him, "If you don't get up this very instant you'll be late for school." But Robert gets to keep a souvenir to prove his dream was real-something that helps him keep and use the knowledge he has gained.
A nice "Seek-and-Ye-Shall-Find-List" that is an index of math terms and mathematicians appears in the back, along with a "Warning" page pointing out a few liberties the author has taken and correcting them. Maybe math teachers will identify sparks in students and push this book; librarians will try.
VOYA Codes: 4Q 3P M (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses, Will appeal with pushing, Middle School-defined as grades 6 to 8). 1998 (orig.
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