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Murderous Maths
by Kjartan Poskitt
Most maths books are deadly serious. They are also deadly boring - full of algebra, equations and absolutely no jokes. But the Murderous Maths books are different. They have the power to make you laugh.
Kjartan Poskitt has a name that's hard to spell, a sense of humour totally in tune with his readers and a wonderful array of off-beat characters who populate a world where maths is always popping up. My personal favourite is Pongo MacWhiffy but the delightful band of inept gangsters come a close second and Professor Fiendish is hard to forget.
Behind all the jokes and cartoons, are excellent explanations of a wide range of maths topics which fit well with Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3. This is maths as you've never seen it before - maths that children of 8 and over may choose to read for fun. Those who really get hooked will also enjoy the Murderous Maths website.
The titles in the series so far are
The Essential
Arithmetricks
(How to add, subtract, multiply and divide)
The Mean
and Vulgar Bits
(Fractions and Averages)
Desperate
Measures
(measurement)
Do
you feel lucky?
(probability and chance)
Vicious
Circles and Other Savage Shapes
(geometry - absolutely no sums)
Numbers
- the Key to the Universe
(fascinating facts about numbers)
The
Phantom X
(algebra)
Professor
Fiendish's Diabolical Mindbenders
(loads of fiendish puzzles to set you thinking)