She also is asked to help a younger student, Ronna, with some math tutoring. Alex initially can't find a way to help Ronna see the benefits of math, but she begins to see ways to approach the problem through Ronna's love of baseball. Multiplication, fractions, percentages - all are used in computing batting averages and other important player statistics. And by showing Ronna how the math she used for baseball applied to other areas, she began to see the light.
What I really appreciated about the story was that it never stooped to preaching right and wrong to the kids. Through examples most students will encounter during their academic careers and social issues common to growing up, the lessons learned are much more organic.
My daughter read the book and said she really liked it. "It makes kids think they can do anything they set their mind to," she said. And I agree. Through the application of effort, a little creativity, and the ability to learn, no task is impossible.
If you're looking for a good series of books with solid lessons for ages 8 to 12, I would highly recommend you look for The Girls Know How Series. The three books in the series so far are Will Stephanie get the story?, Raising the Roof, and Smart Alex. Be sure to look for them at your favorite bookstore or library.
Check out the series website for more information.
Article comments
1 - Sahar
Sounds like an interesting book I might want to pick up for my younger friends :) Thanks for the review!
2 - Fitz
@Sahar - You bet. I think I'll be picking up the other books in the series for my daughters as well. :)