In this runaway bestseller, actress and mathematician Danica McKellar (The Wonder Years, The West Wing) proves that math can be easy, relevant, and even glamorous, and gives you the tools to ace your next test.
With Danica as personal tutor and coach, even the most math-phobic student will finally "get" fractions, decimals, rates, ratios, proportions, "solving for x," and more. Inside, you'll find: Time-saving tips and tricks for homework and tests, Real-world examples-from how understanding percents can make you a savvier shopper to how understanding proportions can make you a better chef!, Inspiring stories from Danica's own life as a terrified math student, a confident actress, and more, A Troubleshooting Guide to help you get "unstuck" and overcome your biggest math challenges.
Math Doesn't Suck even includes a math horoscope, math personality quizzes, and real-life testimonials! Why should math be a drag? Let Danica put you on the fast-track to math success.
Best known for her roles on The Wonder Years and The West Wing, Danica McKellar is also an internationally recognized mathematician and advocate for math education. A summa cum laude graduate of UCLA with a degree in Mathematics, Danica has been honored in Britain’s esteemed Journal of Physics and The New York Times for her work in mathematics, most notably for her role as co-author of a groundbreaking mathematical physics theorem, which bears her name (The Chayes-McKellar-Winn Theorem.) Her passion for promoting girls’ math education began in 2000, when she was invited to speak before Congress on the importance of women in math and science. Since then, Danica has made it a priority to find time in her busy acting schedule to promote math education, often appearing around the country as a speaker at national mathematics conferences.
Anonymous
Posted Thu Apr 10 00:00:00 EDT 2008
I am a 28 year old who has always hated math. After several years of falling behind my class and failing the subject repeatedly I finally decided I will just never 'get it'. Then I found this book. It's entertaining, easy, and I completely understand the lessons!! I am even looking for additional math exercises just so I can practice what I am learning! I can't believe it. I am so happy I would give Danica McKellar a huge hug if I had the chance.
9 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Fable_Wright
Posted Mon Feb 28 00:00:00 EST 2011
Hi my name is Adriana,
Im in 8th grade and i am absolutly loving math! Ahhh i cant believe i just said that! For years math has been my worst subject. I had always dreaded the day because of that one period. I would look at the math mumbo-jumbo and be like "Why does everybody get this and i cant???" In sixth grade i totally flunked the Florida, Comprehension, Assesment test (Fcat) and had to be placed in two math classes to make up for it. I learned alot in those two periods but was still not to sure about my FCAT. . . So one day my dad was at Barnes & Noble and he picked up this book, my first reaction to the title was "yes it does, geez are you stupid?" but i actually read the first chapter and it completly changed my look on math it taught me the basics i had completly missed in the 6th grade! once i learned these basics i read the next book and also fell completly in love! This year im at the top of my class and im now preparing for FCAT with her third book I LOVE IT!
So basicly. . .
Math Dosent Suck - 6th grade
Kiss My Mat - 7th grade
Hot X Algebra Exposed - 8th grade
Hope I Helped
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The book is written in fine print of the type found in college texts. It presents itself as intimidating and not as inviting as the cover art presented. I unfortunaely purchased this book online and was not able to view content before purchase. At a minimum the book my appeal to a high schoolewr or the highest functioning 8th grader but not to those who really need its help. The book is not recommended for your 12 or 13 year old
4 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.PennyNomenclature
Posted Sat Feb 20 00:00:00 EST 2010
I bought this book for my 12-year-old daughter and wound up reading it myself. My daughter isn't a girly girl, so some of the examples were a little too cute for her, but, McKellar explains math concepts in a clear, easy-to-understand way, and gives little tricks and tips that I was unaware of that make concepts which can be difficult to understand fun to learn. I especially appreciated the chapter on percentages, which will come in very handy while shopping to figure out sale prices. This book will be great to reinforce my daughter's school lessons.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Wed Sep 24 00:00:00 EDT 2008
Many times the reason a teacher asks for a written explanation is to ensure that the student understands the math they are using. It's often easy to put numbers into equations without really understanding what the math process is. For example, if the student can explain that 4 time 3 is acutally a shortcut to adding 4 three times, then it is apparent they understand the process as well as the solution. I don't think this makes it 'boy' or 'girl' math, just another way to try and make sure that the students are commprehending the material they are given.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Wed Aug 06 00:00:00 EDT 2008
I am a 7th grade Geography teacher and I keep a library of books that are interesting to my students. Not just the regular 'teacher' style books. This one is on the shelf next to the Twilight series, a very, very high compliment in the 7th grade!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Trixie25
Posted Sat Mar 13 00:00:00 EST 2010
I am terrible at math and picked it up hoping that it would help me understand it so that I could teach it to my son, whom I homeschool. It is very easy to understand. She gives you an example and then gives you problems to try on your own (the answers are in the back). It's definitely geared toward girls, but I'm hoping to convert the examples from lipsticks to footballs! Thanks Danica!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Mon Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2010
I Also Recommend:
I got this for my daughter and another for one of her friends, both of Danica's books. Then, just recently I bought 2 more sets of both books for 2 more of her friends! It is a very small investment to help some young girl get math before it is too late in their educational journey. Buy a set for some young girls you know! Public schools are not cutting it. Take an active role in your child's education.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat May 16 00:00:00 EDT 2009
My 6th grade daughter has struggled with math concepts for years. I bought her this book as a reference and as a fun way to think about math. She has referred to it on several occasions and enjoys the stories. My only hesitation about buying the book was the "s" word in tht title as I don't find that appropriate for this age but the material made me overlook it! I would recommend as a book to share together and use a reference to make math fun!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Thu Aug 21 00:00:00 EDT 2008
There is nothing wrong with incorporating good writing skills into a math lesson!
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Wed Sep 28 00:00:00 EDT 2011
I love this book for my classroom and can't wait to get her others! The book was easy to understand and gave me great relevant practice problems to give my students. I really want "Kiss My Math" and "Hot X: Algebra Exposed". Can't wait!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Mon Apr 18 00:00:00 EDT 2011
Math Doesn't Suck by Danica McKellar is a fun, energetic read highlighting the struggles of middle school math students. Ms. McKellar may be remembered as next door neighbor Winnie Cooper on "The Wonder Years". Unlike Winnie's confident demeanor, in Chapter 1 Ms. McKellar admits to suffering from a panic attack during a 7th grade math test. She writes that at the end of the testing period her paper was totally blank.
During the 8th grade she began to feel more comfortable working with numbers and mathematical concepts, and by the time she graduated from high school she was accepted by UCLA as a math major. So competent in her studies that she now has a theorem named after her, she wanted to help other young women shed their fear and anxiety and come to feel accomplished in the math arena.
In the course of the book Ms. McKellar offers a number of tips and tricks to make computations and processes easier to follow and remember. She tackles the question of who is stronger in math-males or females-head on. She offers that males feel more confident in math courses, and thus may perform at a higher level on tests, but that young women are logical and focused and possess the skills necessary to overcome their fears and to be strong math students. She also addresses the idea that being smart isn't cool. She points out that strong math skills make it possible for students to calculate their earnings when they have a job, calculate the discount on sale merchandise, figure out how long they will have to work to buy the car of their dreams. Being a strong math student isn't only cool-it's a necessity in life.
I believe this is a great book for young women, but young men as well. I enjoyed reliving, relearning and reviewing the math operations I have not used for many years after leaving the classroom. I recommend this book very highly.
6186043
Posted Tue Mar 29 00:00:00 EDT 2011
best book ever!
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Feb 11 00:00:00 EST 2011
Absolutely helps you on whatever
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Matt2009
Posted Wed Aug 25 00:00:00 EDT 2010
I Also Recommend:
I read this book cover to cover. Needed to re-teach myself math. Started with the Kiss My Math edition, but found some skills referred back to this first book. Author uses lots of stories and mnemonics to make math easier to remember. A lot of work went into making this book fun and educational.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Mon May 10 00:00:00 EDT 2010
I actually bought this book for my daughter, who is in fourth grade. I anticipated she would need this next year in middle school because she is quite introverted and sometimes doesn't ask questions in class because she doesn't want to look "stupid". After I got the book she started looking through it on her own, and has even started learning some of the math concepts out of it! Any book that can do that is tops in my eyes! My son, who is currently in fifth grade, has also started going through the book, mostly because he had to see what his sister was so interested in!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.LWilliams0220
Posted Thu Apr 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010
The book Math Doesn't Suck by Danica McKellar is very interesting book that describes math in a different way than just a regular math class would. McKellar relates to reality by comparing basic math and algebra to things that girls could relate to. For example she uses red high heels for comparing to one thing, then ex-boyfriends for another, and plenty more. Math has always been an easy subject for me, but after I finished reading this book I had a new understanding of some things. I really liked the book because it wasn't your normal novel that you have to read for school, it was a math book but yet it was good. From her comparing things in real life to the algebra, it was clearer to me and made me understand things better. I personally think that people who are having trouble with algebra should really read this book.
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Posted Fri Apr 09 00:00:00 EDT 2010
I Also Recommend:
I have always struggled with math, so it wasn't long before my daughter's math homework started to outgrow me. It was embarrassing not to be able to help my preteen daughter with her math. Since she and I were both struggling, I decided to give this book a try. It is funny and interesting and puts math into terms that a girl can relate to. However, beyond that it makes math easier to understand. Concepts that I struggled with all through college suddenly became clear. McKellar explains the concepts in a clear and easy to follow manner. She gives tips that actually help and make sense. If your daughter is having any trouble in math, or even if you've gone back to college and are having trouble remembering the basics, buy this book.
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Posted Sun Feb 21 00:00:00 EST 2010
I will give it to granddaughter in Sept.
0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sun Feb 21 00:00:00 EST 2010
I love this book it let you have a new appreciation for math; even as an adult who did not like math It has made me loving the subject. This book is great and will encourage your child to improve the math skills. Great buy.
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Overview
In this runaway bestseller, actress and mathematician Danica McKellar (The Wonder Years, The West Wing) proves that math can be easy, relevant, and even glamorous, and gives you the tools to ace your next test.
With Danica as personal tutor and coach, even the most math-phobic student will finally ...