Math Curse

Starred review from October 2, 1995
Whew! This latest whimsical work from Scieszka and Smith (The True Story of the Three Little Pigs; The Stinky Cheese Man) is bound to stretch out the old thinking cap. The day after her teacher announces, "You know, you can think of almost everything as a math problem," the narrator is afflicted with a ``math curse'' that affects how she views every facet of her day (``Everything seems to be a problem''). A minimum of the questions she asks herself are entirely logical ("How many quarts are in a gallon?''); some are far-fetched extrapolations (if an M&M is about one centimeter long and the Mississippi River is about 4000 kilometers long, how many M&Ms would it take to measure the length of this river?); and a happily hefty number are sheer nonsense: "I undo 8 buttons plus 2 shoelaces. I subtract 2 shoes. I multiply times 2 socks and divide by 3 pillows to get 5 sheep, remainder 1, which is all I need to count before I fall asleep." Like the text, Smith's wonderfully wacky collage-like art will give readers ample food for thought-even if it's part junk food. Here's a morsel: "Does tunafish + tunafish = fournafish?" Kids will want seconds-count on it. Ages 7-up.

The Math Curse is a curse every child can identify with--one through which life becomes one big math problem--getting dressed, going to school, eating lunch--you name it. Nancy Wu creates an appealing and inquisitive portrayal of the unnamed female protagonist and voices other characters skillfully as well. Wu's narration also complements the humor in the writing, further captivating the listener. The musical accompaniment is effective, and engaging sound effects enhance the story. Overall, music and narration come together to give life to the protagonist as she copes with letting numbers know who's boss. "The Math Curse" song accompanies the narration. J.K.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine