Case Of The Missing Birthday Party: Hello Math (Hello Math Reader, Level 4) - Softcover

Grade 2-3?A chewed-up birthday invitation and a crying girl on her way to the party are all it takes to turn a boring afternoon into an adventure for Liz the Whiz and her brother. They utilize deductive reasoning and persist until they locate the proper house (it has a 5 in the address) and find the birthday celebration. According to the introduction, stories like this make math ideas "accessible, interesting, and fun." Unfortunately, this particular story is too contrived and confusing to be fun. In the end, the young investigators follow another child carrying a present to the right house. It seems like mathematics wasn't the best strategy to solve this case. The cartoon illustrations are bright and appealing. Activities on the final pages reinforce the math concept used in the tale (place value). This may be useful for a certain audience, but don't expect many requests from children.?Sharon R. Pearce, San Antonio Public Library, TX
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.