by Aaron Starmer (Author) Marta Kissi (Illustrator)
A page-turning mystery brimming with lighthearted intrigue and essential middle-grade math skills, Math Mysteries: The Triplet Threat by author Aaron Starmer will have readers on the edge of their seats as they unravel the who-done it using math. Perfect for both mystery and math lovers, as well as kids who love puzzles, riddles, brainteasers, and adventure stories!
It's the first day of the fourth grade at Arthimos Elementary and things are already off to a strange start--poisonous cookies, a zipline disaster, a missing iPad, and what are those strange sounds coming from the school custodian's wheelbarrow? Luckily the Prime Detectives--Abby "the Abacus" Feldstein, Cameron "Cam" McGill, and Gabriel "Gabe" Kim--are on the case! Using arithmetic, geometry, and logic, the Prime Detectives are sure to figure out who did what, when, and why! A gripping new middle grade mystery series, each book contains multiple, interlinked mysteries that readers help solve using math. Includes answers showing step-by-step solutions.
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Numbers are the key to rooting out the truth in this low-stakes first installment of an arithmetic whodunit series by Starmer (A Million Views). Abby Feldstein, Cam McGill, and Gabe Kim call themselves the Prime Detectives, so named for their reputation as sleuths who use math to solve mysteries and for their friendship, which is as indivisible as prime numbers. The first day of fourth grade immediately tests the trio's mettle: the Penderton triplets, three brothers new to Arithmos Elementary, bustle into the classroom expecting to be early but are instead inexplicably 10 minutes tardy. In this first of several episodic numerical capers, the Prime Detectives crack the case, detailing via concise prose how they use mathematical logic to puzzle out those missing minutes. The team breaks subsequent mysteries down into digestible math problems, using conversions to explain a batch of inedible cookies and statistics to demonstrate how a gym class obstacle course went sideways. Cheerful, limited blue-palette illustrations by Kissi (the Wind Riders series) accompany each adventure, making for a fast-reading story that's light on mystery but rich in equations. Characters are depicted as having varying skin tones. Ages 8-11. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Aug.)
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- Math class, Ron Roy's A to Z Mysteries series, and Ms. Frizzle merge in this short math mystery focused on Arthimos Elementary's fourth-grade class. The story centers primarily around the point of view of the Prime Detectives, a trio of longtime friends and students in Ms. Everly's fourth-grade class, as they begin their first day of a new school year. The early chapters of this story beautifully set the scene for the unfolding mysteries while also allowing the audience to gather information and background on the characters and classroom dynamics. Each chapter masterfully elevates the stakes with different theories and mathematical processes that escalate in difficulty as well as build tension and mystery. Ideal for any elementary classroom, the book provides easy-to-understand ways of thinking through math problems in concrete scenarios, such as mismanaged time, a zip line mishap, a missing iPad, and poisoned cookies. Nicely integrated demonstrations of the solutions through both character dialogue and explicit arithmetic equations set this apart, and the occasional illustrations help bring to life the characters. — Booklist
AARON STARMER is the author of more than a dozen novels for young readers. His novels have been translated into multiple foreign languages and have appeared on best of the year lists from Time magazine, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Public Library, YALSA, Bank Street College of Education, the Chicago Public Library, and School Library Journal. Unlike many authors, he really enjoys math. This is his first mystery. He lives in Vermont with his wife and two daughters.