Solving for M

Gr 4-7—Math has applications and relevance to real life, as this book shows through the experiences of the artistic-minded and sensitive fifth-grader Mika, who fills the math journal she's been assigned by her kooky math teacher with illustrations relating to her feelings around her divorced mother's ongoing skin cancer treatment. These illustrations alternate with chapters written in Mika's vulnerable and sincere first-person voice. Most scenes occur either in math class or at home, each centered around basic pre-algebraic concepts: order of operations, estimation, variables, sets, etc. Mika's growth is slow and steady as she makes new friends, acclimates to a new normal, and learns to tell her mother she still needs her. Mika, her family, and all characters but one are white, living in upper-middle class upstate New York. VERDICT What some may see as a transparent attempt to foist math review on unsuspecting middle grade readers, others will enjoy as a sad yet sweet character-driven novel not unlike those of Lisa Graff or Julie Sternberg, with a focus on having a parent with cancer.—Rhona Campbell, Georgetown Day School, Washington, DC

Debut author Swender cleverly tells the story of shy artist Mika Barnes by interspersing entries of an illustrated math journal throughout her first-person narrative. Mika lives with her mother in New York's Hudson Valley and rarely sees her father and his new wife, who live in Florida. Mika's first year as a fifth grader at Highbridge Middle School promises to be challenging: she's in a different pod than her best friend, and her math teacher, Mr. Vann, teaches in a wholly unconventional way--using a math journal to "embark on reflective discussions of relevant math issues." When she finds out that her mom has melanoma, it's Mr. Vann and his journal prompts, along with two new unlikely friends at school, that help her cope. Mika's journal entries prove both amusing and touching as she expresses her uncertainty and fear through numbers and drawings, and Swender nicely captures the mind-set of a child struggling to understand a parent's illness. Though Mika seems more like a bystander watching things unfold than a protagonist evolving over time, the unusual format and the author's realistic portrayal of a girl navigating social and familial issues make this a worthy read. Ages 8-12. Author's agent: Jennifer Weltz, Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency. (May)