Math Mysteries: The Triplet Threat

- 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

- Fourth grade sleuths do it by the numbers in this STEM-centric series kickoff.

Showing every step in inset boxes of calculations and solutions inserted throughout the narrative, Starmer pitches a nonstop series of classroom mysteries at math whiz Abby “The Abacus” Feldstein, stats superstar Gabe Kim, and talented chemist/kitchen dynamo Cam McGill–collectively known as the Prime Detectives since, obviously, they’re indivisible like prime numbers. Shepherded by firm, kind teacher Mrs. Everly (think Ms. Frizzle but with an even larger wardrobe), the team solves conundrums ranging from why the Penderton triplets are tardy on the first day of class at Arithmos Elementary and why the initial batch of homemade cookies they bake for everyone tastes terrible (a recipe is included midway through) to the fate of a stolen iPad. Along with arithmetical operations and systematic evidence gathering, getting to answers involves rounding, estimation, and unit conversion…not to mention clear explanations of “buffalo theory,” the right way to scale recipes up, techniques for creating a “Memory Palace,” and several other intellectual tools as useful outside math class as in. In Kissi’s blue-tinted drawings, Abby and Mrs. Everly are light-skinned, Gabe is cued Asian, and Cam presents Black; their classmates are a racially diverse group.

High density edutainment…with cookies. – Kirkus Reviews

Aaron Starmer was born in northern California and raised in the suburbs of Syracuse, New York. His middle-grade and young adult novels have been translated into multiple foreign languages and have appeared on best of the year lists from Time Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, New York Public Library, YALSA, Bank Street College of Education, Chicago Public Library, and School Library Journal. He lives in Vermont with his wife and two daughters.

Marta Kissi is a Bath-based illustrator, originally from Warsaw. She studied BA illustration & animation at Kingston University and MA visual communication at the Royal College of Art. Her favorite part of being an illustrator is bringing stories to life by designing charming characters and the wonderful worlds they live in. She shares her artist studio with her husband James and their pet plant Trevor.

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