The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure

by Hans Magnus Enzensberger

Paperback, 2000

Status

Available

Call number

513.2

Genres

Children's Books

Collection

Your library

Publication

Holt Paperbacks (2000), Paperback, 264 pages

Description

Annoyed with his math teacher who assigns word problems and won't let him use a calculator, twelve-year-old Robert finds help from the number devil in his dreams.

User reviews

LibraryThing member shoebacca

There aren't a lot of entertaining stories about math, which already sets this little jewel of a book apart. Yes, plenty of books for kids think they are going to teach you something. And some of them even do, sort of. But most of those are setting out to teach you something you will come across in

elementary school. This book doesn't teach you any old math. It goes all the way to COLLEGE math-- and yet it remains not only easy to understand, but entertaining and *funny*. I guarantee, if you read it and enjoy it, you will be able to blow away your math teacher. The author, Hans Magnus Enzensberger, is considered one of the great writers of the German language writing today, but this is one of his only books for kids. If you read it, you'll see why he's considered a fine writer. And maybe you'll be interested in some of his 'grown-up' works as well.

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LibraryThing member mmmoss

My son loved this book. I also had an autistic student who took an interest in it and it was a breakthrough.
This is an amusing story that tells alot of math facts and concepts without the fear and loathing. It makes math fun and interesting. even for adults.

LibraryThing member pamplemousse

"A mathematical adventure" -- and what an adventure this is. Aimed at children, the story (in which twelve-year-old Robert dreams nightly about a "number devil" who shows him the wonders of mathematics), this is a wonderful introduction to the magic of number theory, nicely illustrated by Rotraut

Susanne Berner. It reminded me (40 years on) of many of the things that I found enticing about mathematics at about that age. [Jan 2001]

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LibraryThing member mwittkids

I would prefer if it were The Number Angel, but this is still a great book and greatly enjoyed by my children. Though it doesn't resemble a textbook in any way shape or form, it does teach math skills.

LibraryThing member ShanLizLuv

Who'da thought math could be not entirely boring or just plain mean?

LibraryThing member momma2

The reason we picked this book up was to help the kids see math as fun and interesting and this book certainly did the trick. It didn't tie in to anything we were learning because the concepts were quite advanced but it illustrated several ways numbers are just amazing and how they sometimes make

perfect sense and other times don't. My husband, who is a numbers guys, found it intriguing as well. I think we will go back to this book again and again.

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LibraryThing member maybedog

Random math thinly disguised as a novel. I get what it's trying to do but it feels more like the kind of characters that kids' textbooks have to make the info more "fun." there isn't a plot here. But if it gets kid's reading about math then go go go. Plus, the illustrations are really cute.

LibraryThing member jlapac

This is an adventure in mathematics. The book goes through different higher mathematical concepts that grow progressively more complicated. This work of fiction is interesting, because it uses the vehicle of a child being frustrated with his math teacher to start the story. The story is told

through dreams and shows the magic and wonder of numbers.

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LibraryThing member locriian

I don't remember this really well as I read it as a kid, other than it was really cool and I think I had some crazy dreams after it.

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