My daughter's tutor who is a fifth grade teacher borrowed this book from us and took it to his elementary school. His supervisor ordered 5 books for the the school. They felt the language was very appropriate for kids and it had very good tips, ideas, and ways of explaining math so that kids could relate. It was originally recommended to me by my daughter's 7th grade teacher. My daughter has always struggled in math and we look forward to using this book daily.

I bought this book when my daughter faced some serious lags in starting the school year--3 days into a new school and 6th grade, and she was out from an appendectomy. I knew we'd have to do some serious instruction at home to keep her up to speed. Because our math text book is so unfriendly, the teacher recommended another reference, but this popped up on the Amazon suggestions. The positive reviews grabbed my interest, and when the book came I found that I actually wanted to read it! It has come in very handy during teary episodes of "I don't know how to do this"--it covers all those topics we once learned, but forgot, and makes it very fast and easy to re-learn (for parents) and learn (for kids). It's fun, engaging, and very helpful. Thanks, Danika!

My daughter loves this book. I love that she loves math. Thanks, Danica!

I am an elementary school teacher. I love the ideas in theis book, but wonder why the title has to be what it is. I cannot share it with students because I teach them not to use the word suck.

This book, Math Doesn't Suck, is written in plain language for girls from 10 - 12 yrs old. My granddaughter loves it. She read it all right away and is now keeping it as a reference. There are practical applications that make math fun. I was so happy I bought it.

Great book. This makes math seem much less intimidating to students AND their teachers.
I bought it to show to my grad students who are going to be teachers. One bought her own copy after borrowing my copy and another student promptly borrowed the returned book.

This book makes mathematics fun and easy. it is the only book for maths that i am not getting tired of despite having English as a second language. As a teacher I am inspired by the humorous and smart way of introducing maths to students. i am planning to buy the second book as well. I hope Danica writes more books explaining algebra and other difficult math concepts.

I am a guidance cousnelor in a local high school, and while I realize many people think of guidance counselors with the same disdain Kevin Smith has for us, as evidenced in the movie "Clerks"; I have stumbled upon a rather interesting element as of late. Lately, girls are tending to perform better in higher level math classes than their counterparts- boys. This observation alone is of no great significance, but the additional truth that girls often feel that being too smart is not helpful in the ever challenging, evolving, and dangerous social acceptance scence in American high schools does often constitute a reason for girls not performing up to their levels based upon these incorrect perceptions. Often these perception are that girls will not be popular or well liked if they exert too much of their own skills and intelligence in the class room.

This book is a welcome addition and an attempt to squelched the aforementioned observation. I bought this for my highly motivated and math savy 8th grade daughter. She devoured it. It instilled in her a sense of math confidence that she would lose at times inside a testerone filled math class. She is smart, but she doesn't like to compete for success much, particularly against Aplha adolescent boys. Here is this book written by a pretty, smart, and young women that has noteriety and fame, yet she tossed that aside to instruct kids about math. It is fun to read, and more than ever, it sends the message that math is relevant, fun, and vital to Americans.

I would recommend this book to any middle schooler that reads and has reservations about math. It may surely turn the corner for them

Math Doesn't Suck: How to Survive Middle School Math Without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail This is real math, de-mystified with a very positive attitude. You don't need a math "gene" to do math and be good at doing math. I use this book with some students in a college math class. The readability and the math problems and situations apply as well! Kudos to Danica McKellar for writing a book that has applications for 6th grade through adults!

I read this book and the one titled Kiss My Math: Both are excellent and effective in getting math concepts across to girls in grades 5-8. I gave a set to my daughter who teaches junior high math. The books would help anyone, but all the examples are aimed toward girls and situations in which girls would relate. As a parent, however, if you need ideas on getting a math concept across to a boy, the book can still help. Great job, Danica.

Linda

This book is written in a format that appeals to kids and is easy to understand. My child was having a problem with fractions and after reading the pages about it she walked away saying that she finally understood. What a blessing this book is.

This book is written in a format that appeals to kids and is easy to understand. My child was having a problem with fractions and after reading the pages about it she walked away saying that she finally understood. What a blessing this book is.

Both of Danica's books are incredible! My daughter absolutely loves them! She's always had a hard time with math but with these books it's amazing how much they help!! If your girl has a hard time with math, don't wait, just buy these books!:-)

Anyone who has a middle school girl should have this book as a staple in their home. I would buy it before entering 6th grade and I would buy "Kiss My Math" before entering 7th. My daughter used the books to do her summer math requirement and used scrap paper to work out problems as she went along. Danica writes to the middle schooler - her language, her analagies and her real life situations are all geared toward the 12, 13, and 14 year old female mind.

I bought this book for my daughter who is 12. She loves it. I'm not sure yet what she has learned from it but I can say that I often find her laying on her bed or couch and just reading away. I am interested to see how much it helps her this year in math.

I have written the George Lucas Education Foundation and asked if they would feature Danica and her outstanding resources in their "Pop Quiz" section of Edutopia. More teachers should be made aware of these well written books.
All the Best,
Debbie Perry
Ftl., Fl.

My daughter is starting high school this fall and I just didn't feel she was prepared to handle the math that was coming her way. I searched the internet for math games and instruction but couldn't find much for her age..(most of the games were geared for younger children). A friend let me borrow this book and my daughter and I just ran with this. We did a chapter a day together and they are short and simple enough to get through in about 10 or 15 minutes....and in that short period of daily time my daughter now knows how to add/subtract/multiply/divide fractions and decimals among other things. This is a girl that struggled with math since grade one and in under 15 minutes a day of "easy reading" she can do any problem I give her. The author should become a teacher!

This book is wonderful! I'm using it to teach my daughter math at home. The tips are great! I really wish I had learned them years ago. We are using it in conjunction with a couple of math workbooks, because there are not enough problems in this book to get good repetition. The price makes it a steal. Also, the added stories/notes for girls, makes my daughter like reading her math book.

I think I'm in love with Danica McKellar.

As I type, my 13 year old is not only reading a book (something she is loathe to do), but it is a MATH book and she's giggling and saying "OH! Well, that makes sense!"

7th grade math was HORRIBLE. Absolutely horrible with a horrible teacher. By the time school starts in 3 weeks, my daughter will be through "Math Doesn't Suck" AND "Kiss My Math". She will be CONFIDENT she can tackle 8th grade math. Her confidence has already been boosted.

Where was Danica when *I* was in middle school? Oh. Right. I don't think she had been born yet!

I am simply amazed at how my daughter is absorbed with Danica's lessons.

My oldest daughter used to like math; she could tear through and do her homework in no time. But after a couple of bad math teachers (who favored massive doses of homework instead of spending time explaining and helping students understand) she simply burned out. She didn't understand anymore, had no reason to believe it applied to her life, and felt math was a punishment. I can help explain it each evening, but for a pre-teen i, hearing that math applies to her life as well only carried so much weight coming from her father.

I heard about this book from a science blog i frequently read. I was skeptical but got a copy for her. On the surface it looks kinda "girlie girl" for her taste, but looking inside i saw there are good explanations that are more engaging to read. It's well written: not only does it explain without condescending or just inserting "So, like, omigod!" language here and there, but the book provides understandable examples tailored to concepts more appealing to a young girl. Obviously it doesn't explain everything (a book like that would be so thick it would scar away even Tolkein) but instead this book says just what it needs, and provides the encouraging support that textbooks lack.

She rolled her eyes at first, but politely gave it a try. A few weeks later, i found evidence that she was still consulting the book, even jotting notes in the margins. After six months i still see it hovering near or on top of her stack of books, and fresh notes appear inside from time to time.

I will not pretend it "cured" her and that her grades have skyrocketed, but she is far more willing to push through the piles of handouts. Math doesn't seem as scary to her as it once was. And, remembering how she felt when i was in grade school, i believe that confidence is a huge step for her in the long term.

...most of the book is devoted to fractions and related expressions such as ratios, proportions, decimals and percentages...the explanations offered for doing various mathematical operations on these expressions are no more lucid than those found in your average math textbook...and once you remove the "girly" sidebars and glitzy drawings, the presentation of these explanations really isn't much different either...I also found the presentation to be rather degrading to women -- implying that "girly" sidebars and drawings of pencils with flowers on them are somehow necessary to coax enthusiasm for math out of a woman...I suggest that for teaching math you should stick with a good basic math textbook -- most nowadays have supplemental workbooks and CD's as well as internet sites offering a variety of activities...supplement with diverse approaches like Jacobs' "Mathematics: A Human Endeavor"...and for additional tutoring in specific areas look at Edward Zaccaro's books...and if your looking for something to stimulate interest in math then I strongly recommend Sarah Flannery's "In Code" -- although a couple of grades above middle school math, it is a remarkable story that should be read by all young women...my qualifications: homeschooling two daughters.