"Maths is fun" is the message of Maths Year 2000 and books with maths puzzles, quests, themes and story lines are a great way to explore and investigate mathematical ideas as well as motivate the reluctant reader and retarded mathematician!
Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes
(compiled by Josie Fison and Felicity Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake, Red Fox, £6.99)
Thirty-one disgusting recipes from Scrambled Dregs to Willy Wonka's Nutty Crunch Surprise that will excite and inspire your children to estimate, quantify, measure, time and test.
Absolutely Mental 1
(Rowland Morgan, Macmillan Children's Books, £2.99)
You are in a private jet flying at 600km an hour, 10,000 metres above ground. The pilot suffers a heart attack and you have to fly the plane. Through the windscreen you see a mountain, only one kilometre away. The passengers' lives are in your hands. How much time do you have to avoid a fatal collision? This is a terrific book packed with exciting, even thrilling puzzles and maths missions. Excellent value. Also in the series: Absolutely Mental 2.
The Oxford Children's A to Z of Mathematics
(David Glover, Oxford University Press, £6.99)
This book has an excellent selection of mathematical terms very appropriate for children throughout key stage two and includes brief biographies of distinguished mathematicians. The design is colourful and easy to navigate. A good buy.
Football Maths: Red Strip for ages 7-11
(Don Shaw and John Shiels, Oxford University Press, £2.50 each)
The maths and statistics of football is a route many children will use to mathematical confidence and competence. This book has scores of graded problems, ranging from working out scoring rates to transfer fee margins. Designed in work-book style, the activities will appeal to teachers or even parents wanting to set homework problems. There are other books in the series.
The Terrific Times Table Book
(Kate Petty and Jennie Maizels, The Bodley Head, £14.99)
Each page spread takes one of the multiplication tables from one to 12 and includes a fantastic array of pop-up, pull-up and push-up surprises to help the most mathematically phobic child turn on to tables. Would make a nice birthday gift.
Maths Repair Kit
(Liz and Sue Atkinson, Tim Scott, Hodder Children's Books, £3.99)
Amusing cartoons help guide you through "what teachers don't tell you" about making maths easier. This handy little book covers a wide range of maths topics including decimals, percentages and fractions. And do you know how to estimate using chocolate cake?
Eye Witness Guide: Money
(Joe Cribb, Dorling Kindersley, £9.99)
This engaging and attractive book is part of the award-winning Eye Witness Guide series. It is crammed stunning pictures tracking the history and technology of money.
• Visit the Maths Year 2000 website at: www.mathsyear2000.org for many more maths book reviews in our Resources section, plus fun maths activities in our new maths magazines for children, Maths MagNet.
