I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Marco the Great and the History of Numberville by S.K. Bennett, Carla Dupont Published by MathBait on April 21, 2023
Pages: 381
Format: Paperback
Source: Provided as part of book tour
Goodreads
Marco the Great and the History of Numberville is the first installment in a fantastical adventure series that will have readers learning math and enjoying every minute of it. In addition, the text includes over 300 practice problems and solutions as well as access to an entire online world allowing students to dive directly into Marco's world with 40+ digital games to level-up their learning. Marco did okay in math. He could follow the complex blueprints provided to him, navigate the steps, and arrive at the answers that earned him a shiny grade near the front of the alphabet. That is, until middle school. As new and confusing letters started creeping into every question, Marco developed a problem. When a new figure 'pops' into his life, he is introduced to a fantastical world where numbers rule, where they live together in villages, engage in duels, build stadiums and cheer for their favorite team as players are flung through the air. Marco's imagination runs wild as he develops new powers and hungers for more.
But everything is not as it seems. Join Marco, his annoying little sister Maggie, and his best friends Oliver and Liam (a math whiz and a conspiracy nut), as they discover this magical world is more real than they ever could have dreamt. And find out... Will Marco master the Numberfolk before the Numberfolk, very literally, master him? SK Bennett is an award-winning educator, instructional designer, mathematician, and home school mom of five. After spending years designing math courses for top companies and institutions, she decided it was time to embrace her belief that learning should be fun and math should never be all about memorization and rote formulas. Inspired by her favorite stories, she set out to create Marco's world - where learning is an adventure and math is never ever boring.
Marco the Great and the History of Numberville is the perfect choice for summer reading. Help your students catch up, get ahead, or just develop a deep understanding and love of numbers all while having a blast. Available for extended distribution for library and school purchases. Please contact us to bring Marco's amazing world to your students. Marco the Great has a 4th-6th grade reading level and was written for a middle school audience. However, it is a great option for younger students as well, either independently or read aloud. Throughout his journey, Marco encounters bullying which may be uncomfortable for younger readers. Parents may skip the related passages (pages 10, 22, and 187), if desired, for the given audience.
Marco the Great and the History of Numberville is a MathBait publication. The first installment in the series covers standards from 6th & 7th grade Prealgebra. The exact topics can be found at www.mathbait.com/marco-the-great.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/135699300-marco-the-great-and-the-history-of-numberville
Julie’s Review:
Marco the Great and the History of Numberville is a really fun way to teach and learn math. The story of each number and their personality is brilliant. The quirks of both Marco and his tutor and their conversations are so fun. I love the doodles and the chapter breaks – fabulous. It’s fun how each page number at the bottom is written in an equation you can solve (but you also have the page numbers at the top on every other page to show you where you are).
This book says it is a 4th + grade reading level, and my son is in 3rd grade (and reads way above grade level), but this is not something he would be able to read in full anytime soon. Maybe a chapter here and there for fun, but the concepts are for a much older grade (I believe Marco says he’s in 7th grade?) and even as an adult the pages and pages of math lessons do not make for an easy leisurely read. This book is over 350 pages, so definitely not a read-in-one-weekend kind of book. Perhaps read chapter by chapter over a school year, yes.
The book also covers other lifestyle topics that young kids face – bullying, friendship issues, a mean step-parent. It helps bring the book to the reader’s level with the main character being a regular kid with regular kid issues. And lots of math. The methods of solving the equations with the duels and obliterations were kind of fun, but as a “math kid” myself felt more confusing at times than the actual math rules that make sense to my analytical mind. But all the scenes imagined by Marco were quite fun and I can see a more “non math kid” type brain getting more out of the story and magical game-like teachings. The secret society part of the book is kind of interesting and really doesn’t get revealed until the end, which makes me curious to see what happens next between the secret society and Marco’s group.
Author Bio:
SK Bennett is an award-winning educator, instructional designer, mathematician, and homeschool mom of five. She spent years designing courses for top companies and institutions before deciding it was time to embrace her belief that learning should be fun and math should never be all about memorization and rote procedures. Inspired by her favorite stories, she set out to create Marco’s world – where learning is an adventure and math is never ever boring.
Website: https://www.mathbait.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mathbait
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Twitter: @Bookgal
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Giveaway
Tour schedule:
December 11th
Chapter Break
Lit World Interviews
December 12th
@tamisreadingcorner
StoreyBook Reviews
December 13th
The Faerie Review
Chit Chat with Charity
December 14th
Celticlady’s Reviews
FUONLYKNEW
December 15th
A Wonderful World of Words
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