Dead Possums Are Fair Game

(Paperback)

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Age range 9+

The world would be a better place without math or messy roommates. At least, that's what Ella Hunter believes. Life is about keeping order and avoiding long division, fractions, or really anything with an equal sign.

As the end of the school year approaches, the fifth-grade teachers at Victor Waldo Elementary conclude there's not enough time to complete a new math unit before summer break. Great news for math-phobic Ella, right

Wrong! The teachers decide instead to have their students host the first-ever Math Fair. And the fair project is worth two major math grades.

Add in one dead possum plus two horrible roommates who come to stay while their house is being renovated, and you have an equation for disaster. Ella is headed for summer school and math tutoring for sure. Can she stop her troubles from multiplying before it's too late

Reviews

"Souders has a pretty good feel for middle (or nearly) school academic and social interactions....Diverting and frequently funny."--Kirkus Reviews

"Math fans and math phobes alike will gobble this one up. Math has never been more tasty, as Souders delivers a story as delicious as a Banana-Coco-Choco-Loco ice cream treat." --Claudia Mills, author of 7 x 9 = Trouble! and Annika Riz, Math Whiz

"Ella is kind, charming, and believably flawed. Souders has created a pitch-perfect story for reluctant readers--and reluctant math students." --Courtney Sheinmel, author of the Stella Batts series

"The next time I hear someone say, 'Math has nothing to do with real life' I am going to tell them to read Dead Possums Are Fair Game. In this hysterically funny, fast-moving, and often poignant novel, Souders has a great time showing us that perfection isn't always necessary and that sometimes we can't control our circumstances but we can always control our reactions, even when math is involved. So, what does a dead opossum, a math phobic, a quirky aunt and a cast of lovable friends add up to A great story told with heart. And as a self-admitted non-math person I have to say that Souders made math fun for me. Bravo." --Joyce Magnin, author of Cake: Love, Chickens, and a Taste of Peculiar and Carrying Mason

Author Bio

Taryn Souders has a background in math education and is passionate about keeping math fun for kids. She is the author of Whole-y Cow!: Fractions Are Fun.