Kiss My Math: Showing Pre-Algebra Who’s Boss
Danica McKellar
Publisher: Hudson, Penguin Group New York, 2008

Brief Description: Kiss My Math If your teenage daughter does not like math, Kiss My Math may peak her interest. Do you remember the TV show, The Wonder Years? The actress, Danica McKellar, is using her influence to encourage teenage girls to embrace and excel in math. Her book takes the form of a novel more than a textbook and relates pre-algebra math topics to life topics that interest teenage girls.

Here’s the Table of Contents

Part 1: Number Stuff
Chapter 1: Breath Mint, Anyone?: Adding and Subtracting Integers (Including Negative Numbers)
Chapter 2: The Popular Crowd: The Associative and Communtative Properties
Chapter 3: Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall: Multiplying and Dividing Integers (Including Negative Integers!)
Chapter 4: A Relaxing Day at the Spa: Intro to Absolute Value
Chapter 5: Long-Distance Relationships: Are They Worth It?: Mean, Median, Mode

Part 2: Variable Stuff

Chapter 6: The Blind Date: Getting Cozy with Variables
Chapter 7: Backpack Too Heavy?: Adding and Subtract ing with Variables
Chapter 8: Something Just Went “Squish”: Multiplying and Dividing with Variables
Chapter 9: Do You Like Him Like Him?: Combining Like Terms
Chapter 10: The Costume Party: The Distributive Property
Chapter 11: Didn’t That Guy Say He Was Going to Call?: Using Variables to Translate Word Problems

Part 3: Solving for X

Chapter 12: The Art of Gift Wrapping Solving Equations
Chapter 13: Nope, She Never Gets Off the Phone: Word Problems and Variable Substitution
Chapter 14: Can a Guy Be Too Cute: Intro to Soving and Graphing Inequalities

Part 4: All About Exponents:
Chapter 15: Champagne and Caviar: Intro to Exponents
Chapter 16: Excuse Me, Have We Met Before?: Intro to Variables with Exponents

Part 5: Intro to Functions and Graphing Lines

Chapter 17: Secret Sausages: Intro to Functions
Chapter 18: Creative Uses for Bubblegum: Intro to Graphing Points and Lines




Features I like:
**I like the different approach of relating topics that you know are on the minds of teenagers to math topics. For instance, chapter 14, Can a Guy Be Too Cute, is related to inequalities. If cuteness is represented by the letter c, and you think there is no such thing as too cute, but he has to be rated at least a 7 or more, then in math your requirement for a boy’s cuteness is C >7. Parents may not like their daughters thinking about a boy’s looks, but they do. So why not use those thoughts to teach them math?

**The testimonials by other females who share their experiences with math as young ladies and their success stories.


To Be Desired:
More practice problems

Comments
It is not necessary to read Kiss My Math from cover to cover. You can read the chapters that address the topics you need to improve. Although the answers are included in the back of the book, problems are fully worked out on her website, kissmymath.com. In addition, many references are made to the author’s previous book, Math Doesn’t Suck, which covers basic math topics. Math Doesn’t Suck covers prime numbers, factors, multiples,, fractions, decimals, percents, ratios, proportions, and a few other topics to prepare you for Pre-Algebra.

Other Extras Included:
*Personality Quizzes
*Quotes
*What Guys Really Think … About Smart Girls and other polls
*Testimonials from successful women


**My teenage daughter liked the book.