It’s Christmas time and what better gift can you give a child than a book? Especially one that helps them learn as they are having fun. Ian’s Magic is a middle-grade reader about a young boy who loves math.  Most people don’t. But Ian has learned that he can perform feats of magic if his math problems are right.  If he doesn’t get them correct, his magic doesn’t work. 

Ian Conner learned at a young age that math was magic! At least for him. But when Ian uses his math magic, the results aren’t always what he expected. This year, the prize for the annual math contest is $500.00 and Ian really wants to win! But classmate Thomas Martin will be stiff competition. He wins every year. And this year he has a college tutor helping him prep for the contest! So, Ian studies accelerated math books hoping it will help him beat Thomas. But on the day of the competition, Ian must make a difficult choice— hope his extra studying helps him win fair and square…or cheat, using his “math magic” to win the contest

Ian’s Magic is a romp through grade school with a boy who can perform magic using his math problems if the answers to his calculations are correct. Grade school should be fun, but when you wish you could do nothing but math all day, every day, be careful.  You might get just what you wished for.

Ian has the normal fourth grade problems, not the least of which is a little brother who is a bother.  He wants to fit in with the other kids, and he wants to use his math skills to perform magic.  He can’t always do both. His math magic has saved his mother from being hit by a bus, cleaned his room while he did his homework, helped an old lady across a busy street, but can’t change his brother’s hair color or get himself out of a jam when he falls off a cliff only to land in a tree.  He has to rely on other things sometimes.

And then there’s Thomas and the math contest.

Pick up a copy of Ian’s Magic for the kid in your life and they might find that math is fun after all. https://tinyurl.com/yxnszumv

Ian’s Magic by Peggy Chambers, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

What are you reading/writing this week?