Do the Math: Secrets, Lies, and Algebra (review)

Eighth-grader Tess believes that math can help solve pretty much any of life's problems, even calculating the odds of five people in her history class getting perfect scores on a test no one ever aced before, and the probability that her mother's co-worker (Rob) was involved in the recent death of his wife. She saw classmate Richard copy the U.S. Constitution test, so she is 100% sure he and his friends cheated; Tess' friend Sammy also made a perfect score, though, and Tess knows Sammy is smart enough to have done it without help. She also knows that her mom won't go to the police about Rob because her few suspicions aren't worth getting a good friend in trouble. In the midst of all this, Tess discovers that someone has been talking, and her mom is confronted at the grocery store by rumors about Rob's connection to his wife's death. Tess calls on every mathematical concept she knows to deal with the cheaters at school, allay her suspicions about Rob, and earn back her mother's trust. Lichtman cleverly incorporates all sorts of math into a story about the value and power of telling the truth, and narrator Tess has some shining moments, such as her friends' nicknames: Sammy is s⁵ (Sammy to the fifth power) because she is so dramatic, while always positive Miranda is |m| (absolute value Miranda). Unfortunately, the diagrams and concepts are more interesting than the characters and story: Tess herself is overearnest and didactic in the exploration of her moral dilemmas, and serious situations are resolved too neatly, leaving readers distanced from both characters and action. Nonetheless, librarians interested in collaborating with math teachers may find good use for this book, as would those working with character development in the schools. Just don't expect rocket science.