Solving for M

By Jennifer Swender

A math journal helps a girl navigate school challenges and family struggles.

4.3/5 Goodreads · 469 ratings

256 pages

$16.99Save 7%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Mika's fifth-grade year is a whirlwind of change—new school, new classes, and a puzzling math journal assignment. As she grapples with these challenges, life at home becomes equally complex. With the guidance of her unconventional teacher and support from friends, Mika discovers that solving life's problems might require more than just numbers. Can she find clarity and hope in unexpected places?

From the publisher

Perfect for fans of Raymie Nightingale and The Fourteenth Goldfish, this heartfelt middle-grade novel seamlessly melds STEAM content with first loss in an honest and striking debut. When Mika starts fifth grade at the middle school, her neat life gets messy. Separated from old friends and starting new classes, Mika is far from her comfort zone. And math class is the most confusing of all, especially when her teacher Mr. Vann assigns math journals. Art in math? Who’s ever heard of such a thing? But when challenges arise at home, Mika realizes there are no easy answers. Maybe, with some help from friends, family, and one unique teacher, a math journal can help her work out problems, and not just the math ones. Debut author Jennifer Swender delivers poignant prose and illustrator Jennifer Naalchigar brings Mika’s journal to life in this perfect equation of honesty plus hope that adds up to a heartwarming coming-of-age story.

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