Missing Math: A Number Mystery

What would happen if all numbers suddenly disappeared? In Missing Math: A Number Mystery, author Loreen Leedy invites readers to imagine the problems that arise. To name a few:

*sports teams can't keep score

*televisions have no channels

*elections cannot happen without votes

*money has no value

*mail lacks addresses and stamps

*without clocks, no one knows when to wake up or go to bed

*without calendars, no birthdays or ages

*no library due dates

*cooking tastes terrible without quantities in recipes

Children of all ages will enjoy this rhyming tale. In a rather amusing ending the "number thief" is ordered to return stolen numbers back to all the phone books as punishment...a formidable penalty!

Looking for back-to-school ideas? Consider using the book as a catalyst (or culmination!) as students write their own stories about a "day in the life" without numbers. This would be a great discussion-starter to reflect on the importance of numbers in everyday life.