Young Robert's dreams have taken a decided turn for the weird. Instead of falling down holes and such, he's visiting a bizarre magical land of number tricks with the number devil as his host. Starting at one and adding zero and all the rest of the numbers, Robert and the number devil use giant furry calculators, piles of coconuts, and endlessly scrolling paper to introduce basic concepts of numeracy, from interesting number sequences to exponents to matrices. Author Hans Magnus Enzensberger's dry humor and sense of wonder will keep you and your kids entranced while you learn (shhh!) mathematical principles. Who could resist the little red guy who calls prime numbers "prima donnas," irrational numbers "unreasonable," and roots "rutabagas"? Not that the number devil is without his devilish qualities. He loses his temper when Robert looks for the easy way out of a number puzzle or dismisses math as boring and useless. "What do you expect?" he asks. "I'm the number devil, not Santa Claus." (Ages 10 to adult) --Therese Littleton


From Publishers Weekly
In a starred review, PW noted that "exceptionally handsome four-color illustrations and vignettes deepen the magic of this mathematically minded fantasy. For certain kinds of readersAchess players, puzzle enthusiastsAthis will be a favorite." Ages 11-up. (May) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal
Grade 6 Up-This book consists of a dozen unusual dreams of Robert, a 12 year old who thinks math is "a waste of time." The number devil who visits him each night changes that with magical demonstrations of mathematical concepts that intrigue the boy. Starting simply with the concept of infinity, the devil introduces prime numbers, square roots, Fibonacci numbers, and more, inventively using coconuts, multiplying rabbits, and other oddities as examples. He demonstrates concepts in imaginative ways that actually make sense, focusing on general principles, with an emphasis on the pleasing consistency of mathematics. Robert becomes interested and is named a "number apprentice" in the final chapter. Building new concepts from those previously learned makes the progression to more complicated areas easier and satisfying. The devil uses made-up terms (e.g., square roots are called "rutabagas") and the author warns that students should learn the correct words. A helpful index identifies these terms, and also reveals the identities of various mathematicians referred to by other names (Johan van de Lune is the "Man in the Moon"). Colorful, cartoon illustrations appear throughout, along with useful tables and diagrams. The dream world recalls Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth (Knopf, 1961), but the attempts at humor and silliness here never match the wit and charm of those classics. Although it is not a fully realized fantasy, The Number Devil may intrigue and teach readers willing to try an unusual introduction to math principles.Steven Engelfried, West Linn Public Library, ORCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


The Los Angeles Times Sunday Book Review, Martin Gardner
No book about mathematics written for young children could less resemble a textbook than The Number Devil.... [T]his is just the book to give to an intelligent child who falls asleep in mathematics classes.


Jon Scieszka, author of The Math Curse
"This is one devilishly good book for math fans and math phobes alike. It is exactly the book folks are always looking for, wringing their hands and saying, 'Why aren't there more books that show the fun and imaginative parts of math?' Well, here is that book-full of the dreamlike beauty and power of math in a form that most anyone can understand. Guaranteed to send you to Number Heaven/Number Hell (which, as every kid has always known, is one and the same)."


Review
"Rare and glorious." --Michael Pakenham, Baltimore Sun

"Adults who know a little about math will find this book as enlightening as younger readers will." --Martin Gardner, Los Angeles Times



Martin Gardner, Los Angeles Times
"Adults who know a little about math will find this book as enlightening as younger readers will."


Review
"Rare and glorious." --Michael Pakenham, Baltimore Sun

"Adults who know a little about math will find this book as enlightening as younger readers will." --Martin Gardner, Los Angeles Times



Book Description
The international best-seller that makes mathematics a thrilling exploration.

In twelve dreams, Robert, a boy who hates math, meets a Number Devil, who leads him to discover the amazing world of numbers: infinite numbers, prime numbers, Fibonacci numbers, numbers that magically appear in triangles, and numbers that expand without . As we dream with him, we are taken further and further into mathematical theory, where ideas eventually take flight, until everyone-from those who fumble over fractions to those who solve complex equations in their heads-winds up marveling at what numbers can do.

Hans Magnus Enzensberger is a true polymath, the kind of superb intellectual who loves thinking and marshals all of his charm and wit to share his passions with the world. In The Number Devil, he brings together the surreal logic of Alice in Wonderland and the existential geometry of Flatland with the kind of math everyone would love, if only they had a number devil to teach it to them.


Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German


Card catalog description
Annoyed with his math teacher who assigns word problems and won't let him use a calculator, twelve-year-old Robert finds help from the number devil in his dreams.


About the Author
Hans Magnus Enzensberger is the author of many highly lauded books, including Civil Wars: From L.A. to Bosnia. He lives in Munich.

Rotraut Susanne Berner is an illustrator who lives in Heidelberg.

Michael Henry Heim is a prize-winning translator who teaches at UCLA.

ANNOTATION

Annoyed with his math teacher who assigns word problems and won't let him use a calculator, twelve-year-old Robert finds help from the number devil in his dreams.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Finally available in paperback, the international best-seller that makes math a thrilling adventure for adults and children alike.

In twelve dreams, Robert, a boy who hates math, meets a Number Devil, who leads him to discover the amazing world of numbers: infinite numbers, prime numbers, Fibonacci numbers, numbers that magically appear in triangles, and numbers that expand without end. As we dream with him, we are taken further and further into mathematical theory, where ideas eventually take flight, until everyone-from those who fumble over fractions to those who solve complex equations in their heads-winds up marveling at what numbers can do.

SYNOPSIS

In twelve dreams, a twelve-year-old boy who hates math discovers the amazing world of numbers: infinite numbers, prime numbers, Fibonacci numbers, numbers that magically appear in triangles, and numbers that expand without end. As readers dream with him, they are taken further and further into mathematical theory, until everyone, from those who fumble over fractions to those who solve complex equations in their heads, winds up marveling at what numbers can do.

Hans Magnus Enzensberger is one of those amazing thinkers who can write for the most advanced intellectuals and yet has the wit, charm, and sparkle to speak directly to children. In The Number Devil he brings together the surreal logic of "Alice in Wonderland" with the kind of math all readers would love, if only they had a number devil to teach it to them.

FROM THE CRITICS

Los Angeles Times

Adults who know a little about math will find this book as enlightening as younger readers will. - Martin Gardner

Baltimore Sun

Rare and glorious. - Michael Pakenham

Publishers Weekly

In a starred review, PW noted that "exceptionally handsome four-color illustrations and vignettes deepen the magic of this mathematically minded fantasy. For certain kinds of readers--chess players, puzzle enthusiasts--this will be a favorite." Ages 11-up. (May) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Children's Literature - Mary Sue Preissner

Our shelves are screaming for books that will captivate kids dealing with the subject of mathematics. Sadly, we will wait longer. The Number Devil is a red, horn-eared and pointy-tailed individual who visits Robert in his dreams, attempting to allay Robert's math anxiety by providing him with simple explanations to mathematical problems. Each new chapter reinforces the previous, and builds from there. The book has been printed on quality paper, and Berner's colorful illustrations are delightful to see, in addition to adding to the mathematical explanations. The comprehensive index readily sends the reader to a myriad of mathematical topics. Unfortunately, I don't see kids running to pull this off the shelves, and I can't see teachers using it as a read-aloud.

VOYA - Julie Hudson

This is such an attractive book that one yearns for it to be a pleasure to read. Flipping through the pages, Berner's brightly colored, clever illustrations jump out (like the devil himself), making the reader stop to view them more carefully. However, NUMBERS jump out as well-numbers in charts, in formulas, on blocks, on walls. Fair or not, YAs who are not in love with the pleasure of math are not going to put up with this book no matter how clever it is (and boy, is it ever!).

Twelve-year-old Robert is annoyed with math taught by a boring teacher who will not allow calculators in class and frankly, the number devil (who appears in Robert's dream), agrees with him. Readers can truly feel the devil's enthusiasm for the subject in the language: "The thing that makes numbers so devilish is precisely that they are simple." The excitement is catching and some credit must be given to translator Heim, who is able to carry over a great deal of humor and sarcasm from the original German text. The number devil takes Robert on a journey of magical math concepts, and just as Dorothy awakens in Kansas, Robert awakens with his mother shaking him, "If you don't get up this very instant you'll be late for school." But Robert gets to keep a souvenir to prove his dream was real-something that helps him keep and use the knowledge he has gained.

A nice "Seek-and-Ye-Shall-Find-List" that is an index of math terms and mathematicians appears in the back, along with a "Warning" page pointing out a few liberties the author has taken and correcting them. Maybe math teachers will identify sparks in students and push this book; librarians will try.