FRACTIONS IN DISGUISE
Author: Edward Einhorn
Illustrator: David Clark
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Number of pages: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing (USA) First published in: 2014 Format: Picturebook Is the mathematical focus explicit in the story? Yes Is this story part of a mathematics story series? Yes (Charlesbridge Math Adventures) Preview and/or purchase this book on the Amazon websites: UK, USA, AUS, CAN Synopsis by the author/publisher
When a valuable fraction goes missing, George Cornelius Factor (a.k.a. GCF) vows to track it down. Knowing that the villainous Dr. Brok likes to disguise his ill-begotten fractions, GCF invents a Reducer a tool that strips away the disguise, reducing the fraction and revealing its true form. Equal parts of action and humor add up to a wholly entertaining introduction to simplifying fractions. |
“"I spotted another suspicious fraction. Could that be the 5/9 in disguise? It was a 34/63, and it looked familiar."”
Official review by MathsThroughStories.org:
There are already several mathematical stories out there that set out to introduce fractions to young readers, but very few stories set out to extend their knowledge of fractions beyond that introductory level. Edward Einhorn’s ‘Fractions in Disguise’ (2014), a title in the Charlesbridge Math Adventure series, fills this gap very nicely. A cleverly told story about how George Cornelius Factor (who happens to share the same acronym, GCF, with – wait for it – the greatest common factor!) invents a machine, called ‘Reducer’ to help him find a very sought-after fraction (5/9) that has been stolen from a fraction auction, and has been disguised as another fraction by the villainous Dr. Brok. While at Dr. Brok’s mansion, GCF uses his Reducer machine to reveal the true form of a range of fractions (e.g. 3/21 is really 1/7; 34/63 is already in its true form; 8/10 is really 4/5, and so on) before he comes across 35/63 which is later revealed as the 5/9 fraction he has been looking for. The illustrations by David Clark were fun and very helpful for readers to visualise the numerous fractions in the story. Lots of learning opportunities about equivalent fraction can be found throughout the book. The characters were engaging, though its all-white cast (with a leading male character) could have been more diverse. The imaginative storyline is worthy of praises, though we wish that the real-world usefulness of equivalent fractions could have been somehow communicated in the story as well. All in all, we like it! Recommended for children, aged 9+ years old.
Recommended age range:
9+ years old
Relevant mathematics topics:
Fraction
Possible teaching activities:
At MathsThroughStories.org, we believe that stories can be meaningfully incorporated in mathematics teaching in different ways. Thus, we are inviting you to share your experience of how you have used this story in your mathematics lesson with other members of the community. By sharing your experience with us, you will be added to our team of On-line Contributors here, where you can also find our submission guideline.
There are already several mathematical stories out there that set out to introduce fractions to young readers, but very few stories set out to extend their knowledge of fractions beyond that introductory level. Edward Einhorn’s ‘Fractions in Disguise’ (2014), a title in the Charlesbridge Math Adventure series, fills this gap very nicely. A cleverly told story about how George Cornelius Factor (who happens to share the same acronym, GCF, with – wait for it – the greatest common factor!) invents a machine, called ‘Reducer’ to help him find a very sought-after fraction (5/9) that has been stolen from a fraction auction, and has been disguised as another fraction by the villainous Dr. Brok. While at Dr. Brok’s mansion, GCF uses his Reducer machine to reveal the true form of a range of fractions (e.g. 3/21 is really 1/7; 34/63 is already in its true form; 8/10 is really 4/5, and so on) before he comes across 35/63 which is later revealed as the 5/9 fraction he has been looking for. The illustrations by David Clark were fun and very helpful for readers to visualise the numerous fractions in the story. Lots of learning opportunities about equivalent fraction can be found throughout the book. The characters were engaging, though its all-white cast (with a leading male character) could have been more diverse. The imaginative storyline is worthy of praises, though we wish that the real-world usefulness of equivalent fractions could have been somehow communicated in the story as well. All in all, we like it! Recommended for children, aged 9+ years old.
Recommended age range:
9+ years old
Relevant mathematics topics:
Fraction
Possible teaching activities:
At MathsThroughStories.org, we believe that stories can be meaningfully incorporated in mathematics teaching in different ways. Thus, we are inviting you to share your experience of how you have used this story in your mathematics lesson with other members of the community. By sharing your experience with us, you will be added to our team of On-line Contributors here, where you can also find our submission guideline.
