#105 - Stacey the Maths Whiz

[dandelion]

I’m here today to snark Stacey the Maths Whiz. This is my first snark, and ironically, this was one of the very last books published in the UK. I did picture the UK editors saying “we can’t carry on with this series, I don’t understand any of this. What’s a Mathlete and how do I justify that to my spellchecker? Why are seven year olds taking part

Comments

[darth_firefly]

“Everything about [Abby] is funny. Take her hair."

Stacey only says that because she's insanely jealous that Abby's hair is naturally curly and she has to have a chemical soak to get curls.

Ruffles are chips - or as you call them, crisps.

Her team hoists her onto its shoulders and you can hear the sounds of hundreds of delighted maths fans cheering.

Riiiight. Because that happens all the time.

Brilliant snark - never read this book.. and now, I'm rather glad I haven't.

[fairest1]

Wait, Claudia is failing Home Ec? How do you fail Home Ec?

and I find it odd that a junior high mathletics team gets more fuss than my high school quiz team that made it to nationals one year.

[kakeochi_umai]

Every time a BSC member does something, the whole world turns out to see it. Look at how the whole school turned up for Mallory's Saturday morning writing contest thing in Mallory On Strike.

[darth_firefly]

You'd think Home Ec would be a class she could pass with flying colors.

But, being Claud, she has to suck in any subject that isn't art.

She'd probably flunk music too.

[fairest1]

Yes, but a big part of home ec is sewing, which Claudia has proven herself capable of. I'm going to pretend she failed because she insisted on adding sequins and stuff to everything instead of working with the assigned design.

[kakeochi_umai]

Eeeeeeeeee, this book! As a former competitive nerd myself (though languages, not maths) I loved this book. And Mean Girls just makes it even better. "I'm a Mathlete, so nerd is inferred, but forget what you heard, I'm like James Bond the Third! Sh-sh-sh-shaken not stirred, I'm Kevin Gnapoor! The G's silent when I sneak through your door! And make love to your woman on the bathroom floor! I don't play it like Shaggy, you'll know it was me, 'cause the next time you see her she'll be like, OHHHHH! KEVIN GEEEEEEE!"

"Subtrahend" and "minuend"?! Doesn't she bash Janine for using words like that? Either it's pretentious or it isn't, girls.

One of the maths teachers at my high school had the same name as Stacey's Mathletes coach! Her husband taught maths there too; I had him in Year 10 and every so often he'd just spend a whole class talking about random shit instead of teaching. :D

NZ has maths meets, at least in the city I'm from. They're only once a year, though, and I don't think many of the teams get to have dork parties. :(

It

[carey_pontmercy]

I'm starting to think that Stacey and Dawn are doppelgangers. They look the same, their personalities are both based primarily in geography ("New York sophisticated" and "California dirty hippie"), they both have divorced parents, they both have dietary issues, and they're often not in the same book. When they do interact, they seem rather cagey with each other...as though they have each recognized what is most loathsome in themselves in each other.

[aceattorneysho]

You guys don't have matheletes? :o
Do you do math for charity? We do... That was god awful because when I was in elementary/junior high I sucked hardcore at math and having to do these stupid math-a-thons for charity was the worst. Not only did they never really give us enough time to get pledges, but they collected money for every correct problem (like collecting money on however much you walk in a walk-a-thon) so I was letting the children down as well as myself. Then in high school I had a fantastic teacher and math came easily to me... Go figure.