Early Readers Comments
RESPONSE FROM EARLY READERS
MY MATH CONSULTANTS AND BETA READERS CHIME IN
Stories, mystery and math go well together… a welcome addition.
Stories, mystery and math go well together. “The Adventures of Ruby Pi and the Geometry Girls” is a welcome addition to literature encouraging girls with an affinity for math and also a nudge for those who hesitate to take another look.
Jeannine Atkins, author of “Grasping Mysteries: Girls Who Loved Math” and other books
A brilliant read … cinematic. Young readers will have a blast with this book …
Few works of fiction truly transport the reader to another place and time, and even fewer give that reader something they can take back home afterwards.
‘Geometry Girls’ achieves both, breaking down barriers in educational literature and making mathematics not only interesting, but a matter of life and death.
Tom has done his homework … this work will be a treasure of school libraries everywhere in years to come.
Refreshing …. there is a special youthful ambition about the whole thing.
— Graham Van Goffrier, third-year PhD candidate (Theoretical neutrino physics)
Written with a skillful hand and with the kind of attention to detail that will grip an ambitious teenager.
Young readers will crave more details about the workings of the key solution in each story.
The MLK story … an excellent story with a crucially important message for young people in modern Western society. The mathematics is simple but elegant.
This was the first time I’ve seen Bayes’ rule used in fiction, let alone in a captivating way! A very enjoyable narrative.
Both the codebreaking and astronomics content are approachable, not too technically heavy. I especially enjoyed the ending …
Math is not only about formulas and graphs. It’s about its applications and illustrations.
Tom has delivered 10 stories which ingeniously weave math into adventure stories. This intriguing book breaks the glass ceiling which prevents our young female students from pursuing STEM studies.
Darshan Maheshwari, Math and Physics Teacher
We must get girls to enjoy mathematics and to be artists in that field.
We need brilliant minds, women and men, of different social classes, ethnicities and schools of thought …
We must teach mathematics from different points of view and different perspectives, as Tom has done in this collection of stories.
— Sandra Uve, Author “SuperMujeres, SuperInventoras,” from her Foreword
‘Math Girls’ is a great way to expose young women to real life math that is understandable and fun. The maths used are simple and can be applied in real world scenarios and shows how important it is to have knowledge of mathematics. Tom’s fun approach helps overcome the stigma many young women have about math.
— Christopher Urban, Educator
“Ruby Pi and the Geometry Girls” is one of a collection of must -read stories for readers of all ages who want to understand the value and some of the magic of mathematics. Tom’s writing will keep you engaged. To especially those young readers who ask why we study STEM, get ready for a most surprising read.
I was not expecting the cipher!!
Teaching is my passion, and story- and game-based education are very near to my heart. Your storytelling is good. The footnotes at the end of the story are very helpful. It is a nice addition.
— Aditya Soni, Game developer and Educator
Skillful … there is a special youthful ambition about the whole thing.
In this outstanding collection, Tom addresses the chronic problem of our young women dropping out of STEM studies. His stories lend adventure to scientific thinking. These will no doubt stir an interest among readers and encourage them to find the solutions to their daily life problems by using Mathematics.
Tom’s stories are challenging, ambitious, and an excellent resource for developing problem-solving skills.
“Sasha with the Red Hair” is thoughtful and surprising, like all Tom’ s stories. Exceptional … a family drama disguised as an adventure.
— Tanzeela Siddique, Math Teacher
“Ruby Pi and the Mystery of the Old Carthusian” is a tale of a young mathematician who uncovers the truths of the past, layer by layer, using probability and mathematical encoding. She leads the way in uncovering corruption.
It is an unusual adventure which takes surprising turns. I was pleased to find the irony. I have never read anything quite like it.
As a teacher, I believe it is vital to keep our girls engaged with STEM
We need more of my students to become civil engineers like Rupa.
– Pakeeza Sharafat, Teacher
I’m certain this was the first time I’ve seen Bayes’ Rule used in fiction, let alone in a captivating way! A very enjoyable narrative.
“Sasha with the Red Hair” felt like three stories wrapped into one …
There is great value in the multilayered texture. Both the codebreaking and astronomics content are approachable.
— Graham Van Goffrier, third-year PhD candidate (Theoretical neutrino physics)
The construction of Durwood’s stories is complex, but the messages they carry are straightforward: Durwood’s focus stays on the relentless struggles for identity and self-discovery.
Clever … His deeply realized characters are sketched with precision and care.
— Books Coffee’s Reviews
Wonderfully geared to the YA audience. The protagonists demonstrate that STEAM careers are historically interesting, with plenty of room for smart, strong men and women. A fun and adventure-filled ride!
–Rob Hull, Software, Engineer Defender Association of Philadelphia
In this modern age as we face so many challenges, it is more important than ever that we embrace science and technology. Anything that encourages girls to take up STEM subjects is to be lauded.
– Historical Fiction Author Pam Lecky (Her Secret War, Past Imperfect, The Bowes Inheritance)
Ruby Pi and the Math Girls, Tom Durwood, 2022
These stories are about teenage heroines who use math and geometry to solve big problems.
In early 20th Century England, a famous mathematician named Anaan Warinda is found dead. A young woman named Rupa, also a well-known mathematician, is called in by the authorities to help. Anaan’s notes are written in a South Asian, like Sanskrit. Rupa’s job is to break the codes protecting the work, and turn it into understandable English. Anaan was working on a new weapons system, in which shadowy foreign powers are very interested.
A schoolgirl is present-day rural England predicts a very bad day for the British Pound, with overall losses in the tens of millions of dollars. The story also introduces the concept of a “black swan.”
In South Asia, a young girl named Jayani is an apprentice baker. Third Aunt, who raised Jayani as her own child, is very ill. A traveler suggests a unique way to earn money so that Jayani can bring Third Aunt to doctors in the next province. It involves the use of geometry to turn the bread ovens into pottery kilns.
These are some first-rate stories. Anything that can get girls interested in science or math is automatically a good idea. This book does an excellent job at that; the writing is also really good. This gets more than five stars.
First-rate stories … more than five stars.
Ruby Pi and the Geometry Girls, Tom Durwood, 2022
These stories are all about teenage girls using geometry and math to solve big problems.
In 1940 France, a group of teen Candy Stripers take care of the wounded at a rural field hospital. One day, they are “visited” by a German Tiger Tank. Is there anything they can do to stop it?
In 1958 China, Chairman Mao Tse-Tung has already decided to implement the Great Leap Forward. A farm girl named Yan Li is part of the math team whose job is to make the numbers come out the “right” way. She finds that the numbers are not just a little bit off, but way off. Millions of people will starve to death. Speaking out like this can be very hazardous to one’s health. Does anyone believe her?
A budding entrepreneur does not always need a loan of thousands of dollars from a local bank. Sometimes, all they need is, for instance, $100 to buy a sewing machine and supplies so that they can make something to sell. A young girl in 1967 Florida introduces Martin Luther King Jr. to the concept of micro-lending. It’s a way for blacks to build up their own economy, without waiting for handouts from whites.
These stories are excellent. They are interesting, and very well done. They do a good job of introducing math and science in a very “not-difficult” way andare very much worth reading.
— Paul Lappen, Goodreads and Librarything