A sixth-grader applies problem-solving skills to the complex world of middle-school friendships in Talia's Codebook for Mathletes, a direct and insightful STEM-centered illustrated novel from Marissa Moss.
"Middle school is tricky." When Talia Zargari is blindsided by a friend-breakup with neighbor Dash, she applies her book-smarts to reading people. After all, as Talia deduces, "Middle school isn't about learning stuff from teachers and books. It's really about learning how to get along with other people." By thinking of friendship as a logic problem, Talia uses "non-math codes" to "understand a social situation." Her attempts to identify "that mysterious something that makes a person 'likeable' " help Talia highlight her own strengths and find solidarity among her peers.
Moss's signature, simple illustrative style and choice of the notebook journal format may feel familiar to fans of her prolific Amelia's Notebook series. Full-color ink, watercolor, and gouache sketches on a pale blue-gridded background depict Talia's inner musings and social interactions, with speech bubbles showing dialogue. Talia makes 49 Observations and nine Deductions that divide the book into short chapters, all interspersed with puzzles, quizzes, and codes to produce a dynamic and casually instructive format. A note explains Moss's personal connection to Talia's gendered mathlete experience.
One empathetically offbeat tween solving one relatable middle-school dilemma adds up to a wholly entertaining STEM story. --Kit Ballenger, youth librarian, Help Your Shelf