Manga Math Mysteries: The Runaway Puppy

I reviewed another volume of Manga Math Mysteries in the past, and I liked it pretty well. As I am always looking for the rare unicorn that is a relevant, actually enjoyable mathematics graphic novel, I thought I would check in with another volume in the series. The Runaway Puppy is much like The Secret Ghost in that best thing about this book is the expressive, clear, and fun artwork. It also stars the same bunch of good friends united by school and martial arts classes, which is a plus if you are dealing with a young reader who digs series books. The story, about a puppy who gets out of the yard (it's sort of in the title) and how the gang use probability to figure out her is pretty solid, if a little didactic.

Still, the story has some good points. The examples might get a bit repetitive, but I appreciated how this book used them in contrast to show how probability works and how odds are not just cut-and-dried eventualities that always play out in uniform manner. This characteristic could be very helpful in spelling out math concepts to a learner. Also, it sneaks in a little bit of medieval literature, with the dog being named after Charlemagne's daughter Bradamante. This book might not really be manga and does not feature the most thrilling narrative, but I still think it would be a good, quick read for an elementary student who is into math, kung fu, dogs, fun-looking comics, or books where kids play detective.

This book is a collaboration between writer Lydia Barriman and artist Becky Grutzik. According to the bio at the back of the book, Barriman is a "teacher, doctoral candidate, and writer of math courses for all ages." I could not find any additional info about her. Grutzik works on all kinds of indie comics, including the series Peep Lite and Aegis, and she shares her art and adventures via her Twitter page. I really enjoyed her work here, and her other works seem entertaining and inspired.

I was not able to find much in terms of reviews for this title, but it does have a four-star rating on Goodreads. This review by Publishers Weekly of the first volume in the series seems to touch on the flavor of this volume as well.

The Runaway Puppy was published by the Graphic Universe imprint of Lerner Publishing, and they have a preview more info about the book here.

Manga Math Mysteries #3: The Secret Ghost

The Secret Ghost is the third in a series of eight books from the Graphic Universe press of Lerner Publishing. These books are aimed at teaching elementary students mathematics concepts via comic stories. I think the series title is catchy with its alliteration, but the comics nerd in me wants to quibble about these books being called manga because they aren't from Japan, don't read right to left, and they are not the typical size of manga. Still, I think the book is pretty good for what it is, basically a short comics textbook.

The main story, about a boy and his sister figuring out the source of a strange noise coming from behind a wall is pretty negligible, and the way that they get to the solution by measuring walls and doing some basic perimeter calculations is more didactic than entertaining. In the space of the narrative a short folktale is used as a teachable moment in the middle of the book, and the main problem is forecasted early on in a task from karate class. 

Despite the shortcomings of the plot, there are features about the art and characters I like. The cast is  multicultural and diverse without either characteristic being distracting, and the best part of the book for me was the matter of fact way the characters interact, gently tease each other, and go about their days. They might look cute and somewhat generic, but they are pretty likable and relatable, too.

A lot of the appeal has to do with the character designs and Yuko Ota's art. She has drawn comics for a variety of companies and websites and is best known for her work on the webcomic Johnny Wander. The story was written by Melinda Thielbar, a co-founder and organizer of Research Triangle Analyst, mathematics educator, and author of the other books in the MMM series.

This book has been generally praised, though the reviews I have read admit it has its limitations. The Graphic Classroom's Chris Wilson wrote about this book and series, "I would never attempt to con kids into using these titles to promote a love of reading, unless the child is a serious math enthusiast," but he went on to say that they would most likely be engaging teaching demonstration materials. Johanna Draper Carlson liked this volume most out of the series she read, stating "Not only is this educational without talking down to kids, it’s pretty entertaining."

There are a preview, links to standards, and more here from the publisher.