Jennifer Swender

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley and Crown Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I’ve never seen a book quite like Solving for M, and frankly? It was fantastic.

Solving for M is a very specific type of story. It’s about Mika, a fifth-grader nervous about going to a new school and being in different classes than her best friend. The story starts with Mika in her new math show more class, and the teacher tells them to bring a “math journal”. And then he eats a candle. The story in itself is about change and adaptation and courage. I didn’t expect this book to confront cancer, especially not in Mika’s immediate family. So not only do we have dialogue about cancer (and a hopeful one at that!), and a dialogue about change and finding yourself, but there’s conversation about chidden of divorced parents, and a good step-mother.

I also really like the way this book handles diversity. Mika’s two new friends, Dee Dee and Chelsea, are black and Asian respectively. And you wouldn’t know it until you looks at the illustrations – no stereotypes or qualifiers. They’re all just girls. It’s a good message, but subtle. People are people. I really liked it.

Reading this, I couldn’t help but wish there was a book like this when my mother was going through chemo. I was a couple years older than Mika at the time, but nobody was talking about it, and nobody would tell me anything. It isn’t something that’s culturally easy to talk about, so having books like this and being able to see someone in your shoes is important. I am so glad this book exists for the girls and boys who are faced with a cancer diagnosis in their family.

On the other hand, this is a heavy topic for a middle grade novel, and I’m not so sure it will have a general audience. Early on, I was mentally holding this as a book to buy my friend’s daughter, who is heading to middle school soon, but having finished it… it was so cancer-centric I’m not sure it would be a good fit for her. Something to know if you’re considering buying it.

Nonetheless, the writing was fantastic. I would read Jennifer Swender again, and I’m going to remember this book as a must-read if any children I know are faced with this sort of news. show less

Math, middle school, an unconventional teacher, new friends . . . and a mom with cancer. I loved the innovative approach of seeing Mika's life through the creative entries in her math journal. (And I wish I'd had a math teacher like hers!) I'll recommend this to my 4th and 5th grade library patrons, not only the ones who may have someone ill in the family, but to everyone who loves a strong story.

There are a couple of big changes in Mika's life. She's started middle school and her mother is diagnosed with melanoma cancer. Mr. Vann is her enthusiastic and zany math teacher who has his students keep math journals. Mika uses her math journal assignments to figure out (pun intended) how to deal with her mother's struggle with cancer. Math concepts are the chapter titles (estimation, measurement, real and rational numbers, etc.) and often tie into the questions of Life. Mika's journal show more illustrations enliven the work and even clarify those math concepts for readers. show less

Mika, an artistic fifth grader, is struggling in the new school year with her mother's cancer diagnosis when her math teacher assigns her class journals. The sad but sweet novel follows Mika's emotional journey through both story and math-centered journals as she acclimates to her new normal. I like this book because it connects personal hardships and how it follows into the classroom.