The Great Math Tattle Battle

Plot Summary

Harley Harrison is easily the best math student in second grade; he is also the biggest tattletale. Harley keeps track of how many erasers Erwin chews and how many milks too many Luis has at lunch. His math comes in very handy as he totals up these weekly infractions and turns his reports in to his teacher.

Then one Monday, Emma Jean, a new student, sits in the empty desk by Harley Harrison. First she helps Harley with his math—he cannot believe it! Then she writes the teacher a note about how much time Harley wastes getting drinks of water. She’s also a tattletale! Soon they’re using their math skills to tattle on each other every chance they get.

Finally Harley and Emma Jean have to stop tattling long enough to work together on a math quiz and try to earn an extra 10 minutes at recess for the next four days. Can they do it?

Reviews

"Harley Harrison is a math whiz and a tattler. The second grader observes his classmates and then writes detailed reports filled with simple numerical evidence of their wrongdoings. The reports are shown in full-page illustrations that incorporate numbers, objects, and childlike printing...The adults deal with the boy's disclosures as his classmates complain. Then a new student arrives, and Harley finds his match. Emma Jean corrects his mistakes and begins to tattle in an oddly familiar manner, using calculations to prove her points. The two tell on one another until their teacher pairs them in a math challenge. After working separately and losing time, they cooperate, and the results are rewarding-extra time at recess. They inform their teacher that they will be 'too busy playing' to write any more reports. The striking color cartoon art in soft pastel tones depicts children with expressive faces. The math is cleverly woven into the story and used effectively. Back matter includes a half-dozen 'Math Tattle Battle Teasers' and their solutions. The book is a winning combination of math problems and a true-to-life story." School Library Journal

"Kids will like this book so much they will actually enjoy learning a little math as they read."
Children's Literature

Associated Keywords
numbers, adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, tattling, counting, teamwork