Math Doesn't Suck The Book Bio Reviews Solution Guide News Mathdoesntsuck.com Quiz Emails Typo Sleuth Extras
Buy The Book! McKellar Math

To see the fully worked out SOLUTIONS to all the problems in the book, click here!

For a personal message from Danica, click here!

Click here for an excerpt.

Straight from Hollywood, this one-of-a-kind guide is guaranteed to make middle school math a breeze!

In MATH DOESN'T SUCK, internationally known actress and bonafide math genius Danica McKellar - called a "math superstar" by The New York Times - rips the lid off the myth that math "sucks," helping to show that math can be easy, relevant, and even glamorous-while providing the tools needed to ace the next big math test! With Danica as a personal tutor and coach, even the most frustrated student will finally "get" fractions, decimals, rates, ratios, proportions, "solving for x," and more - the very concepts that, if not fully understood in middle school, have been proven to cause continued problems throughout high school and beyond. Each chapter also features:

  • Easy to follow, step-by-step instruction
  • Time-saving tips and tricks for homework and tests
  • Illuminating practice problems with detailed solutions
  • Real-world examples-from how understanding percents can make you a savvier shopper to how understanding proportions can make you a better chef!

And look out for these special features:

  • A unique Troubleshooting Guide to help students get "unstuck" and overcome their biggest challenges
  • True stories from Danica's own life as a terrified math student, confident actress, and everything in between
  • A math horoscope, math personality quizzes, real-life testimonials, and more!

Be sure to check out the special "Troubleshooting Guide" at the back for fool-proof solutions to the most frustrating dilemmas:

  • "Math bores me to death."
  • "When it's time to do Math, I get scared and try to avoid it."
  • "I get confused and lost during class."
  • "I think I understand something, but then I get the wrong answer in my homework."
  • "At test time, I freeze up and can't remember anything."

If you've got problems like these, MATH DOESN'T SUCK is the answer!

Excerpt: Math Totally Used To Suck!

I was terrified of math.

I remember sitting in my seventh grade math class, staring at a quiz as if it were written in Chinese-it might as well have been a blank sheet of paper. Total brain freeze.

Nothing made sense, I felt sick to my stomach, and I could feel the blood draining from my face. I had studied so hard, but it didn't seem to make any difference-I barely even recognized the math problems on the page.

When the bell rang and my quiz was still blank, I wanted to disappear into my chair. I just didn't want to exist.

If you had told me that ten years later I would be graduating from college with a degree in mathematics, I would probably have told you to get your head examined.

As it turns out, though, no head examination necessary! I did in fact develop a love of math through the eighth grade and into high school, and made up tons of cool tricks and ways of remembering things along the way-tricks that I'm now going to share with you in this book!

In the pages that follow, you'll hear my adventures as a terrified math student, a confident actress, and everything in between. Best of all, you'll see how sharpening your brain will put you on the fast track to feeling fabulous in all areas of your life. Oh yeah-I'll help you ace your next math test, too.

But Math Doesn't Suck!

Let's get a few things straight: Acne sucks. Mean people suck. Finding out that your boyfriend kissed another girl? That would totally suck. Too much homework, broken promises, detention, divorce, insecurities: suck, suck, suck, suck, suck.

But math is actually a good thing. Here are a few reasons why: Math builds confidence, keeps you from getting ripped off, makes you better at adjusting cookie recipes, understanding sports scores, budgeting and planning parties and vacations, interpreting how good a sale really is, and spending your allowance. It makes you feel smart when you walk in a room, prepares you for better-paying jobs, and helps you to think more logically.

Most of all, working on math sharpens your brain, actually making you smarter in all areas. Intelligence is real, it's lasting, and no one can take it away from you. Ever.

And take it from me, nothing can take the place of the confidence that comes from developing your intelligence-not beauty, or fame, or anything else "superficial."

When I was in middle school, I had insecurities like everybody else. It didn't help that I was on a TV series (The Wonder Years) at the time. Don't get me wrong-I loved acting, but it didn't take long for me to learn that when you are acting in front of millions of people you get a lot of attention that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with who you really are. Every day, walking down the street, people would come up to me, ask for my autograph, and tell me how much they loved the character I was playing. Great, right?

Well, after a few years of this, I started to wonder if people would still like me if I weren't on television. Eventually, whenever someone would tell me how much they liked my character, I would say "thank you," and then feel kind of empty inside. I started to question my self-worth.

I had a friend in high school who had beautiful, long, naturally red hair, and for years, everywhere she went, everyone told her how much they loved her long, red hair: friends, family, strangers, everyone. Finally, one day, when she was about seventeen years old, she showed up to school with her hair cut short-and dyed jet black!

She said she was tired of people complimenting her hair, and she needed to know what people liked about her. She had that same empty feeling on the inside that I did when people talked to me about being on TV. She wanted to be valued for something real, for what was on the inside. Of course, she was smart and funny and interesting-she just needed to figure that out for herself. And don't worry, her red hair did eventually grow back!

The good news is that the things that really matter, like our intelligence and personality-the things that feel good to be valued for-are things we have the ability to improve ourselves. While it's fun to focus on being fashionable and glamorous, it's also important to develop your smart and savvy side.

One of the best ways to sharpen your brain, and develop intelligence, is to study mathematics. It challenges and strengthens your mind in a way that very few other things do. It's like going to the gym-but for your brain!

I even took a break from acting for four years to go to college and major in mathematics, and it was one of the best choices I've ever made. These days, I've returned to acting, but with a new sense of confidence that came from developing my intelligence.

For more about the book, click here!

Personal Message From Danica

I've had my struggles in math, too - I know how frustrating it can be when you just don't "get" something. I'm so excited about helping all of you, and sharing all sorts of tips and tricks that I've figured out along the way. That's why I've spent almost 2 years writing this book! (You can't fake that, trust me.)

Sure, math can be really hard sometimes, but I *know* you can do it. Just be as patient as you can be, and keep at it. I promise my book can help you to understand it better - and help you to build the confidence you deserve to become the fabulous young woman you're destined to be!

We're in this together, and remember: Smart is sexy!

Love, Danica

Danica McKellar

For more about the book, click here!