Fractions = Trouble!
By Claudia Mills and G. Brian Karas
4/5
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About this ebook
If Wilson Williams thought multiplication was difficult, he is finding fractions impossible. And when his parents hire a math tutor for him, he is sure he's the only kid in the history of Hill Elementary to have one. Wilson is determined to make sure that no one finds out, not even his best friend, Josh. At least his pet hamster, Pip, is sympathetic. Pip is going to be part of Wilson's science fair project, because any project with hamsters in it is bound to be wonderful. But Josh has the coolest project of all: at what temperature does a pickle explode? Unfortunately, it looks as if Wilson's secret may end up exploding their friendship.
Claudia Mills' Fractions = Trouble is a fun and thoroughly relatable story that Kirkus Reviews calls an "excellent selection for early chapter-book readers."
Claudia Mills
Claudia Mills is the acclaimed author of many books for children including the Franklin School Friends children's book series, including Cody Harmon, King of Pets and Simon Ellis, Spelling Bee Champ. She lives in Boulder, Colorado.
Read more from Claudia Mills
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Reviews for Fractions = Trouble!
10 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Wilson Williams is a second grade boy who loves his hamster, but he has a large problem pertaining to school. Wilson hates math, avoids it, and is struggling with fractions. On top of that, his parents have decided to hire a math tutor to help him. This realistic fiction is appropriate for intermediate readers; kids will relate to Wilson as he struggles to hide his secret of having a tutor and trying to learn about fractions.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I read this book to a group of fifth grades and they were not really interested. The book mentioned an important message. I think many children feel that having a tutor is not cool. I thought this was an excellent, but it should be read to the lower grades.
Book preview
Fractions = Trouble! - Claudia Mills
1
Whenever Wilson Williams had a problem, he talked to his hamster, Pip. He had had Pip for only two weeks, but already she understood him better than anybody else in his family did.
Multiplication was hard enough,
Wilson told Pip on the first Saturday morning in April. But now we have to do fractions.
Pip twitched her nose.
Even worse, Mrs. Porter is giving us a huge test in three weeks.
Pip blinked.
But that’s not the worst thing.
Pip scampered across Wilson’s bedspread. Luckily Wilson had his bedroom door closed so that she couldn’t escape and get lost.
Wait,
Wilson said to Pip. Don’t you want to know what the worst thing is?
He scooped up Pip and held her in both hands, facing him, as he leaned back against his pillow. Her bright little eyes really did look interested.
When Wilson had gotten Pip, her name had been Snuggles, but he had changed it to Pip, short for Pipsqueak. Pip’s brother, Squiggles, was the classroom pet in Wilson’s third-grade classroom.
The worst thing,
Wilson said, is that my parents are getting me a math tutor.
Pip’s eyes widened with indignation.
I know.
Wilson set her down on his knee. Instead of scurrying away, she sat very still, gazing up at him sadly. But no amount of hamster sympathy could change that one terrible fact.
A math tutor! That meant Wilson would go to school and do fractions, and then after school he’d go see Mrs. Tucker and do more fractions. He’d have fractions homework for Mrs. Porter and more fractions homework for Mrs. Tucker.
And suppose his friends at school found out. Nobody else he knew had a math tutor. There were other kids who were bad at math. There were other kids who thought fractions were hard. There were even other kids who thought fractions were impossible. But Wilson had never heard of any other kid who had a math tutor.
Wilson picked up Pip again and stroked the soft fur on the top of her little head. Pip was the only good thing left in Wilson’s life. From now on, the rest of his life was going to be nothing but fractions.
Now, come on,
Wilson’s father said at lunch. Cheer up. The point of a math tutor is to help you.
You’ve been struggling so much,
his mother went on. First with multiplication, and now with fractions. A math tutor will make math come more easily to you.
Wilson’s little brother, Kipper, who was in kindergarten, spoke up next. Can I have a math tutor, too? Wilson and I can share the math tutor. Like we share Pip.
Wilson stopped glaring at his parents and started glaring at Kipper instead. It was annoying enough to have a little brother, but Wilson had to have a little brother who happened to love math, and who was good at it, too.
To the left of Kipper’s plate sat his beanbag penguin, Peck-Peck. To the right sat his beanbag alligator, Snappy.
What’s a math tutor?
Kipper made Peck-Peck ask in a deep, growly voice. For some strange reason, Kipper seemed to think that was how a penguin should talk.
Does a math tutor toot on a horn?
Kipper made Snappy ask. Toot! Toot!
Snappy’s head bobbed up and down with each cheerful toot, as if he were an alligator