Literary Titan
Mathematics helps to have critical thinking and a logical mind. But many young students doubt its application in everyday life. However, this science is all around us and helps us to solve all kinds of situations. Tom Durwood demonstrates this in the Ruby Pi Adventure Series. In this collection of two books, different girls solve cases using applied mathematics.
The series consists of The Adventures of Ruby Pi and the Geometry Girls and The Adventures of Ruby Pi and the Math Girls. Each book contains five stories with valuable lessons about the use of geometry, the Gaussian series, and more. Among the mysteries are topics including cartography, economics, architecture, and more. The details for solving the mysteries are verifiable, and each story is set in a different time and place in the narrative, providing a variety of content in a reading that is easy to follow.
The Adventures of Ruby Pi and the Geometry Girls is the first book in the series, and its first protagonist is Rupashana Lal Pyradhakrishnan, called Ruby Pi. Who also appears in the first story of The Adventures of Ruby Pi and the Math Girls. But the stories are independent and can be read in any order. I liked how Tom Durwood creatively shows science, perfect for inspiring a teenage audience to find their own way in the mathematical world. Both books have helpful illustrations and diagrams to understand the riddles and codes to solve. The information shown is from different cultures. And it shows us that knowledge is a gift earned with time, which we should not waste.
Regarding the narrative, some scene changes feel abrupt, although they don't affect the story. But I would have liked a little more explanation to make the content feel more fluid. But that's a minor detail, considering that all the stories, though short, convey a lot of valuable information. One of my favorite parts was Tom's Notes which appear at the end of each adventure. There they describe actual historical data and mathematical curiosities that give a more realistic context to the adventures. It shows that there was a lot of research work for this series. Tom Durwood astutely conveys teaching about subjects not taught so thoroughly in school. That's why I give it 5 out of 5 stars. Ruby Pi Adventure Series is perfect for young teenagers who love historical fiction with adventure, mystery, and, especially, realism.
