The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure | 
 enlarge | Author: Hans Magnus Enzensberger
Creators: Rotraut Susanne Berner, Michael Henry Heim
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
Category: Book
List Price: $19.00
Buy Used: $4.94
You Save: $14.06 (74%)
New (47) Used (72) Collectible (2) from $4.94
Rating:  70 reviews
Sales Rank: 15893
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Pages: 264
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.8
ISBN: 0805062998
EAN: 9780805062991
Publication Date: May 1, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Cover is creased, text is tight, clean and unmarked, good reading copy!
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
Young Robert's dreams have taken a decided turn for the weird. Instead of falling down holes and such, he's visiting a bizarre magical land of number tricks with the number devil as his host. Starting at one and adding zero and all the rest of the numbers, Robert and the number devil use giant furry calculators, piles of coconuts, and endlessly scrolling paper to introduce basic concepts of numeracy, from interesting number sequences to exponents to matrices. Author Hans Magnus Enzensberger's dry humor and sense of wonder will keep you and your kids entranced while you learn (shhh!) mathematical principles. Who could resist the little red guy who calls prime numbers "prima donnas," irrational numbers "unreasonable," and roots "rutabagas"? Not that the number devil is without his devilish qualities. He loses his temper when Robert looks for the easy way out of a number puzzle or dismisses math as boring and useless. "What do you expect?" he asks. "I'm the number devil, not Santa Claus." (Ages 10 to adult) --Therese Littleton
Product Description
The international best-seller that makes mathematics a thrilling exploration.
In twelve dreams, Robert, a boy who hates math, meets a Number Devil, who leads him to discover the amazing world of numbers: infinite numbers, prime numbers, Fibonacci numbers, numbers that magically appear in triangles, and numbers that expand without . As we dream with him, we are taken further and further into mathematical theory, where ideas eventually take flight, until everyone-from those who fumble over fractions to those who solve complex equations in their heads-winds up marveling at what numbers can do.
Hans Magnus Enzensberger is a true polymath, the kind of superb intellectual who loves thinking and marshals all of his charm and wit to share his passions with the world. In The Number Devil, he brings together the surreal logic of Alice in Wonderland and the existential geometry of Flatland with the kind of math everyone would love, if only they had a number devil to teach it to them.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 65 more reviews...
 An Excellent Book to Interest Children in Mathematics December 27, 1999
Bill Schwabenland (seattle)
62 out of 63 found this review helpful
I checked this book out of the library to read to my 8 year old daughter (she wanted me to read "Flatland" to her and I thought the dated language might get in the way). She loved it and now I plan to purchase two copies; one for her and one for my 12 year old son. The book jacket decribed the book as a cross between Flatland and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I would have described it as a cross between Flatland an The Phantom Tollbooth, but, no matter. It definitely provides food for thought for any reasonably inquisitive child; and may provide more for a child already interested in mathematics. I had read several biographies of famous scientific or mathematical type people who credited Bell's "The Men of Science" as sparking their initial interest in math. I was searching for something more appropriate for a young girl. While this wasn't ideal in that regard (e.g. there's a mention of the fact that their aren't many women in "Number Heaven" with a half-hearted apology that this was changing), I do believe that this can at least serve as kindling for a later fire of interest. Each chapter takes place in a dream between the books protagonist (Robert) and his "Number Devil"; a sort of less than sainthood guru status. Each dream takes on a different example of mathematical interest, primarily from Number Theory. Should be of interest to children from six to sixteen. The protagonist is twelve. Highly recommended.
This is a great book! :o) December 19, 1999
starlight_ha (Canada)
26 out of 27 found this review helpful
I read this book for the first time not quite a year ago, and I loved it! Now I'm 13, and just recently lent the book to my gr. 8 math teacher-who thought it was amazing. This is a cute approach to challenging math topics. Now I'm doing a book report on The Number Devil and just want to say that this book is not only a wonderful novel with well developped characters, but a wonderful teaching tool and learning book. A fantastic mix between a text book and a novel with some humour thrown in. I love it!
A Fun Mathematical Journey November 30, 1998
Hank Waddles (www.brokencowboy.com)
20 out of 20 found this review helpful
In a children's book reminiscent of The Phantom Tollbooth, the reader is taken along on a magical journey of mathematical discovery. Robert is a twelve-year-old boy who detests math, mainly because his math teacher, Mr. Bockel, is incredibly boring. To the rescue comes the Number Devil, a creature who visits Robert in a series of twelve dreams. During each dream the Number Devil explains different mathematical mysteries and reveals the beauty and simplicity of numbers. In the end, both Robert and the reader gain a new appreciation for math.
A great read May 13, 1999
18 out of 18 found this review helpful
The Number Devil is one of the best books I have ever read. I am only 11 years old and even though it explored mathematical theories, I thought it was an amazing novel which was unputdownable. Robert is the main character in the story, and each night he dreams of the number devil. The number devil teaches Robert different mathematical aspects in a way which is simple to understand. Most of my maths class at school has read it and they also agree that it's a great book. I highly reccomend this for anyone from 10 plus.
Just One-derful! July 31, 2000
rareoopdvds (San Diego, CA United States)
25 out of 27 found this review helpful
Is there a devil on your back thats been hounding you to learn those numbers? Well, there is an easier way to learn and understand numbers. With Haans Enzensberger's childrens book The number Devil, its not only fun, but makes it all look easy. Sometimes it is, other times it can be overwhelming. The number devil is a story that takes place in dreamland where a child, who hates math and numbers finds out how numbers are essential to the world we live in. He also finds out that numbers are easy to understand, so long as we take the time to understaand them. Each chapter attempts to study a number. Starting with 0 and 1, then moving to others from 2 on up. Every number is a pattern and creates more patterns. Its a matter of seeing the patter that clears up the muddle of large numbers. I found this book easy to read and fun and educational. Highly reccomended!
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