Math metaphors! Who knew? Kid book -- perfect for 5th/6th grade, despite YA classification due to some language and teen angst and a few adult themes, but overall sweet and fresh and creative. Mike is an 8th grader with a mathematical disability (dyscalculia -- another thing I learned!) but his father is a genius (and possibly autistic -- there are hints in this direction)in the field of engineering and so math is a huge cause of friction between them (teen angst). Mike's mother died of cancer years prior, so he is pretty much his father's caretaker and also takes care of all practical matters for their house and lives. When Mike's Dad goes to Romania for the summer to lecture (and gives Mike 1 day's notice), Mike is dumped with distant, elderly relatives, Poppy and Moo in rural PA. Mike's understanding is that he is to assist Poppy with some engineering project (an 'artesian screw') and he believes that will be his ticket to "normal" high school rather than the math-based magnet school his father is promoting. Poppy and Moo are eccentric to say the least, as are most of the members of Do over PA (supposed to be Donover, but the N fell off the sign). Details like this make this book less dramatic and a litttle more fun and heartwarming. Each chapter starts with a mathematical term that is defined and then applies to the events in the chapter, another refreshing angle. As for the artesian screw, it was one of Moo's mispronunciations and has nothing to do with math, but it propels Mike into another whole project. The town is in the midst of fund-raising to help its favorite pastor, Karen, adopt Misha, coincidentally, from Romania. Mike really identifies with the pictures and video of the little boy and before he knows it, he is instrumental in raising spirits and money to "bring Misha home." His techie prowess and his ability to engineer events really gives the effort a chance for success. Since the story is narrated by Mike, he provides a humorous take on many of the events and characters and generally has an upbeat approach to life. The ending is a little far-fetched and anti-climactic, but the story itself is worthwhile. ( )

Mike, a fourteen-year-old boy, chronicles his hysterical efforts to do good during his summer vacation.

NCCA 2013 ( )

A fairy-tale full of implausibilities, and a very 'hyper' (fast-paced isn't an adequate idiom) read. But pretty darn charming nonetheless. ( )

This is a story about a kid named Mike whose dad is a famous mathematician. Seriously, Mike's dad is obsessed with his work, and sometimes it seems like that is all he cares about -- and really he wants Mike to care about math too. The problem is, Mike is not very good at math. It does not make sense to him, and he just does not love it like his dad does. So Mike's dad sends him to live with his crazy relatives one summer, Great Uncle Poppy and Great Aunt Moo. While he's visiting, Mike is supposed to help with an engineering project that is happening in their town. Mike's dad is really hoping that Mike will gain an interest in math and engineering -- so that he can be just like him! The thing is, the people in the town are working on a different project: they're raising money to adopt an orphan from Romania. When Mike shows up, they only have three weeks to raise $40,000. That is a lot of money to get together! So how can he raise the money, help the Romanian orphan, and also make his dad happy? Read The Absolute Value of Mike to find out! ( )