Addie Abacus

Addie loves math, and she's been thinking for a long time about a different way to teach math to young children. Morgan and the Forty Thieves puts math in a story context and demonstrates that math is simply another way of thinking about the world around us. So many things that we find beautiful in the natural world come down to the symmetries and patterns found in living things.

Addie hopes that this book will help you to understand math in a whole new way— that math is not just about memorizing how numbers work together, (although those skills can be helpful), it's about seeing that all living things have math in their creation and growth. And these patterns in the natural world are not just with living things. If you throw a rock in a pond, you’ll see that the circles that ripple out have a pattern to them. That pattern has a language. It can be represented by numbers in an equation. Being able to read that language, being able to understand the relationships between the numbers and symbols, helps us to understand more fully the world in which we live.

Addie also hopes that this book will help you to understand that life is full of these patterns, and that they surround us all the time. In the Teacher/Parent guide on the website, some exercises involve going out to observe the natural world around us so that we can think about why nature grows the way that it does. And then we can look at the planets and stars and wonder how they came to be and where we are in relation to the vast universe. Then we can look into a microscope and wonder how the world of the very small came to be and how the world at this small (quantum) level behaves differently from the large world around us. The mysteries of the universe await you. Welcome to Addie’s world!

What kids and adults have to say about Morgan and the Forty Thieves…

I really loved it. It was so exciting! I know my third graders would love it too! I’m planning on reading it to them. We just started multiplication last week so the math conversations in the story would be a perfect connection.

Gina Cey, Third Grade Teacher

“I love this book! When will she have the next one in the series for me to read?”

Thjis, Gifted First Grader

I just finished reading Morgan and the Forty Thieves! I did not want my husband to interrupt my reading as I was finishing. I am impressed. Wow! I think this story will definitely interest those good readers in the younger grades. The length and readability seem appropriate too. I found that the Medallions sparked my curiosity and I wanted to learn more in the accompanying fact pages in the back of the book. This is truly a unique feature in books at this level.

Jamie Harding, Elementary School Librarian

“Two thumbs up!”

Cody, Kindergartener (read aloud by Mom)

A fun experience for children to engage their problem solving skills while reading. Abacus brings to life the challenges faced by two young adventurers in 1899 Massachusetts, while connecting the audience to common human feelings that transcend time and place.

Mary Kay Lewis, Gifted Educational Consultant

First, I want to say that I "love" this book! I don't normally comment on the books that people send me, and there have been hundreds, but this one is about math and child education, and I'm passionate about both. I've worked as a math tutor for primary and secondary students.

Steve Passiouras, Bookow.com