The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure [Hardcover]

Hans Magnus Enzensberger (Author), Rotraut Susanne Berner (Illustrator), Michael Henry Heim (Translator)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up

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.

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

From Publishers Weekly

Exceptionally handsome four-color illustrations and vignettes deepen the magic of this mathematically minded fantasy, Enzensberger's (Europe, Europe) first book for children. Robert is plagued by bad dreams until a mysterious creature called the Number Devil appears to him one night. Robert, who hates everything to do with numbers, thinks it just another nightmare, but, surprisingly, finds himself fascinated by the intricacies of mathematics as taught by the exacting but always enthusiastic Devil. In a series of 12 dreams, Robert (and the reader) are introduced to ever more complex theories, from different kinds of infinity to triangular numbers. In Number Hell/Number Heaven, Robert and the Devil meet famous mathematicians of the past and Robert is inducted into the ranks of number apprentices. Surreal touches (numbers flying in the air, floating in a swimming pool), fanciful names for mathematical terms (prima-donna numbers for prime numbers) and problems posed directly to the reader contribute to the playful tone. The generous and strategic use of color, however, provides the biggest boost: even mathematical equations look festive here, hand-printed in warm muted tones. Berner's witty spot and full-page illustrations also work to clarify mathematical principles. Many readers, unused to a novel of ideas, may well be daunted by the string of mathematical concepts, particularly because the reasoning behind several of the "tricks" demonstrated by the Devil is only glancingly addressed. But for certain kinds of readers?chess players, puzzle enthusiasts?this will be a favorite. Ages 11-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 260 pages
• Publisher: Metropolitan Books; First Edition edition (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805057706
• ISBN-13: 978-0805057706
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #180,731 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hans Magnus Enzensberger is one of Germany's greatest living writers. In The Number Devil he has written a book that is essential reading for anyone - of any age who has ever been mystified by maths. The author lives in Munich.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Book to Interest Children in Mathematics, December 27, 1999

By 

Bill Schwabenland (seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure (Hardcover)

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.

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Easy read, but good book...., March 20, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure (Paperback)

Crossing the story Alice in Wonderland with a small, red, fiery-tempered devil with a passion for numbers gives you The Number Devil, a perfect tale with funny and curious characters.

Robert hates math, and he gets irritated because his math teacher doesn't allow calculators in class. In addition to that, he has peculiar dreams all the time. Then, one night, completely out of the blue, he dreams about a Number Devil, who takes him away to a fantastic world of numbers. Robert learns all about different mathematical ideas and concepts in a fun way. Over the course of 12 different nights, Robert learns about simple math ideas like factorials, fractions, the importance of zero, and the idea of infinity. But Robert's adventures don't stop there; Robert also learns about more complex things like triangle numbers, Fibonacci numbers, imaginary numbers, and irrational numbers. The Number Devil makes up funny terms in order to explain these to Robert. Square roots are called "rutabagas," prime numbers are "prima donnas," squaring becomes "number hopping," the Fibonacci sequence is called "the Bonacci numbers, " and factorials are named "vrooms."

Did you know that you can take any even number larger than two and find two prime numbers that add up to it? The Number Devil presents different mathematical ideas to Robert, using funny things like furry calculators and coconuts. Even Robert uses what he learns in his dreams in class. For example, the Number Devil uses coconuts to show Robert what triangular numbers are. He uses the coconuts to make triangles on the ground, and he comes up with the first ten triangular numbers: 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28, 36, 45, and 55. Next, he comes up with a little rule for triangular numbers: Any number greater than 1 can be the sum of two or three triangle numbers. Try 83, for example. It is the sum of 10 + 28 + 45.

Not only does the Number Devil show Robert different math principles, but he takes him to Number Paradise, and there Robert meets different mathematicians like Carl Friedrich Gauss (of course, the Number Devil makes up names for the mathematicians as well, so Gauss is called Professor Horrors), Georg Cantor (Professor Singer), and Leonhard Euler (Owl). Robert also meets Felix Klein (Dr. Happy Little), and he sees the famous `Klein Bottle' (the Little Bottle). The Number Devil shows how one can't tell the inside of this object from the outside!

I thought this book was very enjoyable and funny. The illustrations were amusing and the characters were hilarious. I especially liked the Number Devil himself. I would give the book an eight out of ten only because some of the concepts described were very elementary, and it became boring for me at times. Overall, I didn't learn a lot, but the little tidbits of information and the more complex ideas were interesting. I would recommend this book for all ages as a good read aloud or for a bedtime reading book. Happy reading!

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Mathematical Journey, November 30, 1998

By 

Hank Waddles (Long Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure (Hardcover)

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.