Night of the Paranormal Patterns

Things were bad enough when seventh grader Lennie Miller had to leave her home and her friends and move with her parents to the little town of Bailey, Indiana. But then she discovered that Bailey has a secret--a Mystical Realm few people can see, full of ghosts, wizards and monsters. And worst of all, these creatures have decided that she is their "Pattern Finder," the person they all turn to for help with their math problems!Soon Lennie and her new friend Gil are challenged to figure out who would win a race between a vampire and a werewolf, how fast gremlins can reproduce, and how much cargo a crew of aliens can carry in their flying saucer! But just as it looks like she'll be a Pattern Finder for life, Lennie discovers a potential way out. Can she find the magical veil her ancestor stole and escape her destiny?Author Robert Black mixes his narrative with a series of pre-algebra level math puzzles in what he calls "Mathematical Fiction." He says: I wanted to use storytelling as a way of communicating math concepts. Just as a good historical novel can introduce readers to different times and places, I'm introducing readers to the ways of looking at the world through numbers. When Lennie Miller and her friends try to solve a math problem, the reader is right there with them."The aim of the novel is to present math concepts in a memorable and entertaining way, taking the reader through the full experience of mathematical discovery. The combination reflects Black's own experience, as both a degreed engineer and a writer. "Night of the Paranormal Patterns is not only a rousing fantasy adventure; it also encourages young people to look at solving math problems in a new way, as each conundrum originates organically from the monsters' daily lives. Highly recommended, especially for public and school library YA collections." --Children's Bookwatch