The Complete Idiot's Guide to Pre-Algebra

"TCIGT Pre-Algebra" by author Amy Szczepanski, Ph. D and Andrew Kositsky This is a warmly written book in which the author's love of their subject shines through. For myself, I'm not much of a mathematician, but I do have a fondness for the laws, principles and the beautiful equations which are so derived. I sat in the bookstore, scanning a dozen new books on Math, Algebra, Geometry and so on, and ended up picking several to buy. This was my immediate favorite. Buying some blank 3 x 5 cards, I quickly began working through the book's lessons on LEAST COMMON MULTIPLES and so on. It may sound trite, but the book is easy to read, straightforward in its instruction, and very well OUTLINED. One doesn't even have to start at the beginning. Any chapter can be selected and will thoroughly acquaint the student with a specific principle such as the Number Line, Commutative Law, or other Algebraic abstractions. I haven't a clue as to who the author is, but I know that in Marine Corps boot camp, when the Drill Instructor had a recruit with a name like Szczepanski, they would either say, "PRIVATE SKI!" or "PRIVATE ALPHABET!"; but the point is that the authorship, to my astonishment, writes with warmth, charm, and an eloquence not always associated with this sort of primer. I also appreciate the use of SPACE on the page. The information is not all crammed together. Instead, it is well spread out on the page, with adequate spacing for the exercises and the text. This is especially important for the youthful student, who can often be negatively impacted by tightly clustered text and fine print. I noticed the price on the back was $18.95 which I think is fair, unlike many other such Perfect-Bound editions which go up to $24.95 which I find hard to justify. So the book has good authorship, good content, and a good price. A most excellent choice in my opnion. /