A third math adventure, Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland by Cindy Neuschwander, illus. by Wayne Geehan, chronicles Sir Cumference's son, Radius, in a quest to earn his knighthood by rescuing a king. The circular medallion (a protractor) given to Radius by his father and his mother, Lady Di of Ameter, aid him in examining every angle along the way; and readers get a circular medallion of their own with which to follow along.

Radius, the son of Sir Cumference and Lady Di of Ameter, ventures on a heroic quest to earn his knighthood. He first proves his ability to make a "knightly right angle," as Sir D'Grees has trained him, and then doubles the right angle to make a straight angle. So he is sent off with the family medallion, in the shape of a circle (cardboard medallion included), to resue the missing King Lell. Falling bridges, a cryptic riddle, a crocodile-infested moat, and a winding labyrinth all must be mastered before finding the king and his twin dragons, known as "Pair of Lells." Sir Cumference has something to offer a wide range of readers. Some will be too young to understand the math and the word puns but will enjoy the story of a knight rescuing a king. Others will puzzle over the math and how to use the protractor (medallion) to solve the riddle. This group will be helped by the somewhat primitively painted pictures, which give clues to these angled decisions and enhance the story of a brave knight on his quest. Still other children will note the story, groan at the puns, and wish for more sophiticated illustrations. This book has a stronger story line than that found in most math books. It should be useful to creative teachers and fun for the right child.

This adventure story uses the language of angles. Its purpose is to help children learn vocabulary and to understand different types of angles and how they are used.

The main character, Radius, studies to be a knight. His mentor, Sir D'Grees, tells his student's parents that Radius is ready to attempt his knightly quest. They proudly agree. Radius must find the missing King Lell. Those who previously sought to find King Lell never returned. Radius vows to search until he finds the king. On the morning of Radius's departure, his parents presnt him with a family heirloom, a medallion in the shape of a perfect circle. Sir D'Grees counsels Radius to remember the teachings of the knightly right angle. Thus, Radius is off to succeed in his quest.

Children from third grade to junior high school may find this book suitable. Younger students will be entertained and willl learn the mathematics vocabulary, which should be of future value. For older students, the book can serve as motivation for cross-curricular work, such as writing a story using mathematics vocabulary and including appropriate illustrations. I used a similar book as motivation for an extra credit assignment. Students who enjoyed writing were able to use their writing strengths and creativity in art as a connection to mathematics.

I would recommend this book to teachers who enjoy reading to their students and who like to offer creative cross-curricular projects to their classes as opportunities for extra credit.

Have you met Sir Cumference? He’s such a wonderful person, along with his wife, Lady Di, and son, Radius. His friends can’t be beat either - King Arthur, Geo of Metry, Sym, Sir D’Grees, King Lell, Per, Countess Areana, Vertex, Sir Tangent, Sir Lionel Segment and others.

Living in Camelot under King Arthur, Sir Cumference and his buddies must work through many complications that require mathematical and logical thinking. During visits to such places as the Mountains of Obtuse, Angleland and the Isle of Immeter, people must be rescued, clues must be found and problems must be solved!

The stories are full of action and suspense that have kept my children enthralled time and time again. The author, Cindy Neuschwander, is an absolute genius in the creativity of these books! It’s beyond me how the books not only have a great plot, but teach math concepts within the storyline – and don’t lose any qualities of living literature in the process!

Depending on the book(s) you read, the following concepts are covered:

* Circumference
* Diameter
* Radius
* Pi
* Angles
* Lines
* Measurement
* Perimeter
* Area
* 3-D shapes
* Counting by 10’s, 100’s, 1,000’s

Any child 1st grade and above will enjoy listening to the stories, but older children (4th grade and higher) will most likely grasp the math concepts best. I used to check the books out from the library until I almost wore my card out rechecking them! Now, I’m the proud owner of each and every one. (A CM homeschool can never have enough living literature on the bookshelves, can it?)