Algebra Survival Guide: A Conversational Guide for the Thoroughly Befuddled

It’s no secret that algebra gives students the ‘jitters,’ and word problems give them the ‘shakes.’ As a dastardly duo, the word problems of algebra are just about as nerve-wracking as anything in the teenage years. But now there’s a new book that rescues students from this combination of confusion:  the Algebra Survival Guide, Second Edition.

Following on the success of the Algebra Survival Guide’s First Edition, written by longtime teacher/tutor Josh Rappaport, the Second Edition takes a hard look at algebra’s word problems and offers time-tested advice for cracking them. With a new 62-page chapter devoted to these word problems, the new edition tackles the ultimate math nightmares of the puberty years: problems involving rate, time and distance, work performed, and mixture formulas, among others.

With twelve additional content chapters that explain fundamental and advanced areas of algebra, the 352-page Second Edition guides students to success in pre-algebra and Algebra I. The Guide features a unique question/answer format so students hear their own questions echoed in the text. The book’s answers, written in the voice of a friendly tutor, provide lucid explanation and answers, along with step-by-step instructions with explanations in English right next to the math steps. At the end of each one-page lesson, the book presents practice problems, giving students instant feedback on their grasp of the math. Additional chapter tests provide comprehensive checks for understanding.

The new edition boasts an expanded glossary and index, and contains a navigation tool that helps students know exactly where they are in the program. In addition, the Guide is adorned with lively illustrations by award-winning artist Sally Blakemore. These cartoons not only provide well-deserved comic relief for math learners, they also offer a visual way to grasp algebra’s challenging abstractions. (Example:  to illustrate the Reflexive Property of a = a, the cartoon shows a sad ‘x’ variable looking in the mirror while experiencing a ‘bad hair day.’) With all of these features, the Second Edition Algebra Survival Guide is ideal for homeschoolers, tutors and students striving for algebra excellence. 

The Second Edition also aligns with the current Common Core State Standards for Math, so it’s ideal for today’s teachers, as well. Its content chapters tackle the trickiest topics of algebra: Properties, Sets of Numbers, Order of Operations, Absolute Value, Exponents, Radicals, Factoring, Cancelling, Solving Equations, and the Coordinate Plane. Loaded with thorough explanations, practice problems and answers, the new Algebra Survival Guide gives students the boost they need in a style they'll enjoy to master the skills of algebra.