FICTION

Charlie Piechart and the Case of the Missing Pizza Slice

by Marilyn Sadler
COMSTOCK, Eric & . illus. by Eric Comstock. 40p. (A Charlie Piechart Mystery). HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Bks. Sept. 2015. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780062370549. LC 2014946657.
COPY ISBN
K-Gr 2—There are worse ways to ingest the study of fractions than by reading a book about pizza, which must have been the thinking behind this extremely slight mystery. Fractions are interjected into the text at every opportunity, as when Charlie invites ¼ of his friends for dinner, which must be shared with his five family members. The small crisis when 1/12 of the pie goes missing is resolved when Charlie's improbably magnanimous parents content themselves with 1 ½ slices apiece. The retro-spectrum digital illustrations are serviceable, just like the math lesson.
VERDICT Less peppy than pepperoni.
Reviewed by Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Library, NY
Pizza night at Charlie's house goes awry when a slice vanishes into thin air. Charlie, who's pictured with a pie-chart torso, plays detective, using deductive reasoning and fractions to narrow down his suspect list. Written with numerals and presented graphically, fractions fit quite neatly into the playful mystery. Retro, mid-century-styled illustrations feature clues and math concepts.
 , Jun 01, 2015

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