Violet and the Pie of Life

by D. L. Green

Overview

There's no golden ratio for a family, despite what number-crunching Violet might think.

Twelve-year-old Violet has two great loves in her life: math and pie. And she loves her parents, even though her mom never stops nagging and her dad can be unreliable. Mom plus Dad doesn't equal perfection. Still, Violet knows her parents could solve their problems if they just applied simple math.


#1: Adjust the ratio of Mom's nagging to her compliments.
#2: Multiply Dad's funny stories by a factor of three.
#3: Add in romantic stuff wherever possible.

But when her dad walks out, Violet realizes that the odds do not look good. Why can't her parents get along like popular, perfect Ally's parents? Would it be better to have no dad at all, like her best friend, McKenzie? Violet is considering the data when she and Ally get cast in the school play, and McKenzie doesn't—a probability that Violet never calculated. Maybe friendship and family have more variables than she thought.

Filled with warmth, math-y humor, and delicious pie, this heartfelt middle grade read is perfect for fans of The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl. Includes illustrated charts, graphs, and diagrams throughout.

A Mathical Book Prize Honor Book

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823451333
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	02/01/2022
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	108,282
Product dimensions:	5.44(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.72(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Debra Green has written many books for children, including the Silver Pony Ranch series and the Zeke Meeks series, which have been published in eight languages across the globe. She lives in Southern California where she works as a lawyer, as well as an enthusiastic speaker at writing workshops, schools, and conferences. Her favorite kind of pie is apple crumb. Visit her online at debralgreen.com

Editorial Reviews

03/01/2021

Orange County, Calif.–based math whiz Violet Summers, 12, who has “big brown eyes and peach-colored skin,” feels gutted when her father goes from being her goofy, joke-telling partner in crime to disappearing from her life without explanation. After moving out one day, he fails to return her calls or emails; instead of providing sufficient clarification, her mother either works, nags, or uses “her soothy voice” to express sympathy. Despite her aversion to standing out, Violet auditions for The Wizard of Oz, hoping to avoid home and hang out with her domineering best friend McKenzie Williston, also white, at rehearsals. But when Violet secures the role of the Lion and McKenzie is cast in a minor role, Violet has mixed feelings about appearing alongside kind, popular part-white, part-Mexican Ally Ziegler (“her nice parents and cute sisters and perfect life”), who is cast as Dorothy and whom McKenzie abhors. Through charts, graphs, and diagrams, all pictured, Violet attempts to solve the mystery of her circumstances—and how she can fix them. Green sincerely conjures Violet’s deep pain, confusion, frustration, and worry over shifting relationships; her frank, energetic voice carries this sensitive narrative. Ages 8–12. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"A nice mix of humor and emotional pitfalls: the perfect script for an engaging read."—Kirkus Reviews

"Green sincerely conjures Violet’s deep pain, confusion, frustration, and worry over shifting relationships; her frank, energetic voice carries this sensitive narrative."—Publishers Weekly

"Kids who feast on friendship and family fiction will savor the bitter and the sweet."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Middle-grade readers will appreciate the realistic reflection of the social lives of 12-year-olds. Green doesn't shy away from Violet's own shortcomings, making her all the more sympathetic and relatable. The narrative keeps up a comfortable pace and weaves subplots adeptly in along with illustrations that demonstrate Violet's love of math. Recommended for readers looking to take a more serious and mature step past Diary of a Wimpy Kid." —Booklist

"HUMOR + HEART2 + PI = A GRATIFYING MUST-READ!"—Ernesto Cisneros, author of Efrén Divided

"A simplified yet worthy STEAM read where stories of middle school travails resonate."—School Library Journal

"Written with equal parts heart and humor, Violet’s attempts to use graphs, charts, and mathematical equations to make sense of shifting middle school friendships and an unexpected change in her family add up to a thoroughly engaging and relatable read." —Alyson Noël, #1 New York Times bestselling author 

"A warm story about a girl who learns to navigate her world with humor, courage, and heart. A sweet, funny, and thoughtful read with a healthy dose of STEM and pie."—Mae Respicio, author of The House That Lou Built

From the Publisher

03/01/2021

Gr 4–7—Violet is a white, middle-class seventh grader in Orange County, and all she wants is for her life to make mathematical sense. Math is her best subject and how she understands the world; she frequently reflects on her decisions, struggles, and yearnings with pie charts, graphs, ratios, frequencies, and the order of operations. Her mathematical reflections are portrayed in the book through illuminating illustrations. But problems arise in Violet's world: Her parents have been fighting more intensely, and suddenly her dad leaves and Violet can't contact him. Also, she has mixed feelings about trying out for her school production of The Wizard of Oz with her best friend, McKenzie, but decides to stick it out when she earns the role of the Cowardly Lion. McKenzie, who tends to be negative, tries to get Violet to quit, ragging on the seemingly perfect Ally, who is cast as Dorothy, the play's lead. Violet's emotions are all over the place, and she often takes her frustration out on her well-meaning mom, who has high standards. Opportunities for Violet's race and class consciousness are dealt with on a basic level. Ally, adopted by her grandparents, struggles with the pressure she feels as a dark-skinned Dorothy. McKenzie, whose mom identifies as a "free range parent," has a run-down house and ill-fitting clothes. Throughout the book, Violet stays focused on her own small acts of courage and doesn't authentically awaken to the struggles of those around her. VERDICT A simplified yet worthy STEAM read where stories of middle school travails resonate.—Jamie Winchell, Percy Julian M.S., IL

School Library Journal

2020-12-10
Twelve-year-old math whiz Violet is stunned when her father moves out after battling—again—with her mom.

Consequently, it’s hard for her to fully engage when McKenzie, her BFF, pushes her into trying out for a part in The Wizard of Oz but then pressures her to quit when Vi gets the part of the cowardly lion and McKenzie is cast as a monkey. Adding to Vi’s distress is the fact that McKenzie’s mortal enemy, gorgeous Ally, is cast as Dorothy and turns out not to be the self-centered popular girl McKenzie portrays her as but sensitive and wracked with issues of her own. Vi struggles to come to grips with her irresponsible father’s refusal to contact her; she’d cast her mother as the controlling nag who pushed a nice guy into leaving but finally starts to recognize that her dad is a compulsive gambler with commitment issues. Trying to find a way to deal with so much turmoil, Vi reduces her conflicts into understandable (and hilarious) bar graphs, flow charts, and equations. With growing maturity, she finally understands that she’s not the only one of a believable cast of characters dealing with significant challenges—McKenzie, whose mother subscribes to free-range parenting, is actually neglected, and Ally’s mother struggles with substance abuse. Vi and McKenzie are White; Ally is biracial, with a White mom and Latinx dad.

A nice mix of humor and emotional pitfalls: the perfect script for an engaging read. (Fiction. 10-12)

Kirkus Reviews