All of the Above

By Shelley Pearsall
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

Pearsall was inspired by the true story of a math class that tackled building the biggest Sierpinski Tetrahedron and did it, with the hope of getting into the Guiness Book of Records. This fictional account begins with Mr. Collins' 7th grade math class. Frustrated at the lack of interest from his students who are mostly black and struggling against poverty, Mr. Collins proposes a math club after school which will strive to build the largest tetrahedron ever. A tetrahedron is like a pyramid, but all sides are triangles, unlike a pyramid which has a square bottom. Although Mr. Collins expects no one to show up, a few students do, and slowly, over the long months and some big setbacks, the project comes to mean something important to all of them and ends up making all of their lives a little bit better. The novel is told from the points of view of all the main characters, and we get fascinating and moving glimpses into their hopes, dreams and every day lives. It is a quick read, but an inspiring one that should make anyone who reads it feel the power of individuals who, while striving for the same goal, become a team who feel they can accomplish more than they ever thought they could.