---
product_id: 6596238
title: "The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure"
price: "£17.04"
currency: GBP
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 10
url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/6596238-the-number-devil-a-mathematical-adventure
store_origin: GB
region: United Kingdom
---

# The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure

**Price:** £17.04
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- **What is this?** The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure
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Review: A Fun Book That Sparks an Interest in Math - The aim of The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure by Hans Magnus Enzensberger with Illustrations by Rotraut Susanne Berner is to make mathematics fun and interesting. The star of the book is a fictional 12-year-old boy named Robert who hates his mathematics class.Robert is visited in his dream for 12 nights, each serving as a chapter to introduce number concepts by The Number Devil, an ingenious mathematical magician who we learn late in the book is named Teplotaxl. The book uses fun easy to remember terms to introduce concepts--for example, Prima Donnas are prime numbers, Hopping is raising a number to a higher power, Hopping backwards is taking the root, while hopping twice is squaring twice. This is not an easy book, but it presents concepts in a thought provoking manner that sparks the interest of those from 12 and above to take the time to learn. Interesting tricks, properties and characteristics of numbers make this worthwhile for the masses. My last Algebra class was in college in 1974. I don't remember most of the concepts. I don't remember the face or name of any of the students in that class or even the Professor; however, I do remember one of the tricks that professor used to spark our interests. While that trick is not in this book it serves to tell you the type things that are in this book. That trick is this. The square of any two digit number ending in 5 will always end in 25. The first digit can be found by multiplying the number by itself and then adding that number to it. For example--25 squared is found by 2 x 2 + 2 = 6 followed by an ending of 25 = 625. Another example is 85 squared = 8 x 8 + 8 ending in 25 = 7225 while 95 squared = 9 x 9 + 9 = 90 with 25 behind it = 9025. While that particular mathematical trick is not in the book, the point is that math presented in the manner of this book and that of my 1974 algebra teacher make learning fun and it will stick with the learner for years to come. I recommend this book to students, parents, teachers and those who enjoy or wish they could enjoy mathematics. Enjoy!
Review: Appropriate for all grade levels! - I bought this book based on a recommendation from a math forum. I noticed many reviewers were mentioning how they bought it for young children and thought it would be appropriate for elementary school kids only. I was pleasantly suprised! There are many rich mathematical ideas that can be taken to any level of depth. These topics could easily be talked about in middle school and high school. I'm using it for middle school summer math camp and we will dig into each topic as a number talk. I think it is accessible for multiple levels of students.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #23,195 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #104 in Mathematics (Books) #553 in Children's Science & Nature Books #1,589 in Children's Literature (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (873) |
| Dimensions  | 6.2 x 0.55 x 9.3 inches |
| Grade level  | 5 - 6 |
| ISBN-10  | 0805062998 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0805062991 |
| Item Weight  | 14.4 ounces |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 264 pages |
| Publication date  | May 1, 2000 |
| Publisher  | Holt Paperbacks |
| Reading age  | 9 - 12 years, from customers |

## Images

![The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61+S-ZOHGvL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Fun Book That Sparks an Interest in Math
*by T***E on June 21, 2011*

The aim of The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure by Hans Magnus Enzensberger with Illustrations by Rotraut Susanne Berner is to make mathematics fun and interesting. The star of the book is a fictional 12-year-old boy named Robert who hates his mathematics class.Robert is visited in his dream for 12 nights, each serving as a chapter to introduce number concepts by The Number Devil, an ingenious mathematical magician who we learn late in the book is named Teplotaxl. The book uses fun easy to remember terms to introduce concepts--for example, Prima Donnas are prime numbers, Hopping is raising a number to a higher power, Hopping backwards is taking the root, while hopping twice is squaring twice. This is not an easy book, but it presents concepts in a thought provoking manner that sparks the interest of those from 12 and above to take the time to learn. Interesting tricks, properties and characteristics of numbers make this worthwhile for the masses. My last Algebra class was in college in 1974. I don't remember most of the concepts. I don't remember the face or name of any of the students in that class or even the Professor; however, I do remember one of the tricks that professor used to spark our interests. While that trick is not in this book it serves to tell you the type things that are in this book. That trick is this. The square of any two digit number ending in 5 will always end in 25. The first digit can be found by multiplying the number by itself and then adding that number to it. For example--25 squared is found by 2 x 2 + 2 = 6 followed by an ending of 25 = 625. Another example is 85 squared = 8 x 8 + 8 ending in 25 = 7225 while 95 squared = 9 x 9 + 9 = 90 with 25 behind it = 9025. While that particular mathematical trick is not in the book, the point is that math presented in the manner of this book and that of my 1974 algebra teacher make learning fun and it will stick with the learner for years to come. I recommend this book to students, parents, teachers and those who enjoy or wish they could enjoy mathematics. Enjoy!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Appropriate for all grade levels!
*by T***N on July 10, 2022*

I bought this book based on a recommendation from a math forum. I noticed many reviewers were mentioning how they bought it for young children and thought it would be appropriate for elementary school kids only. I was pleasantly suprised! There are many rich mathematical ideas that can be taken to any level of depth. These topics could easily be talked about in middle school and high school. I'm using it for middle school summer math camp and we will dig into each topic as a number talk. I think it is accessible for multiple levels of students.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Best book ever for getting kids interested in math
*by W***Y on March 9, 2026*

This remarkable, clever book will interest almost any kid in a subject that school makes surpassingly boring. Highly recommend for families with children ranging from 8 to 14 years. Adults will love it too!

## Frequently Bought Together

- The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure
- The Moscow Puzzles: 359 Mathematical Recreations (Dover Math Games & Puzzles)
- Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott

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*Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom*
*Store origin: GB*
*Last updated: 2026-05-05*