7 Ate 9: The Untold Story

by Tara Lazar, Ross MacDonald (Illustrator)

Overview

6 has a problem.

Everyone knows that 7 is always after him. Word on the street is that 7 ate 9. If that's true, 6's days are numbered. Lucky for him, Private I is on the case. But the facts just don't add up.

It's odd.

Will Private I put two and two together and solve the problem . . . or is 6 next in line to be subtracted?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781484717790
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	05/16/2017
Series:	Private I Series , #1
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	175,845
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD530L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Tara Lazar (www.taralazar.com) is the author of The Monstore, I Thought This Was a Bear Book, and Little Red Gliding Hood. She is a member of the Rutgers University Council on Children's Literature. Tara lives in Somerset County, New Jersey, with her husband and two daughters.

Ross MacDonald (ross-macdonald.com) is the author and illustrator of Bad Baby, Henry's Hand, Achoo! Bang!: The Noisy Alphabet, and Another Perfect Day. Ross has created illustrations and humor pieces for periodicals such as Vanity Fair, the New York Times, the New Yorker, Newsweek, Time, Spy, and Rolling Stone. He was born and raised in Canada and now lives in Connecticut.

Editorial Reviews

…an improbable whodunit…Lazar's crisp, well-paced prose, combined with Ross MacDonald's dynamic illustrations, make the story a lot of fun to read, even if you have to backtrack to get your numbers straight. Think of it as a kid-friendly version of The Maltese Falcon, only with larger than life-size numbers, and no cigarette smoke.

The New York Times Book Review - Jon Agee

03/13/2017
Lazar’s (Normal Norman) hardboiled mystery is narrated by Private I, a pink capital letter who wears a striped tie and fedora, and gestures with white-gloved cartoon hands. His client is an agitated green number 6: “Word on the street is that 7 ate 9! And now he’s after me!” “Stay here. I’ll get to the root of this,” says I. “I hope so,” responds 6. “I fear my days are numbered.” MacDonald’s (Henry’s Hand) nostalgic artwork fits the noirish setup to a T (so to speak), and his chunky letters and numbers, created using 19th-century wood type, make for an eye-catching and highly appealing cast. His city streets feature brick storefronts and aerodynamically contoured automobiles, and a slice of pi costs $3.14 at the local diner. The solution to the mystery is pretty clever, the pace is brisk, and the arithmetic jokes approach infinity (“I knew about this 7 fella,” muses I. “He was odd”). Lazar’s numbers game stands up to repeat readalouds, which allow readers to review each groaner of a pun. Ages 3–5. Author’s agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for 7 Ate 9:
Bank Street Best Children's Books of the Year
Crystal Kite Award
Irma S. and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children's Literature
A Junior Library Guild Selection
Redbud Read-Aloud Book Award Masterlist

From the Publisher

★ 05/01/2017
K-Gr 3—Private investigator Al F. Bet relates a recent case history—the mysterious disappearance of Number 9. It all starts with Client Number 6, who comes into the office visibly agitated about Number 7. Has shady 7 committed a horrific crime? Are his own days "numbered"? In search of some leads, the PI heads to Café Uno, and after interviewing a series of suspects and witnesses and having a generous serving of pi, he adds up the evidence in page after page of math-related wordplay. The intrepid investigator ignores all negatives, solving the mystery of the missing number by searching the streets and questioning a collection of verbose cartoon personalities (created digitally with Photoshop, colored pencil, and watercolor) featured prominently on the page. Readers will enjoy finding all of the math references hidden in the text and the art. The dialogue will gain appreciative groans up to the final moment, when Al is ready to resume his letter cases, because "they're A-OK in his book." VERDICT An A-1 purchase for those who love plays on words, mysteries, and humorous tales.—Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX

School Library Journal

2017-02-14
Pun fun reigns over this fast-paced whodunit.Private I of the Al F. Bet agency is at his desk when a frantic 6 races in. 7 is "after me," declares the distressed numeral. Answers Private I: "Well, technically, he's always after you." The detective, narrating his caper noir-style, dons his fedora and follows the numbers. The case is solved when he upends the evidence and proclaims that 6 is really 9. This is followed by very humorous and slightly philosophical analysis of numerical significances. Is being in "seventh heaven" better than having "NINE lives!" or not? Lazar's text is straight out of the classic detective genre, as are MacDonald's illustrations, which are a mix of colored pencil, watercolor, and 19th-century wood type, all composed in Photoshop. The scenes are clearly set in an old-time Manhattan, with the office, streets, and harbor reimagining movie sets straight out of the 1930s and '40s, albeit colorized. The oversized letters and numerals all have very entertaining faces and tiny protruding arms and legs that convey constant movement. The name of the detective agency is an adventure in pronunciation. Is it the English word "alphabet" or the Hebrew words for alphabet: "alef bet"? Counting has never been so mysterious or so much fun. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews

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