Carolyn Fox

Here's another update. Since writing this article, my local library and a neighboring one have been able to order the Murderous Maths series. I'd like to think this article or argument played a role in it.

Yes, many thanks Andrew for pointing to girls comprising 50% of your base users. The terms and images gave me the impression that it's aimed at boys. In fairness, as a librarian/historian I know that publishers deliberately create strong characters, who are often boys, because the theory is that girls can identify with either boys or girls, but that many boys cannot. Many boys will not read a book with a strong female character because they cannot identify with them.

I am thrilled that girls feel comfortable with your website and comprise 50% of your base users. I would really love to hear why you suspect or know the reasons these girls feel so comfortable. I really think it would be very important for many people to hear.

This week I went to see Dr. Howard Gardner (eminent Harvard University profession on education) give a presentation related to this topic. His views on the effectiveness of digital technology with learning are completely different to mine and I'm guessing DIY.org! I do wish I could have told him about it, though I'm not sure if would have changed his views and opinions.