Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers - Softcover

When Aunt Adelaide sends thirteen-year-old cousins Ivan and Daphne on a treasure hunt in the rain, they never expect to stumble into a whole new world – an enchanting land where words and numbers run wild. They are surprised again when the first people they meet beg them to find Lexicon’s missing children, who have wandered off, bewitched by lights in the sky. Trekking between villages in search of clues, the cousins encounter a plague of punctuation, a curious creature, a fog of forgetting, the Mistress of Metaphor, a panel of poets, and the illogical mathematicians of Irrationality. But when a careless Mathemystical reflects them across the border into the ominous Land of Night, their peril deepens. Kidnapped, imprisoned, and mesmerized--with time running out--will Daphne and Ivan find a way to solve the mystery of lights in the sky and restore the lost children of Lexicon to their homes?

2013-2014 Lamplighter List Nominee, Triple Crown Awards

"Noyce’s imaginative, playful use of words and numbers keeps readers engaged throughout the story ... The charming story, along with the focus questions and extension activities at the end of the book, make this an entertaining selection for student-led reading discussions at the upper elementary and intermediate level." Teaching Children Mathematics, September 2012, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (reviewed by Jennifer Geoffroy, D.C. Public Schools, Washington, D.C.)

PSLA YA Fiction Top 40 (or so) 2011 selection
"Filled with sensational vocabulary and literary elements and marvelous mathematics..." - Christine Massey, JW Parker Middle School Librarian, PSLA reviewer

Honorable mention in Children's Literature for the New England Book Festival's Holiday Feature

Award-winning Finalist in the Children's Fiction and Children's Educational categories of The USA "Best Books 2011" Awards

Mom's Choice Awards® 2011 Winner - Gold (Juvenile Books Level 2, Ages 9-12)

Winner of the 2011 IBPA Ben Franklin Award for Interior Design 1-2 Color

Parents' Choice Recommended Award Winner

Independent Publisher Book Award Silver Medal

ForeWord's 2010 Book of the Year Award Honorable Mention - Juvenile Fiction & Finalist - Young Adult Fiction

Award-winning Finalist for Children's Fiction in the 2011 International Book Awards

Indie Next Kid's List Pick Winter 2011

Under the guise of an adventure novel, Lost in Lexicon expertly incorporates educational elements into the storyline to deliver a true learning experience. Just as The Phantom Tollbooth did years ago, this book pushes readers to see the familiar from a new perspective and to open their minds to fresh ideas. Sweet on Books

"...This is an adventure story for the digital generation, and Lost in Lexicon breaks new ground in the adventure genre. This rollicking, often tongue-in-cheek novel will appeal to young readers who need a break from their computer games and long to journey into the woods of learning." ForeWord Reviews

"...An engaging and original narrative is the main strength of this series opener. Math and grammar concepts are nicely integrated. Noyce keeps up the pace by limiting descriptive passages but offers little character introduction. Ivan and Daphne do grow over the course of their quest, finding strength in their ability to tackle subjects that once overwhelmed them and working as a team to solve each mathematical and linguistic puzzle. Well-imagined illustrations help bring the pair to life...Persistent readers will be rewarded with a good adventure, affecting lyrical passages, and thought-provoking questions relevant to our own society." School Library Journal, Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, MI

"The setup to many a great story...A strange and beautiful world of grammatical and mathematical troubles...a good vacation is priceless." Teresa DiFalco, 2011 Parents' Choice, a Recommended Award Winner

"Lost in Lexicon...will make even the most complacent kid temporarily forget the distractions of screen and phone in favor of investigating, calculating, solving, and discovering and adults who read it will be carried along too, by a story that’s plain-spoken and involving." Open Letters Monthly

"Ivan and Daphne never expected a grammar lesson to be quite so...animated. Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers follows the two cousins as they come to the town of Lexicon, a land where language and mathematics take on a very different life...Blending education and entertainment, Lost in Lexicon is a fun read that is very much recommended." Midwest Book Review

"Lost in Lexicon receives high marks for bold, unapologetic, undisguised inclusion of math and language in a fantasy narrative, which is truly unique and fills a niche for educators." Compass Book Ratings (formerly Squeaky Clean Reads)

"It’s a paean to imagination, learning and thinking for oneself it’s advocating all those things that make life truly enjoyable. Lost in Lexicon can show a child many things, in the context of a compelling story built of truly interesting characters on a wild adventure." Linda White, Minneapolis Books Examiner