Great story. I was born (in Brazil) in 1979 and Malba Tahan was very popular among the kids who liked math and/or puzzles. It is one of these books that leave a

Great story. I was born (in Brazil) in 1979 and Malba Tahan was very popular among the kids who liked math and/or puzzles. It is one of these books that leave a mark on you. I still have fond memories of reading it and trying to solve the puzzles. It is not clear in the OP, but the math in the book is usually presented in the form of puzzles that different characters present to the protagonist. So the reader has time to understand the puzzle and try to solve it before the protagonist begins to explain the solution. I was immensily proud of a particular puzzle I solved before reading the solution. It was fun, engaging and educational in very deep and lasting ways. The deep respect and consideration for a culture so diverse from ours was a huge bonus that just now I begin to understand. Sure, using the arabic world was pure marketing and sure, he paints a world of fantasy, not a historically accurate one, but he could have used it with disrepect and misinformation, but you can tell he cared about the culture. Great book, too sad it doesn't help brazilian math education a bit, as we are one of the worst in the world at it (for decades). He could have being our revolution hero in the field, but sadly he is just an oasis. A very isolated one.