***'A book that all children should read' - Matthew Syed***
-> Did you know that a toy spaceship can teach you about inflation?
-> Or that a pooping cow can show you how to invest your pocket money?
-> And that even the greatest detectives have been fooled by fake news and dancing fairies?
The world is often full of bamboozling headlines and numbers that don't add up. But don't panic. Within these pages you will transform into a Truth Detective, hunting down the truth about the world around you.
You will meet heroic truth detectives, such as Florence Nightingale who started a revolution with a pie chart. You will encounter dastardly villains who have tried to trip us up with dodgy data and misinformation. And you will learn how being smart and savvy with numbers, will help you be smart and savvy about everything else in life too.
So grab your detective cap, pick up your magnifying glass and start seeing the world like never before.
A must read for curious kids from presenter of BBC Radio 4's "More or Less", Tim Harford and with wonderful illustrations to enjoy by Ollie Mann.
***LONGLISTED for the SLA's Information Book Awards 2024***
Uncover truth, live smarter and see the world like never before.
Numbers have escaped from maths class and they're everywhere! They are splashed across papers, building on social media, and overheard in everyday conversation - and in an era of fake news, we distrust them. But numbers can help us understand the world around us and - in the right hands -have the power to change things for the better.
In the TRUTH DETECTIVE, Tim Harford takes us on a journey deep into the world of fake news, forgery and dodgy data. We meet heroic truth detectives such as Florence Nightingale, wicked fraudsters and Gulross- the pooping cow that beats professional bankers at their own game. We see dinosaurs facing off double decker buses and ten-pound notes stacked so high the reach the moon.
Along the way, we learn how to think critically, curiously and confidently about what we believe. Because the tricks and tips that we need to think clearly about numbers aren't special mathematical techniques. They're all about having the right attitude, asking the right questions, keeping your cool and not being fooled. And if used wisely, they can help us uncover truth, live smarter and see the world like never before.