{"product_id":"allora-and-the-puzzles-of-archimedes-paperback","title":"Allora and the Puzzles of Archimedes [Paperback]","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eA 197-page black-and-white fantasy novel that teaches friction, levers, pulleys, and number puzzles through the adventures of Allora, a young apprentice to Wizard Leibniz who accidentally turns off friction with a magical 2,000-year-old puzzle called the Ostomachion — and then has to fix the slippery, chaotic mess she's made. Along the way she works with Newton, Archimedes himself, a Fairy Queen, and a band of trolls.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eWritten by Sarah Allen, illustrated in black and white by Marie Delwart. For ages 9–12.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShipping: This is a print-on-demand paperback. Please allow 2–3 weeks for printing and delivery.\u003c\/strong\u003e If you need it sooner, the paperback is also available on Amazon with faster shipping.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat's inside the book\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0678\/8395\/8338\/files\/SAMPLE_Allora_and_the_Puzzles_of_Archimedes.pdf?v=1782319513\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Open the Sample PDF\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRead a Sample\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eFourteen chapters of fantasy adventure (roughly 185 pages) following Allora through a world where the laws of physics have been broken and need to be put back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\"A Note from the Librarian\" sidebars woven throughout, connecting the magic to real physics and math: static and kinetic friction (and the equation f = μN), Newton's Third Law, levers and mechanical advantage, pulleys, and a glimpse of Archimedes' famous cylinder-vs-sphere discovery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eHands-on suggestions embedded in the story: things kids can try with a spinny chair, their palms on a desk, or a real lever.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eThe Ostomachion puzzle as a central plot device. (It's a real ancient puzzle attributed to Archimedes, sometimes called \"the first puzzle,\" and you can download a printable version free from my website to try yourself.)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIncluded with your paperback: bonus digital materials\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eYour purchase also comes with a set of downloadable PDF extras, delivered by a separate digital-download email after you order:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eArchimedes' Puzzle Book (28 pages) — a separate illustrated puzzle book with full answer key, designed to let kids practice what Allora learns:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"[li_\u0026amp;]:mb-0 [li_\u0026amp;]:mt-1 [li_\u0026amp;]:gap-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eLever puzzles — Which Way Will the Lever Tip? · Identify the Effort, Load, and Fulcrum · A Castle Demolition Puzzle\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003ePulley puzzles — tension forces in single and compound pulley systems · \"Would this actually do anything???\" (figuring out which pulley contraptions provide mechanical advantage and which don't)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eA Certificate of Puzzle Mastery at the end for kids who make it through\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eThree additional worksheets (with answer keys), designed as a progression from intuition to calculation to puzzle-solving:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"[li_\u0026amp;]:mb-0 [li_\u0026amp;]:mt-1 [li_\u0026amp;]:gap-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eFriction Explorer — pairs with a free interactive friction simulator on my website. Kids predict, then drag a block around, then experiment with turning static and kinetic friction on and off to see what really happens. Conceptual, no calculations.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eCalculating Friction — works through the friction equation f = μN with characters from the book, including multi-step problems where the normal force changes (a hawk lifting a chair, pushing down on a broom).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eFlower Garden Riddles — integer puzzles based on Archimedes' Cattle of the Sun problem, introducing primes, squares, triangular numbers, and Diophantine equations through trolls, fairies, dwarves, and dragons. Includes the original Greek riddle as a bonus at the back for the very ambitious.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eTo summarize, here's everything you'll get\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"[li_\u0026amp;]:mb-0 [li_\u0026amp;]:mt-1 [li_\u0026amp;]:gap-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eThe paperback novel (197 pages, black-and-white illustrations), shipped to you\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003ePDF of Archimedes' Puzzle Book, with answer key\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003ePDFs of the Friction Explorer, Calculating Friction, and Flower Garden Riddles worksheets, with answer keys\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe digital extras arrive by email after purchase; the paperback arrives in 2–3 weeks\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003ePart of the Fairy Tale Physics series\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eEach book in the series is self-contained, so you can start anywhere. Allora's story stands on its own, though sharp-eyed readers may notice familiar faces (Newton and Leibniz, for instance, both make appearances).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eAbout the author\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eSarah Allen tutored math and physics for twenty years before becoming a full-time fantasy writer. She has a physics degree from the University of Washington (graduated with college and departmental honors) and a master's in Cognition and Learning from Columbia. Her goal is to write the sort of physics books she would have wanted as a kid.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eAges 9–12 · 197-page novel · 28-page puzzle book · 3 worksheets · Black-and-white illustrations\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sarah McCarthy LLC","offers":[{"title":"Perfect Bound","offer_id":43888223977538,"sku":"9798950539015","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0678\/8395\/8338\/files\/Shopify_FTP_Omnibus_and_Allora.png?v=1783378803","url":"https:\/\/shop.mathwithsarah.com\/products\/allora-and-the-puzzles-of-archimedes-paperback","provider":"Math with Sarah","version":"1.0","type":"link"}