| The Number 32 | Prime Numbers | Odd and Even Numbers | Venn Diagrams |
Hannah, Divided
A novel by Adele Griffin
The story of a 13 year old girl living in rural Pennsylvania in 1934. "Hannah" is not only talented in mathematics but also psychologically unstable, acting upon her mathematical instincts in an obsessive-compulsive manner. In this coming-of-age story written for 9-12 year old children, the focus is on acceptance as the adults and other children learn to appreciate Hannah and her "gift with numbers."
Although thirteen-year-old Hannah Bennett can hardly read, she is nevertheless offered a chance at a scholarship because of her uncanny ability with numbers. Hannah counts everything. Much of the energy of the book comes from her obsessive counting.
Her gift for math means that she does all of the invoicing for the farm, and helps out the younger students in their one-room schoolhouse. Best of all, Hannah enjoys a special relationship with Granddad McNaughton, who shares her passion for counting and calculating. He thinks of her gift as the key to a greater future elsewhere. “You’ll rust here,” he predicts. But Hannah can’t imagine life anywhere else. Then Hannah is offered a rare opportunity for a country girl in 1934: to test for a scholarship to attend a private school in Philadelphia. Over her parents’ objections, Hannah goes. But life in a big city is harder and lonelier than she’d ever imagined. Just when things seem at their worst, Hannah must somehow find the courage to decide what she values most.