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Reading Maths

Maths hiding in reading: bookshop budgets

Choose books within a budget and work out change.

Quick answer

You can use maths to choose books within your budget and work out how much change you’ll get back.

Learning outcome

By the end of this page, you will be able to choose books from a shop and work out how much money you have left after buying them. Success signs:
  • You can add up the prices of books to see how much you spend.
  • You can subtract the total from your budget to find your change.
  • You can compare prices to see which books you can afford.
  • You can use a shopping list to plan your book buying.

Why this matters

Maths is all around us, even when you're just reading books! When you go to a bookshop, you need to use maths to decide which books you can buy and how much money you’ll have left over. This helps you plan your shopping, save your pocket money, and make smart choices. Whether you're buying one book or many, you're using addition and subtraction to make sure you don’t spend more than you have. This skill is useful not just for reading, but for shopping, saving, and planning. It helps you become a smart shopper and a confident problem solver.

How it works

Let’s break it down into simple steps: 1. Look at the prices of the books you want. 2. Add up the prices to find the total cost. 3. Subtract the total from your budget to see how much change you’ll get. 4. Check if you can afford all the books you want. You can use your fingers, a number line, or a calculator to help you add and subtract. If you're buying more than one book, you're adding up the prices — that's addition. If you're working out how much money you have left, that's subtraction.

Examples you can see

Let’s imagine you have £10 to spend at a bookshop. Here are some books you might want to buy:
Book Price (£)
Story of the Dragon 3
Secrets of the Forest 4
Adventures in Space 2
Step 1: Add up the prices. 3 + 4 + 2 = 9 Step 2: Subtract the total from your budget. 10 – 9 = 1 You’ll have £1 left over after buying all three books. Now, let’s try another example. You want to buy two books: one costs £5 and the other costs £3. 5 + 3 = 8 If you have £10, you’ll get: 10 – 8 = 2 You’ll have £2 left over. Let’s think about a real-world example. Imagine you’re at a bookshop with your parent. You have £15 to spend. You see a book that costs £7 and another that costs £4. How much will you spend? What will your change be? 7 + 4 = 11 15 – 11 = 4 You’ll spend £11 and get £4 back.

Try it as a mini adventure

Adventure: Bookshop Budget Challenge You are on a mission to buy books for your school library. You have £20 to spend. Here are the books you can choose from:
Book Title Price (£)
Fun with Numbers 5
My Pet Rabbit 3
Space Explorers 6
Magical Forests 4
My First Science 2
Task: Choose any 3 books you can afford with your £20 budget. Add up the prices and see how much change you’ll get. Example: Choose: - Fun with Numbers (£5) - My Pet Rabbit (£3) - Space Explorers (£6) Total: 5 + 3 + 6 = 14 Change: 20 – 14 = 6 You’ll have £6 left over. Can you find a different combination of 3 books that you can afford? Try to see if you can spend all £20 or save some money.

Common mistakes

  • Mistake: Adding the prices wrong.
    Why it happens: Sometimes children count the numbers wrong or add the same number twice.
    Fix: Use your fingers or draw pictures to help you count the prices. You can also use a calculator to double-check your addition.
  • Mistake: Forgetting to subtract to find change.
    Why it happens: It’s easy to get excited about buying books and forget to work out how much money is left.
    Fix: Always remember to subtract the total from your budget to find the change.
  • Mistake: Thinking you can buy more books than you can afford.
    Why it happens: Sometimes children want to buy everything they see and don’t check their budget.
    Fix: Add up the prices first and then see if they’re under your budget. If not, choose fewer books or cheaper ones.

Parent and carer guide

Parents and carers can help by:
  • Choosing a real bookshop or online store to practice with.
  • Letting the child choose a budget, such as £10 or £20, and then picking books.
  • Encouraging the child to write down the prices and add them up.
  • Using real money or play money to make the activity more fun.
  • Asking questions like, "How much will it cost to buy these books?" or "How much change will you get?"
  • Letting the child help plan a shopping list before going to the bookshop.
It’s okay if the child makes mistakes — that’s how they learn. Keep the activity fun and positive, and focus on the process, not just the answer.

Practice questions

  1. You have £12 to spend. You buy a book for £5 and another for £3. How much money do you have left?
  2. You have £15. You want to buy a book for £4, a book for £6, and a book for £2. Do you have enough money? How much change will you get?
  3. You have £8. You buy a book for £3 and another for £4. How much change will you get?
  4. You want to buy 3 books. They cost £2, £5, and £3. How much will they cost in total?
  5. You have £20. You buy a book for £8 and another for £7. How much money do you have left?
Answers:
  1. 12 – (5 + 3) = 12 – 8 = 4. You have £4 left.
  2. 4 + 6 + 2 = 12. 15 – 12 = 3. Yes, you have enough money. You get £3 change.
  3. 3 + 4 = 7. 8 – 7 = 1. You get £1 change.
  4. 2 + 5 + 3 = 10. The books cost £10 in total.
  5. 8 + 7 = 15. 20 – 15 = 5. You have £5 left.

FAQ

How can I practice bookshop budgets at home?

You can use a toy bookshop with play money, or look at real book prices online and add them up. Try to stay within a budget you set for yourself.

Why do I need to know how to add and subtract prices?

Knowing how to add and subtract helps you make smart choices when you shop, so you don’t spend more than you can afford.

What if I can’t afford all the books I want?

That’s okay! You can choose fewer books or pick cheaper ones. It’s about planning and making choices.

Can I use a calculator to help with book prices?

Yes! A calculator can help you check your addition and subtraction. But it’s also good to practice doing it in your head or with paper.

How can I make this activity more fun?

Try making up a story about your shopping trip, or use your own pocket money to make it real. You can also draw or colour the books you choose!