Beast Academy, three years in.

My wife is the mathematician in our house — she taught herself calculus; I struggled with pre-algebra. So when we needed a math program, she did the research and picked Beast Academy, through Art of Problem Solving.

The lessons are presented comic-book style. My son actually liked opening it — and three years later, that's still the whole review. A curriculum only works if the kid will open it on a Tuesday without a fight.

Who it's for: kids who like to think through problems, and a parent willing to sit alongside. It's not a hand-the-kid-a-worksheet program — plan to be nearby, especially early on.

Verdict: the backbone of our math for three years. Our son started on it and moved up into AoPS; our daughter's on it now, three practice days a week.