Talk to me about Lial and other options

[happypamama]

So my mom tells me she has Lial from one of my younger siblings, although I don't remember if she said algebra or prealgebra. We've been using Saxon for DD but are open to other options, especially free ones.

 

DD is in sixth grade, and she is a strong math student, although she doesn't really like math. I wouldn't consider it to be intuitive to her, but she does well on Saxon tests and aced the standardized test this spring. Saxon has worked well because it keeps her from looking at a page of the same type of problem, which bores her to tears and which isn't really the way she learns. Saxon's incremental approach works well for her. Saxon also doesn't try to be cute or colorful, and she appreciates that. She likes that Saxon's humor is subtle, like references to literature instead of funny pictures. The step-by-step approach of Saxon works well for her and has taught her organization. It also works well for self-teaching (see my sig for reasons why some ability to self-teach is helpful). She breezed through the early Saxon books and is now in Algebra 1/2 (and complaining that in the first 12 lessons there has been nothing new). Our plan is to do Algebra 1/2 over two years, while supplementing with word problems and such a couple of days a week.

 

So, does this sound like a child who might like Lial? I know nothing about it. What other options might I consider? I didn't care for MEP when I looked at it. People have recommended AoPS, but it didn't sound like a good fit for her. No Singapore; that is what younger brother, who is naturally intuitive at math, uses, and I don't want them in the same program at all.

[MamaSprout]

Is she ready for PreA? If so, the Lial's should be fine. Unless you stay with Saxon, most everything else will be mastery.