Codes, ciphers, and computer programs feature in several books on the Mathical List. Explore the titles below and test your wits: learn about historical and fictional programmers and more!
CODE BREAKER, SPY HUNTER: HOW ELIZEBETH FRIEDMAN CHANGED THE COURSE OF TWO WORLD WARS by Laurie Wallmark
She started out deciphering codes in Shakespeare’s plays…then with her husband, founded the CIA’s first code-breaking unit for wartime applications. You can see a one-hour film on PBS American Experience here. (Ages 8-10)
HIDDEN WOMEN: THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN MATHEMATICIANS OF NASA WHO HELPED AMERICA WIN THE SPACE RACE by Rebecca Rissman
Loved the movie Hidden Figures? Then you’ll love this apt retelling of the human computers of NASA for young readers. Beautifully produced, the book invites readers of all backgrounds to learn, explore, and grow in their understanding of this key chapter in US history. (Ages 8-10)
CAN YOU CRACK THE CODE? A FASCINATING HISTORY OF CIPHERS AND CRYPTOGRAPHY by Ella Schwartz
This nonfiction tale includes sidebar activities to stretch your code-cracking skills! (Ages 11-13)
SHINE ON, LUZ VÉLIZ! By Rebecca Balcárcel
When middle schooler Luz is sidelined by a sports injury and can no longer play soccer, she turns to her next-door neighbor, Mr. Mac, from whom she learns coding… but will she be in time for the coding showcase – and will her project be savvy enough to meet her own need to excel? (Ages 11-13)
HIDDEN FIGURES: THE AMERICAN DREAM AND THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE BLACK WOMEN MATHEMATICIANS WHO HELPED WIN THE SPACE RACE by Margot Lee Shetterly
If you enjoyed the movie Hidden Figures, you will find much to love in the book that originally shared this story with the world. (Ages 14-18)
What if there were a secret online community with a multiplayer role-playing card game just for members of the African diaspora? What if one of its developers was 17-year-old Kiera Johnson? (ages 14-18)
Want to learn more about African American mathematician Katherine Johnson, featured in the book and movie Hidden Figures?
Check out these youth biographies for different age levels:
- COUNTING THE STARS: THE STORY OF KATHERINE JOHNSON, NASA MATHEMATICIAN by Lesa Cline-Ransome (Ages 5-7)
- COUNTING ON KATHERINE: HOW KATHERINE JOHNSON SAVED APOLLO 13 by Helaine Becker (Ages 5-7)
- DK LIFE STORIES: KATHERINE JOHNSON by Ebony Joy Wilkins (Ages 8-10)