You’ll be amazed at how much fun math can be, when it’s refracted through the lens of space travel, tech development, historical fiction, and science fiction. Enjoy!
A HUNDRED BILLION TRILLION STARS by Seth Fishman
Can you imagine how many stars there are in space? Now you can, and feel at the same time unique as one human being…taking it all in. (Ages 8-10)
A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeleine L’Engle
This classic spans generations in its appeal to time travelers, and explorers of all kinds. Tesseracts, anyone? (ages 8-10, 11-13)
IN THE RED by Christopher Sweidler
What if you were growing up on Mars, and your best friend snuck out with you one night…only to find yourselves stranded, with only math to lead the way home? (Ages 11-13)
HOW WE GOT TO THE MOON by John Rocco
This beautifully illustrated coffee table style book vividly traces the events leading up to US astronauts’ moon landing. (Ages 11-13)
TO THE MOON! by Jeffrey Kluger and Ruby Shamir
This page-turning narrative brings alive the experiences of the crew of Apollo 13, the first crewed spaceship to reach the Moon. (Ages 11-13)
FOLDING TECH by Karen Latchana Kenney
Truth is stranger than fiction in many real-life stories of how origami – the art of paper folding – has paved the way for advances in science & technology. (Ages 11-13, 14-18)
WHAT IS RELATIVITY? by Jeffrey Bennett
Looking for a way to understand our world – without getting lost in the math? This book introduces Einstein’s ideas in a way high schoolers can celebrate. (Ages 14-18)
SLAY by Brittney Morris
This debut novel brings together Black culture, game design, the cusp between high school and college, and what happens when communities come together, with unexpected results. (Ages 14-18)
BINTI by Nnedi Okorafor
Binti is a young woman setting out to represent and break free of her culture in a galaxy-wide high school. Math is how she experiences the flow of thought in the world. (Ages 14-18)
Recent years have seen many books by and about NASA ‘computer’ Katherine Johnson. Here are some that have made the Mathical List. They stand out for their inspiring presentations of math in the world around us. We hope you appreciate them as much as we do!
Biographies of Katherine Johnson and Hidden Figures:
COUNTING THE STARS by Lesa Cline-Ransome (Ages 5-7)
COUNTING ON KATHERINE by Helaine Becker (Ages 5-7)
DK LIFE STORIES: KATHERINE JOHNSON by Ebony Joy Wilkins (Ages 8-10)
HIDDEN WOMEN by Rebecca Rissman (Ages 8-10)
HIDDEN FIGURES by Margot Lee Shetterly (Ages 14-18+)