24 New Books for Ages 2-18 in the Mathical List – for 2024!
Berkeley, CA – February 21, 2024 — The Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute announced today the 2024 winners of the Mathical Book Prize, which recognizes outstanding fiction and nonfiction for youth ages 2-18.
This year’s selections explore the many facets of mathematics in the world around us, from measuring the immeasurable – such as love and friendship – to inspiring biographical tales for young adults and young children alike.
2024 Mathical Award Winners
Preschool children can play hide and seek with a cranky cat avoiding a bath, in Kitty & Cat: Bent Out of Shape, written and illustrated by Mirka Hokkanen (Candlewick Press).
Young readers (Grades K-2) will be wholly immersed in the loving details of Friends Beyond Measure: A Story Told with Infographics, written and illustrated by Lalena Fisher (HarperCollins).
Elementary readers (Grades 3-5) will be swept along by Friend of Numbers: The Life of Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan by Priya Narayanan, with illustrations by Satwik Gade (Eerdmans Publishing/Eerdmans Books for Young Readers).
Middle grade readers (Grades 6-8) may find themselves inspired by the artwork – and the panache – of Talia’s Codebook for Mathletes, written and illustrated by Marissa Moss (Candlewick Press).
Finally, young adults (Grades 9-12) may be riveted by A Quantum Life (Adapted for Young Adults): My Unlikely Journey from the Streets to the Stars by Hakeem Oluseyi and Joshua Horwitz (Random House Children’s Books), tracing the formative years of a brilliant Black physicist.
The Mathical Prize, now in its tenth year, is selected annually by a committee of PreK-12 math and language arts teachers, librarians, mathematicians, early childhood experts, and others.
The following Mathical Honor Books were also announced by the selection committee, co-chaired this year by Katie Hendrickson of Code.org, Chris Nho of Desmos, and Dr. John Urschel of the MIT Mathematics Department.
2024 Mathical Honor Books
PreK:
- ¡1, 2, 3 Salsa! by Delia Cruz, illustrated by Graziela Andrade (Soaring Kite Books)
- The Great Cookie Kerfuffle by Jessica Shaw, illustrated by Pauline Gregory (Amicus Publishing)
- Some of These Are Snails, written and illustrated by Carter Higgins (Chronicle Books)
- Ten Blocks to the Big Wok: A Chinatown Counting Book, written and illustrated by Ying-Hwa Hu (Lee and Low Books)
- Up to My Knees!, written and illustrated by Grace Lin (Charlesbridge Publishing)
Grades K-2:
- 100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Lian Cho (Penguin Young Readers)
- How to Explain Coding to a Grown-Up by Ruth Spiro, illustrated by Teresa Martínez (Charlesbridge Publishing)
- Rafa Counts on Papá, written and illustrated by Joe Cepeda (Little, Brown, and Company)
- We Are Branches by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beth Krommes (HarperCollins)
- You Rule!, written and illustrated by Rilla Alexander (Chronicle Books)
Grades 3-5:
- Jerry Changed the Game!: How Engineer Jerry Lawson Revolutionized Video Games Forever by Don Tate, illustrated by Cherise Harris (Simon and Schuster)
- Nine: A Book of Nonet Poems by Irene Latham, illustrated by Amy Huntington (Charlesbridge Publishing)
- The Brilliant Calculator: How Mathematician Edith Clarke Helped Electrify America by Jan Lower, illustrated by Susan Reagan (Astra Books for Young Readers)
Grades 6-8:
- The Last Tree Town by Beth Hurley (Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers)
- The Probability of Everything by Sarah Everett (HarperCollins)
- Violet and the Pie of Life by Debra L. Green (Holiday House)
Grades 9-12:
- Money Out Loud: All the Financial Stuff No One Taught Us by Berna Anat, with illustrations by Monique Sterling (HarperCollins)
- My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth (Holiday House)
- The Woman All Spies Fear: Code Breaker Elizebeth Smith Friedman and Her Hidden Life by Amy Butler Greenfield (Random House)
The 2024 Mathical Book Prize is awarded by the Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute (SLMath), formerly known as the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI). The prize is awarded in partnership with the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and in coordination with the Children’s Book Council (CBC).
Mathical is made possible through the generous support of the Firedoll Foundation, the Guru Krupa Foundation, and the foresight of individual donors, including Sean Fahey and Robin Luce Fahey. We thank the Simons Foundation for founding support of Mathical.
The Mathical List presently includes 152 titles for PreK through high school readers. Mathical Books donates thousands of books annually to organizations and schools serving low-income families in Oakland, California, and nationwide.
SLMath partners with organizations to distribute Mathical titles and resources nationally to children in need. Partners include the Children’s Book Council, the DREME Network at Stanford University, the Early Math Project, the Guru Krupa Foundation, NCTE, NCTM, the Oakland Unified School District (CA), ParentChild+, School Library Journal, TeachingBooks.net, and selected organizations serving unhoused women and children in the San Francisco Bay Area, West Coast, and Pacific Northwest.
Additional resources for families, educators, and libraries including grade-level flyers, news and reviews, and reading guides can be accessed at mathicalbooks.org.
About SLMath: The Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute (SLMath), formerly known as the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI), is one of the world’s preeminent centers for collaborative research in mathematics. Located in Berkeley, California, the mission of SLMath is to advance mathematical research, foster talent and community, and further the appreciation and understanding of mathematics. SLMath strives to make mathematics accessible and exciting to those outside the field through sponsorship of Numberphile (one of YouTube’s most popular informal mathematics channels, with nearly 4.5 million subscribers), film production for public television (most recently Secrets of the Surface: The Mathematical Vision of Maryam Mirzakhani and Journeys of Black Mathematicians: Forging Resilience), and the Mathical Book Prize. SLMath is supported by the National Science Foundation with additional support from other government agencies, private foundations, corporations, individual donors, and over 100 academic institutions worldwide. www.slmath.org
2024 Mathical Awards Announcement Recording
This recording will be available through May 2024 for viewing, and features live author readings of all winning titles.
2024 Mathical Book List & Flyers
Join us in sharing a love of math-related kids’ books far and wide, or find more Mathical printables to explore.
- Download all Mathical age-level book list flyers, 2015-2024 (PDF), or download a flyer for each age level. Each flyer contains complete book list on page 2.
- Download all 2024 Mathical Prize book covers (.zip file, 5.6 MB, downloads automatically upon click)
- Download Mathical logos
Contact Us: mathical@slmath.org