Event Video: 2021 Mathical Book Prize Announcement & Author Readings

The Mathical Book Prize is awarded to literary fiction and nonfiction titles written for youth ages 2-18. The aim of the prize is to inspire a love of math in the world around us. On February 9, 2021, Mathical book lovers of all ages gathered for this year’s awards announcement online, where all five of our 2021 Mathical Book Prize winning authors read from their lively new works of kids’ literature. Attendees also heard from members of the 2021 Mathical Book Prize selection committee, as well as get a special peek at the NMF Weekly puzzle newsletter with Dr. James Tanton of the Global Math Project. View the video here!

Event Resources

Due to copyrighted content, the recording of this event was available until March 1, 2021.

• Introduction to Mathical by Betsy Bird
• Mathical winners, Grades 9-12 – Announcement by Katie Hendrickson
• Author Reading: Jeannine Atkins, Grasping Mysteries: Girls Who Loved Math
• Mathical winners, Grades 6-8 – Announcement by Mike Shaughnessy
• Author Reading: John Rocco, How We Got to the Moon
• Mathical winners, Grades 3-5 – Announcement by Katie Hendrickson
• Author Reading: Rajani LaRocca, Seven Golden Rings
• Mathical winners, Grades K-2 – Announcement by John Urschel
• Author Reading: Sara Levine, The Animals Would Not Sleep
• Mathical winners, Pre-K – Announcement by Mike Shaughnessy
• Author Reading: Ana Crespo, Lia & Luís: Who Has More?

View the final presentation, highlighting the NMF Weekly Math Puzzles Newsletter, featuring Dr. James Tanton:

2021 National Math Festival: A Look at the NMF Weekly Puzzle Newsletter with Dr. James Tanton.

This event was hosted by David Eisenbud, director of the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) in Berkeley, California, and Elizabeth (Betsy) Bird, co-chair of the 2021 Mathical Selection Committee.

Other Resources

To learn about all 2021 Mathical Award Winner and Honor Books, view the award announcement blog post.

You can download a PDF list of all Mathical winning books from 2015-2021, or flyers for each age level and other resources.

To find out more about the books and authors taking part in this event, you can click the links above to see each book’s detailed information and resources.

The NMF Weekly Math Puzzles Newsletter by Dr. James Tanton is free and for all ages. You can view the archive online or subscribe for weekly updates by email.

You can also register for the free, all-ages online events at the 2021 National Math Festival on April 16-18, 2021. (There’s also one last sneak preview event featuring juggler and performer Rhys Thomas of Science Circus and Brady Haran of YouTube’s Numberphile channel on March 17, 2021 – sign up here!)