Mathical Honor Books

2026 Mathical Book Prize Honor Book for Grades 9-12 / Ages 14-18

This dual picture book biography of Galileo Galilei and Antonie van Leeuwenhoek makes you look at their lives in new ways by telling their stories in parallel. Both revolutionized science by making lenses that revealed wonders people had never seen before, Galileo with telescopes, and Antonie with microscopes. Both needed mathematics and precision to perfect …

This is the gripping true story of Lise Meitner, a woman who loved nothing more than doing physics – at a time when women had to fight to be allowed to do science at all. As if that weren’t enough, she had to flee Germany at the start of World War II because she was …

Fall in love with Rose’s story as she navigates the challenging world around her. Her love of homonyms and prime numbers and her dog are contagious. Her love of rules is a precursor to loving math. – Johanna Cinquegrana, Mathical Selection Committee Rose Howard is obsessed with homonyms. She’s thrilled that her own name is …

When middle school student May Li wins a trophy for being the top girl player in a state chess competition, her teammate says she’s only getting the attention because she’s a girl. This starts a friendly bet about who can win the team captain spot for Nationals. And though May starts out confident, pressure builds …

The History of the Computer is full of bite-sized facts about computers. It’s easy to read, comprehensive, yet never overwhelming. The Mathical Committee enjoyed how the book details the changes in technology over time and the impact of these changes on human life. They appreciated that the book includes contributions from many cultures. The committee …

You might suspect that chimpanzees could have some mathematical ability, but what about other animals? Would you believe that so do honeybees, hyenas, parrots, even guppies? Mathical, Biological, Zoological, Sociological, Psychological—this book has it all with five great stories about animals’ mathematical abilities. Interviews with the research scientists provide extra insights into the details of …

Author Candace Fleming brings WWII history to life through the stories of ten young women who served in various crucial roles at Bletchley Park in England’s top-secret code-cracking operations. Many of them utilized their advanced mathematics skills to decode Nazi messages and ciphers. The narrative is supported by explanatory connections that clarify cryptography and encourage …

This delightful book provides surprising examples of Shakespeare’s references in his sonnets and plays to new discoveries in mathematics and science that were occurring at the end of the 16th century. The Hindu-Arabic numeration system was just beginning to replace the use of Roman numerals in England, and Galileo’s telescope had produced evidence to challenge …

This page-turning narrative centers on a teenager—Poppy—with a love of math and science, a drive to find connection, and a curiosity about the mystery of her parents’ history. Poppy’s love of math and its transparency and order is in stark contrast to her parents’ secrecy and their tumultuous lives, and a young romance draws these …

The Mathical Committee loves Six Dots and feels this biographical story told from the perspective of the young inventor Louis Braille, will likely inspire children to recognize their own limitless potential. The committee notes that persistence, spatial reasoning, and tactile diagrams are incorporated in the story. The committee appreciates that the book showcases a real-life …

A picture book introduction to statistics, this book gives kids the basics of gathering and summarizing data and drawing conclusions from it. Illustrated with cartoon situations and helpful charts, each spread explains a concept with examples. The section on graphs includes various types, along with examples of misleading graphs, so they know what to watch …