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The Spark in Me

By Miguel Tanco

Year Published: 2024

Tundra Books

Mathical Honor Books Ages 05–07 Award Year: 2025

Are you ready to find the “spark” in you? The author takes the reader on a journey of the character’s deep sense of wonder. These questions and beautiful illustrations inspire the reader’s own sense of awe in the world around them. The author boldly & meticulously moves us through the power of pairing curiosity (yes! Mathematicians ask lots of questions!) and mathematical investigation through physics. – Celina Gonzalez, Mathical Selection Committee

Everyone has their thing. Some people are dreamers. Some people are practical. Some people like to invent things. Our heroine isn’t sure what her thing is. But she knows she has a lot of questions, like could she be faster than her own echo? If she built a giant paper boat, could she sail the sea? And how strong would she need to be to launch another kid into orbit from a teeter-totter? Eventually, she learns that all her questions have to do with one thing: physics!

– Book description from publisher

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The Mathical Book Prize is awarded by the Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute (SLMath), formerly known as MSRI. The award is presented 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). (Learn more about our partner organizations and sponsors.)

The Mathical Book Prize is made possible with support from the Firedoll Foundation and the Guru Krupa Foundation.

NCTE: National Council of Teachers of English
NCTM: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
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Guru Krupa Foundation
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Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute

The Mathical Book Prize is awarded by the Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute (SLMath), formerly known as MSRI. The award is presented 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).

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