2018 Mathical Book Prize Winners Announced
Inspiring Math Stories for Youth Ages 2-18
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York, NY – Feb. 26, 2018 – The Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) announced the 2018 winners today of the Mathical Book Prize, which recognizes outstanding fiction and literary nonfiction for youth ages 2-18.
The committee chose Award Winners in the three youngest age categories in 2018 (Pre-K, Grades 1-2, Grades 3-5), and made Honor Book selections in all five age categories (also Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12).
“We are trying to engage kids in the power and beauty of mathematics – power in that we want to give them confidence to consider and solve arithmetic, spatial, logical, structural, algebraic problems; beauty in that math can be employed to better understand and appreciate the wonders of nature and also human artistic expression, for example in fine art and music,” said Roger Strauch, MSRI board chair and chair of The Roda Group, a Berkeley venture capital firm.
A committee of PreK-12 teachers, librarians, mathematicians, early childhood experts, and others selects the prize, now in its fourth year, annually. The 2018 Award Winners are:
- For Grades 3-5, A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars by Seth Fishman (HarperCollins Children’s Books).
- For Grades K-2, Sheep Won’t Sleep: Counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s by Judy Cox (Holiday House).
- For PreKindergarten, Baby Goes to Market by Atinuke (Candlewick Press).
The Mathical Book Prize is awarded by the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI), 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).
The Mathical list is intended as a resource for educators, parents, librarians, children, and teens. The full list is published at mathicalbooks.org. Selected winning titles are distributed to children in need in the Bay Area with the support of First Book and the Firedoll Foundation, which also make possible the creation of reading guides for families.
About MSRI
The Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) is one of the world’s preeminent centers for collaborative research in mathematics. Located in Berkeley, California, MSRI’s mission is to advance mathematical research, foster talent, and further the appreciation of mathematics. MSRI strives to make mathematics accessible and exciting to those outside the field through the National Math Festival, sponsorship of Numberphile (YouTube’s most popular informal mathematics channel, with over 2.3 million subscribers), film production for public television including the much-recognized Navajo Math Circles, and the Mathical Book Prize. MSRI has created a national Math Circles movement of small organizations teaching and engaging children in math as a hobby.
Media contact: Kirsten Bohl, Mathical Book Prize Coordinator kbohl@msri.org
