Mathical Prize WinnerHave You Seen My Dragon?Steve Light, illustrated by Steve LightEnter a fascinating, ornately drawn cityscape and help a boy find his dragon while counting objects from hot dogs to traffic lights. In the heart of the city, among the taxis and towers, a small boy travels uptown and down, searching for his friend. Readers will certainly spot the glorious beast, plus an array of big-city icons they can count. Is the dragon taking the crosstown bus, or breathing his fiery breath below a busy street? Maybe he took a taxi to the zoo or is playing with the dogs in the park. Steve Light's masterful pen-and-ink illustrations, decorated with meticulous splashes of color, elevate this counting book (numbers 1–20) to new heights. Maybe the dragon is up there, too!Pre-KindergartenLexile Text Measure AD380LATOS Book Level 1.4View book detailsMathical Book Prize 2015
The 2015 edition includes 1 Mathical Hall of Fame title, 12 Mathical Honor Books, and 4 Mathical Prize Winners. The source uses 6 audience or subject sections, including Pre-Kindergarten, Grades K through 2, Grades 3 through 5, and Grades 6 through 8. It records that year's Mathical Prize, Honor, and Hall of Fame results across the program's grade groups.
2015 Mathical Book Prize Winners and Honor BooksSee the original list
Selections17
Published byMathical Book Prize
Sections6 sections
Browse sections6 sections
Pre-Kindergarten
3 selections
Mathical Prize WinnerHave You Seen My Dragon?Steve Light, illustrated by Steve LightEnter a fascinating, ornately drawn cityscape and help a boy find his dragon while counting objects from hot dogs to traffic lights. In the heart of the city, among the taxis and towers, a small boy travels uptown and down, searching for his friend. Readers will certainly spot the glorious beast, plus an array of big-city icons they can count. Is the dragon taking the crosstown bus, or breathing his fiery breath below a busy street? Maybe he took a taxi to the zoo or is playing with the dogs in the park. Steve Light's masterful pen-and-ink illustrations, decorated with meticulous splashes of color, elevate this counting book (numbers 1–20) to new heights. Maybe the dragon is up there, too!Pre-KindergartenLexile Text Measure AD380LATOS Book Level 1.4View book details
Mathical Honor BookCount the MonkeysMac Barnett, illustrated by Kevin CornellCount the Monkeys is an interactive counting picture book in which the monkeys never actually turn up. Instead, readers count the animals that have frightened the monkeys off the pages, so the book becomes a running joke about counting books. Mac Barnett's text invites the child to take part, turning pages, answering back and guessing what is coming next, while Kevin Cornell's illustrations keep the surprises going to the very last spread. The publisher describes it as a funny, interactive counting book that is perfect for reading together at storytime, and the Mathical Book Prize named it an Honor Book in 2015 for readers aged 2 to 4.Pre-KindergartenLexile Text Measure AD490LATOS Book Level 2.0View book details
Mathical Honor BookOver in a River: Flowing Out to the SeaMarianne Berkes, illustrated by Jill DubinOver in a River is a counting picture book that travels ten North American rivers and the animals living along them, from a mother manatee and her one calf in the St. Johns River to a father river otter and his ten pups in the Mississippi. Written by Marianne Berkes and illustrated by Jill Dubin, it follows the rhythm of the traditional rhyme "Over in the Meadow" so children can sing, count, and act out the movements of herons, salmon, dragonflies, mallards, snakes, beavers, and frogs. Back matter adds facts about riparian habitats and American geography, the song lyrics for "Over in the River," and activity ideas for classrooms and homes. The book belongs to the Our World, Our Home series; it was published in 2013 and named a Mathical Book Prize Honor Book in 2015.Pre-KindergartenLexile Text Measure AD560LATOS Book Level 3.1View book detailsGrades K–2
2 selections
Mathical Prize WinnerOne Big Pair of UnderwearLaura Gehl, illustrated by Tom LichtenheldOne Big Pair of Underwear is a rhyming counting picture book by Laura Gehl, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. Two bears, three yaks, four goats, and six cats all have one thing in common: they hate to share. As the animals squabble over a single big pair of underwear and other prized items, a pack of twenty pigs arrives to prove that sharing makes everything twice as fun. The story pairs simple counting with a comic lesson about generosity, and the pictures come from the illustrator of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site. Beach Lane Books published the hardcover edition on September 9, 2014, and the title was named a 2015 Mathical Book Prize winner for Ages 05-07.Grades K–2Lexile Text Measure AD560LATOS Book Level 1.9View book details
Mathical Honor BookZero the HeroJoan Holub, illustrated by Tom LichtenheldZero the Hero is a picture book about a number who feels worthless. Zero, zip, zilch, nada, that is what the other numbers call him. He adds nothing in addition, he is no use in division, and in multiplication everything he touches disappears with a poof. Convinced that the counting numbers are wrong about him, Zero leaves, and the other numerals have to manage on their own. When they get into trouble with a set of Roman numerals, only Zero's particular talents can rescue them, and he returns to prove that his value is far from nothing. Joan Holub's text and Tom Lichtenheld's comic, speech-balloon-filled illustrations turn a lesson about place value and the properties of zero into a story about friendship and self-worth, and the book is often used for read-alouds and simple reader's theatre in the early grades.Grades K–2Lexile Text Measure 450LATOS Book Level 2.7View book detailsGrades 3–5
6 selections
Mathical Prize WinnerReally Big NumbersRichard Evan Schwartz, illustrated by Richard Evan SchwartzReally Big Numbers is the American Mathematical Society's first book for children, written and illustrated by the mathematician Richard Evan Schwartz. Starting from small, easily observable quantities, the book builds steadily toward genuinely enormous numbers such as a nonillion, a tredecillion, a googol, and values too large to have names, using everyday comparisons, for example the number of basketballs needed to cover New York City, to make their scale concrete. Schwartz mixes elementary ideas with mathematical content that will be new even to many adult readers, and the pages are illustrated throughout with colourful drawings. The AMS published the softcover edition in 2014; it runs 192 pages, and the title was named a 2015 Mathical Book Prize winner, with the publisher recommending it for ages six and up.Grades 3–5View book details
Mathical Honor BookBedtime MathLaura Overdeck, illustrated by Jim PaillotBedtime Math: This Time It's Personal is the second book in Laura Overdeck's Bedtime Math series, illustrated with Jim Paillot's cartoons. It offers more than 100 short, mischief-making math problems on topics that range from pillow forts and sneeze speeds to overfed pets and underwear, and every problem is written at three levels of challenge - Wee ones, Little kids and Big kids - plus a bonus question, so a parent can read one page aloud and give a five-year-old and a ten-year-old each something to solve. The book's mission is to make numbers a fun part of everyday family life rather than a school chore: the math is conversational, funny and tied to things children already notice, and no worksheet or prior knowledge is required.Grades 3–5ATOS Book Level 5.6AR Interest Level LGView book details
Mathical Honor BookBlockhead: The Life of FibonacciJoseph D'Agnese, illustrated by John O’BrienBlockhead: The Life of Fibonacci is a picture-book biography of Leonardo Fibonacci, the medieval Italian mathematician whose name is attached to the number sequence found throughout nature. As a boy in medieval Italy, Leonardo thought about numbers day and night and was teased for daydreaming, so people called him a blockhead. When he grew up and travelled the world, he was inspired by the numerals used in other countries, and he noticed that many things - the petals on a flower, the spiral of a nautilus shell - seem to follow a particular pattern. The book tells how the boy who was once teased became the man who described the Fibonacci sequence, and John O'Brien's textured illustrations hide spirals and sequence numbers for readers to find. It was a 2011 Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year.Grades 3–5ATOS Book Level 3.7AR Interest Level LGView book details
Mathical Honor BookEdgar Allan Poe’s Pie: Math Puzzlers in Classic PoemsJ. Patrick Lewis, illustrated by Michael SlackIs this poetry? Math? A brainteaser? Yes! It's all that and more. The poet J. Patrick Lewis has reimagined classic poems—such as Edgar Allan Poe's “The Raven” and Langston Hughes's “April Rain Song”—and added a dash of math. Between the silly parodies and the wonderfully wacky art, kids will have so much fun figuring out the puzzles, they won't guess they're learning! Answers appear unobtrusively on each page, and engaging information about the original poets is included. Math games and concepts, poetry and poet biographies—it's all so cleverly put together. This funny book is a treat for fans of words and numbers alike.Grades 3–5Lexile Text Measure NPATOS Book Level 5.4View book details
Mathical Honor BookNumbed!David LubarNumbed! is a middle-grade comedy about two boys who lose their mathematical knowledge to a museum robot. When Logan's class takes a trip to a math museum, his mischievous friend Benedict is sure it will be a boring day, until he discovers a robot and its creator in an off-limits area. The robot proves feisty, and soon both boys get zapped; only later do they realise they left the museum without their math skills. To get back the knowledge they need for school, not to mention buying food at the mall or divvying up dinner at home, they have to return and pass a series of math challenges. Author David Lubar uses the premise to show how useful, and even fun, mathematics can be. The publisher lists the book for grades 2 to 5, and the Mathical Book Prize named it an Honor Book in 2015.Grades 3–5Lexile Text Measure 550LATOS Book Level 3.7View book details
Mathical Honor BookThe Rookie BookieL. Jon Wertheim, Tobias J. MoskowitzThe Rookie Bookie is a middle-grade novel about Mitch Sloan, a new seventh-grader in Jonasburg, Indiana, who loves statistics, sports numbers, and making money but cannot find a way to fit in. Drawing on the tips, truths, and stats the authors explored in the adult bestseller Scorecasting, Mitch turns his math and money skills into a school football betting ring - an instant route to popularity that eventually turns sour and costs him the only real friend he has made. To win her back he must use his brainpower for good and help the school football team win, if the players will listen to a former bookie. The novel was written by sportswriter L. Jon Wertheim and economist Tobias J. Moskowitz, published in 2014, and named a Mathical Book Prize Honor Book in 2015.Grades 3–5Lexile Text Measure 680LATOS Book Level 4.6View book detailsGrades 6–8
2 selections
Mathical Honor BookThe Ice Castle: An Adventure in MusicPendred Noyce, illustrated by Joan CharlesThe return to Lexicon begins when thirteen-year-old cousins Ivan and Daphne find their Aunt Adelaide deathly ill. Leaving their aunt to rest, Ivan and Daphne accidentally let their younger cousin, Lila, in on their secret world of Lexicon. Ivan and Daphne must track Lila, who disappears, through the frozen landscape to the Land of Winter where social status and freedom are determined by how well one sings. Fortunately for Lila, her musical talent lands her in the most favorable place. Separated by class now, the cousins face the cold, hunger, poverty, illness, injustice, and the malicious plotting of a power-hungry blind man. Slave, servant, and fine lady, the three cousins must escape their own imprisonment before they reunite, provoke a revolution, and restore spring to the Land of Winter. The book includes discussion questions, challenge activities, and cross-curricular activities.Grades 6–8View book details
Mathical Honor BookMathemagic! Number TricksLynda Colgan, illustrated by Jane KurisuMathemagic! Number Tricks is a hands-on introduction to the mathematics behind classic number magic. Author Lynda Colgan, with illustrations by Jane Kurisu, presents a series of tricks that let young readers outwit friends with quick calculation, pluck secret numbers from someone's mind, and learn the mathematical secrets of the ancients. Step-by-step instructions explain both how each trick is performed and why it works, so readers pick up real mathematical ideas along the way, among them calculation, multiplication, prime factors, the Nine Principle and the binary number system. The book is aimed at roughly grades 5 to 9, ages 10 to 14, and Kirkus Reviews noted that Colgan makes math cool while Kurisu's illustrations emphasise the performance side of mathemagic.Grades 6–8Lexile Text Measure 950LFountas & Pinnell Text Level PView book detailsGrades 9–12
3 selections
Mathical Prize WinnerNearly GoneElle CosimanoNearly Gone is a young adult thriller by Elle Cosimano and the first book in the Nearly Boswell Mysteries. Nearly Boswell is a scholarship contender who lives in a Washington, DC trailer park and keeps her mother's work as an exotic dancer, her obsession with newspaper personal ads, and her strange ability to taste other people's emotions to herself. When a serial killer begins attacking students and leaves cryptic advertisements that only Nearly can decipher, she confides in the new boy at school, a reformed bad boy who is secretly working undercover for the police and who is watching her. Nearly has to put the clues together before the killer reaches her. Kathy Dawson Books published the hardcover in 2014, Speak issued the paperback on May 5, 2015, and the title was named a 2015 Mathical Book Prize winner for Ages 14-18.Grades 9–12ATOS Book Level 5.0AR Interest Level UGView book details
Mathical Honor BookThe UnknownsBenedict CareyThe Unknowns is a middle-grade math mystery set in Adjacent, a trailer park beside the Folsom Energy Plant, where people have begun to vanish and no one seems to care. Eleven-year-olds Lady Di and Tom Jones barely notice the disappearances until their beloved math tutor, Mrs. Clarke, is abducted too. Mrs. Clarke leaves them clues in the form of math equations that lead the two friends and a gang of other misfits all over the trailer park, through hidden tunnels under "Mount Trashmore," and into the Folsom Energy Plant itself, where they uncover the sordid truth about what is really happening there. Benedict Carey's first novel for young readers was published by Amulet Books in 2009 and named a Mathical Book Prize Honor Book in 2015.Grades 9–12Lexile Text Measure 760LFountas & Pinnell Text Level YView book details
Mathical Honor BookWhat Is Relativity?: An Intuitive Introduction to Einstein’s Ideas, and Why They MatterJeffrey BennettWhat Is Relativity? is a short, non-mathematical introduction to Einstein's special and general theories of relativity, written for general readers by astrophysicist Jeffrey Bennett. It opens with an imagined voyage to a black hole and uses that journey to correct common misconceptions, such as the idea that a black hole would suck in the Earth, before working through the central ideas: the speed of light as a cosmic speed limit, time dilation, the curvature of spacetime, and the equivalence of mass and energy expressed in E = mc2. Later chapters apply relativity to black holes and to the expanding universe, and an epilogue considers what the theory says about our place in the cosmos. Bennett stresses that relativity is not "just a theory": every major prediction has been tested to exquisite precision, and its results shape practical technologies such as the Global Positioning System. The book is illustrated and assumes no prior physics or mathematics.Grades 9–12View book detailsHall of Fame
1 selection
