Home
Class Policies
Homework Club
Mr. Katz's Schedule
Class & HW Schedule
Math Gizmos
Math Literature
Math Links
Grades

MMS Website

* email Mr. Katz

 

Updated: 11/22/2003

Math Literature

Literature connections reinforce mathematical concepts and strengthen students' understanding and interest. Below are sample titles for class use and student reading assignments. These are not "How To" books but, rather, fiction and non-fiction that incorporate mathematics.

I am familiar with many - but not all - of these (some are on my wish list). Many are available at public libraries, some at MMS library. I have included Amazon.com links for review and/or purchase. Check out reviews for any that seem interesting, or follow links to others beyond this list. Please email me with any additions or changes.

A Gebra Named Al: A Novel by Wendy Isdell
A Grain of Rice by Helena Clare Pittman
The Adventures of Penrose the Mathematical Cat: The Mathematical Cat by Theoni Pappas
Algebra the Easy Way by Douglas Downing
Anno's Journey by Mitsumasa Anno
Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar by Masaichiro Anno
Antarctica: Escape from Disaster by Peter Lerangis
A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe: Mathematical Archetypes of Nature, Art, and Science by Michael S. Schneider
The Book of Numbers by John Horton Conway
Cartoon Guide to Statistics by Larry Gonick
Conned Again, Watson! Cautionary Tales of Logic, Math, and Probability (Sherlock Holmes stories) by Colin Bruce
Counting on Frank by Rod Clement
Curve Ball: Baseball, Statistics, and the Role of Chance in the Game by Jim Albert, Jay Bennett
The Divine Proportion: A Study in Mathematical Beauty by H. E. Huntley
Do You Wanna Bet? : Your Chance to Find Out About Probability by Jean Cushman
The Einstein Paradox (Sherlock Holmes stories) by Colin Bruce
Fantasia Mathematica: Being a Set of Stories, Together With a Group of Oddments and Diversions, All Drawn from the Universe of Mathematics by Clifton, Ed. Fadiman
Fascinating Fibonaccis: Mystery and Magic in Numbers by Trudi H. Garland
Fibonacci Fun: Fascinating Activities With Intriguing Numbers by Trudi Garland
Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott
Fractals, Googols and Other Mathematical Tales by Theoni Pappas
G Is for Googol: A Math Alphabet Book by David Schwartz
The Geometry of Art and Life by Matila Costiescu Ghyka
Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R. Hofstadter
The Golden Ratio: The Story of Phi, the World's Most Astonishing Number by Mario Livio
The Grapes of Math: Mind Stretching Math Riddles by Greg Tang
The Greedy Triangle (Brainy Day Books) by Marilyn Burns
A History of the Circle: Mathematical Reasoning and the Physical Universe by Ernest Zebrowski
How to Lie With Statistics by Darrell Huff
Imaginary Numbers : An Anthology of Marvelous Mathematical Stories, Diversions, Poems, and Musings by William Frucht (Editor)
In Code: A Mathematical Journey by Sarah Flannery
The Investigations Book by John Holding
The Joy of Pi by David Blatner
Kaleidoscopes: Wonders of Wonder by Cozy Baker
The King's Chessboard by David Birch
The Knot Book: An Elementary Introduction to the Mathematical Theory of Knots by Colin C. Adams
The Lady Tasting Tea: How Statistics Revolutionized Science in the Twentieth Century by David Salsburg
Life by the Numbers by Keith Devlin
Life's Other Secret: The New Mathematics of the Living World by Ian Stewart
Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel
The Man Who Counted: A Collection of Mathematical Adventures by Malba Tahan
The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth by Paul Hof
Marvelous Math : A Book of Poems by Lee Hopkins
Math Curse by Jon Scieszka
Math for Humans: Teaching Math Through 7 Intelligences by Mark Wahl
Math Talk by Theoni Pappas
Math Trek : Adventures in the Math Zone by Ivars Peterson
Math Trek 2 : A Mathematical Space Odyssey by Ivars Peterson
Mathematical Mysteries by Calvin C. Clawson
Mathematical Mystery Tour: Higher-Thinking Math Tasks by Mark H. Wahl
The Mathematical Magpie: More Stories, Plus Subjects of Essays, Rhymes, Music, Anecdotes, Epigrams, and Other Prime Oddments and Diversions, ratio by Clifton Fadiman (Editor)
Mathematical Sorcery: Revealing the Secrets of Numbers by Calvin C. Clawson
My Brother Loved Snowflakes: The Story of Wilson Bentley, the Snowflake Man by Mary Bahr Fritts
The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract by Bill James
The New View over Atlantis by John F. Michell
The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero by Robert Kaplan
Numbers: Facts, Figures and Fiction by Richard Phillips
The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure by Hans Magnus Enzensberger
On Beyond a Million: An Amazing Math Journey by David Schwartz
On Growth and Form by D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson, Kroonm Thompson
One Riddle, One Answer by Lauren Thompson
Order in Space by Keith Critchlow
The Parrot's Theorem: A Novel by Denis Guedj
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Pigs Will Be Pigs : Fun with Math and Money by Amy Axelrod
Powers of Ten by Philip Morrison
Prime Obsession by John Derbyshire
The Pyramids: The Mystery, Culture, and Science of Egypt's Great Monuments by Miroslav Verner
Sacred Geometry by Miranda Lundy
Sandy Koufax : A Lefty's Legacy by Jane Leavy
The Self-Made Tapestry: Pattern Formation in Nature by Philip Ball
The Shape of Life by Nancy Burnett, et al
The Shape of the Great Pyramid by Roger Herz-Fischler
Shapes, Space, and Symmetry by Alan Holden
Sideways Arithmetic from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi by Cindy Neuschwander
Sir Cumference and the First Round Table: A Math Adventure by Cindy Neuschwander
Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland: A Math Adventure by Cindy Neuschwander
Solitaire Battleships: 108 Challenging Logic Puzzles by Peter Gordon
Stonehenge by Robin Heath
Stonehenge Complete by Christopher Chippindale
"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character by Edward Hutchings (Editor)
The Toothpaste Millionaire by Jean Merrill
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Why Do Buses Come in Threes? by Rob Eastaway
Wonders of Numbers: Adventures in Mathematics, Mind, and Meaning by Clifford A. Pickover
What Shape is a Snowflake? by Ian Stewart
 
Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1