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STEM Tuesday– Math– Book List

By on May 5, 2026   /   Math, STEM Tuesday   /   Leave a comment

Mathematical tips and strategies, logic puzzles, infographic how-to information, inspirational mathematicians, mathematical reasoning and even animals with amazing math skills are waiting in the pages of books below:

Cover of the book Adventures in Math: How to Level Up Your Math Game

Adventures in Math: How to Level Up Your Math Game, by Carleigh Wu and illustrated by Sean Simpson encourages readers to change their mathematical mindsets. It debunks common misconceptions about math, provides tips and strategies, and reinforces that we can learn to think like mathematicians – belief and effort are what it takes. The book shares this message “Believe in yourself. Work hard. Make mistakes. Keep going. Ask for help. Work with others. Because it all adds up.” This 2026 Mathical Honor Book is a fantastic read and conversation starter and belongs in every upper elementary and middle grade classroom.

Cover of the book Calculating Chimpanzees, Brainy Bees, and Other Animals with Mind-Blowing Mathematical Abilities

People are not the only mathematical beings. Calculating Chimpanzees, Brainy Bees, and Other Animals with Mind-Blowing Mathematical Abilities by Stephanie Gibeault and illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett explores the amazing mathematical abilities of five different types of animals: guppies, hyenas, African grey parrots, chimpanzees, and honeybees. This 2025 Mathical Honor Book provides a window into how scientists study animal behavior and number skills. Readers are sure to be fascinated that fish can distinguish between large and small quantities; African grey parrots can represent numbers with symbols; chimpanzees can add; honeybees understand the concept of zero; and hyenas count.

Cover of the Book Hidden Women: The African-American Mathematicians of NASA Who Helped America Win the Space Race

Hidden Women: The African-American Mathematicians of NASA Who Helped America Win the Space Race, written by Rebecca Rissman, introduces readers to the African American women whose mathematical abilities were critical to the success of NASA’s early space missions. The 2019 Mathical Honor Book highlights their contributions, resilience, and the barriers they faced.

Cover of the book How to Survive Middle School Math: A Do-It-Yourself Study Guide

How to Survive Middle School Math: A Do-It-Yourself Study Guide by Concetta Ortiz and Matt Fazio, focuses on what students need to know to thrive in the middle school math classroom. Part of the series currently of five books, How to Survive Middle School, this math book can also be used as a homeschooling resource. The book is colorful, divided into manageable sections, and is an important middle school companion.

Cover of the book Do the Math!: Challenging, Fun Math Puzzles for Kids

Do the Math!: Challenging, Fun Math Puzzles for Kids, by Steven and Jessica Clontz, provides a plethora of puzzles for the reader to complete while working on core math skills. Through clear instructions and a variety of activities, the reader develops logical thinking skills while solving different types of puzzles one chapter at a time.

Cover of the Logic Workbook for Gritty Kids

Choose different levels of fun puzzles and games to develop spatial reasoning, math skills, and focus in the Logic Workbook for Gritty Kids series. In each book, the puzzles grow in level of difficulty to ensure motivation. The Hardest Logic Workbook for Gritty Kids: Spatial Reasoning, Math Puzzles, Word Games, Logic Problems, Focus Activities, Two-Player Games, by Dan Allbaugh and Anil Yap was published in 2024. Other books in this collection include the Logic Workbook for Gritty Kids, Another Logic Workbook for Gritty Kids, and Brainteasers and Riddles for Gritty Kids.

Cover of the book Perfectly Logical!: Challenging Fun Brain Teasers and Logic Puzzles for Smart Kids

Another book of logic puzzles, Perfectly Logical!: Challenging Fun Brain Teasers and Logic Puzzles for Smart Kids was written by Jenn Larson, a school teacher for over 20 years.  The games focus on developing skills such as abstract reasoning and processing speed.

Cover of the book Show and Tell! Great Graphs and Smart Charts: An Introduction to Infographics

Show and Tell! Great Graphs and Smart Charts: An Introduction to Infographics written by Stuart J. Murphy and illustrated by Teresa Bellón is an excellent introductory guide that shows how information can be collected and displayed using eye-catching, easy to interpret, line graphs, bar graphs, pictographs, and pie charts. It’s perfect for children interested in surveys, organizing and interpreting data, and visually representing their findings for others.

Cover of the Book of Math by Anna Weltman

The Book of Math by Anna Weltman, 2021 delves into many interesting and perplexing mathematical questions. It looks at the math in nature, space, art, sports calculations, construction, and coding. It explores unsolved math problems, too. This 2023 Mathical Honor Book is full of appealing graphics, timelines, charts, puzzles, games and activities.

Cover of The Fallacy Detective: Thirty-Eight Lessons on How to Recognize Bad Reasoning

 
The Fallacy Detective: Thirty-Eight Lessons on How to Recognize Bad Reasoning by Nathaniel Bluedorn and Hans Bluedorn is a bestselling book about logic and fallacy. Illustrated by Rob Corley and Tim Hodge, the funny cartoons and easy-to-follow writing style keeps the reader engaged. Written for ages 12 and up, children can learn on their own or alongside their adult.

Cover of the book Which One Doesn't Belong?

In Which One Doesn’t Belong? author Christopher Danielson says, “I made this book to spark conversations, thinking, and wonder.” The book accomplishes all these goals. Its colorful pages show collections of four shapes, each of which might correctly answer the question “Which one doesn’t belong?” This 2017 Mathical Award winning book provides opportunities for readers to focus on properties attributes, and on rich geometry-focused conversations. It’s likely to appeal to readers of almost every age.

This month’s STEM Tuesday book list was prepared by:

Picture of Bev Schellenberg and her daughter

Bev Schellenberg is an author (A Prince Among Dragons; A Princess Among Dragons), as well as a writer of creative nonfiction, poetry, and picture books. She’s an advocate of STEM who was a science fair national winner and high school robotics club sponsor, and passionate about young people discovering, following the passion inside them and flourishing. She’s taught grades kindergarten to grade 12 and is currently an academic advisor, careers teacher, and armchair futurist. Learn more about Bev at BevSchellenberg.com.

Picture of Carolyn Pfister and her goats.

Carolyn Pfister is a STEM Content Developer, writer/illustrator, and coordinator of the California Early Math Project. She is interested in encouraging family and community STEM opportunities and maintaining children’s early love and success with math and science. Carolyn writes a monthly Substack on behalf of the California Early Math Project – https://carolynpfister.substack.com/. Learn more about Carolyn at Carolynpfister.com

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“Star” in a Novel Written by a Acclaimed Author

By on May 1, 2026   /   Oh MG News   /   Leave a comment

PEN America Character Naming AuctionWant to protect writers and have a character named after you or someone you love in a book by an author like David Baldacci, Jennifer Egan, or Brigid Kemmerer? You’re in luck.

Place the winning bid in the PEN America Character Naming Auction and not only will you see your name in a future book, along with a signed copy, but you’ll support PEN America’s Author Safety Program, a program designed to protect writers facing harassment, threats, and intimidation both online and in person.

The auction ends on May 15, 2026 @ 5:00 PM ET, so go here to get your bid(s) in now. And learn more about the work PEN America does on behalf of readers and writers around the world.

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May 2026 New Releases!

By on May 1, 2026   /   Book Lists, New Releases   /   Leave a comment

Hey, it’s May! And lots of shiny, new middle grade books are making their way into readers’ hands. Here are a few to check out!

Journey Through the Waterfall (Magic Gems #1) bookcover

Two books in the new Scholastic series: Magic Gems, by Payal Doshi

Journey Through the Waterfall (Magic Gems #1)

Lily the Water Gem helps her family take care of otters who splash around near the lake. When one of the baby otters is injured, Lily rushes to help. It soon becomes clear that the otter needs a special medicine made from flowers that grow beyond a powerful waterfall. The Gem who goes on the mission to collect the flowers must be brave, strong, and fast—because time is running out. Lily volunteers to make the journey. She’ll do anything to save one of her beloved otters!

 

Lost in the Crystal Caves (Magic Gems #2) bookcover

Lost in the Crystal Caves (Magic Gems #2)

Rio, an Earth Gem, is eager to earn his first gemstone in order to do more for his animal neighbors. One afternoon, a fox bounds up to Rio, clearly in distress. Another fox is lost inside the nearby Crystal Caves! Without waiting for his fellow Gems, Rio heads into the caves. Once inside, finding a lost fox proves trickier than Rio thought it would be. He’s worried he might get lost himself!

 

 

Squalo & Mage vs. the Rage of the Bakunawa bookcoverSqualo & Mage vs. the Rage of the Bakunawa

A Graphic Novel by Kara Bodegón-Hikino

After losing her father in an attack by the evil Tikbalang, Mage and her best friend, Squalo, set off an important quest far from home to honor her father’s last wish—find the Bakunawa, the guardian of the sea.

But Mage and Squalo don’t know where to find the Bakunawa. And the evil Tikbalang was only one underling of Ventrolio, the nightmare maker, who is hunting Mage at any cost. Mage and Squalo’s journey takes them all over Mundo, facing monsters and possessed minions of Ventrolio until they hear news of an angry bakunawa that would rather destroy ships and summon storms than help sailors. Why would Mage’s father send them to someone so dangerous? Can Mage and Squalo uncover the truth before the Bakunawa unleashes her wrath and plunges all of Mundo into chaos?

My Name Is Harriet Mansoor (Not Hairy Man Suit!) bookcoverMy Name Is Harriet Mansoor (Not Hairy Man Suit!)

By Haleh Massey (Author) and Rashin Kheiriyeh (Illustrator)

Eleven-year-old Hangameh “Harriet” Mansoor really needs to catch a break. Puberty gifted her a big nose and bushy eyebrows, which make her stick out even more than being the only Iranian girl among all her blonde, blue-eyed classmates. But the sixth-grade camping trip to Camp Cottontail could be the perfect opportunity to turn her middle-school fate around. She’d finally have a little space from her over-protective parents and moody older sister; she’d have some serious fun with her best friend Cathy; and she’d maybe even gather up the courage to talk to her long-time crush, Jeremy.

Unfortunately, a string of terrible luck threatens everything. Her bully, Sarah Gill, starts to date Jeremy and when she catches a glimpse of Harriet’s unshaved legs, she gives Harriet an awful nickname: Hairy Man Suit. But worst of all, her parents announce that money problems might force them to move all the way back to Iran–and soon–sending her far away from her best friend and everything she knows. While Harriet usually tries to blend in as much as possible and keep the peace, she’ll have to speak up and stand up if she wants to solve any of these catastrophes. But can she do it before her family packs up everything to leave the country?

All about Us bookcover

All about Us: 20 True Tales of Courage and Disability

By Hannalora Leavitt (Author) and Stef Wong (Illustrator)

Meet twenty inspiring kids and adults living with disability today. Stefan Daniel is a Paralympian who began competing when he was 16 and won Canada’s first paratriathlon medal in 2016. Zamaan Jivraj, aka The Granola Kid, launched an online granola company and doesn’t let his diagnosis of Down syndrome define him. Stella Bartlett is a teen singer and performer from CBC’s Ukulele U, where she was the only performer on the show with a disability.

From journalists to NASA scientists to TikTok stars and kidpreneurs, young readers will be introduced to people who were born with a disability and others who became disabled because of illness or an accident. All About Us explores the basic categories of disability: intellectual, sensory, physical and invisible. Readers will discover how every disability, whether it’s deafness, blindness or neurodiversity, has its own unique set of adaptations to help manage the tasks of daily life. No two blind people, intellectually challenged people or people who use wheelchairs are the same.

One Ocean bookcoverOne Ocean: 7 Ways to Save the Seas

By Mark Leiren-Young (Author) and Bithi Sutradhar (Illustrator)

About seventy percent of our planet is ocean, and over 250,000 species call it home. But most of the animals that live in it–from the biggest whales to the smallest plankton–are being affected by the climate crisis.

In One Ocean, learn about practical ways to keep the ocean clean, the effects of the climate crisis, how to get political in your community and how small actions can have a big impact. Meet young activists and discover what inspires them, including Ta’Kaiya Blaney, a singer-songwriter and actor from the Tla’amin Nation, and Finlay Pringle, who fought to stop raw sewage from being dumped in the ocean near his home in Scotland. Come away with actionable steps to take because protecting the ocean is up to us. And, since all oceans connect, there is really only one ocean for all.

Song of the Yellow Dragon bookcoverSong of the Yellow Dragon

By Ying Ping Low

There is a secret that every child knows: Magic is real. But by the time children turn thirteen, they forget that magic is anything but make-believe. Mengyao wants to remember. Born in a village nestled in a secluded vale, Mengyao wants to hold on to magic and become a Divine Healer. But with her thirteenth birthday fast approaching, she is losing hope.

Young emperor Kai is on the run from traitorous advisors. He’s searching for the fabled Dragon’s Pulse, a magic capable of defeating his enemies. On the brink of his thirteenth birthday, Kai doesn’t have much longer. So when he meets Mengyao—the girl whose name is mentioned in his legend—he forces aside his instinctual distrust and recruits her to help him on his quest.

On their perilous journey, Kai and Mengyao find aid in unexpected forms like a jade hare, a moon goddess, and a handful of promises. But as enemies close in and time runs out, secrets that will reshape the fate of their kingdom forever come to light.

Wombat Waiting bookcoverWombat Waiting

By Katherine Applegate

Wombat isn’t actually a wombat—but when the homeless dog is discovered, singed and ash-covered after a terrible fire destroys a community, someone tags her with the nickname and it sticks. Wombat is a “destiny dog.” Something inside of her (she nicknames it “Voice’) keeps telling her there’s a special someone out there who is meant to be her person.

Surrounded by a devastated town, Wombat takes up residence on bench near the makeshift community center, an old brick warehouse that, for the most part, survived the flames. A small part of the community center evacuation site has been repurposed for the local wildlife rehab sanctuary that burned down. All of the animals were spared, and the temporary quarters include an elderly fruit bat and a young Northern saw-whet owl.

No matter what, Wombat refuses to move from her perch, despite the efforts of many humans. Clearly the dog is waiting for someone. But for whom? And what are the odds they survived?

The Last Immortals: Dawn of the Axolotl bookcoverThe Last Immortals: Dawn of the Axolotl

By Kit Brooks

There’s danger lurking in the depths of the lake. Ace learns this early–when his twin brother cruelly devours his tail and leaves him for dead. Separated from his family, Ace is cast into a perilous waterway. He is wary of trusting others, but his survival will depend on it as he navigates treacherous algae blooms and hunts for food while he waits for his tail to regenerate. And when he stumbles upon a glowing green axolotl named Ariel, he learns that, with training, axolotls can develop an incredible power: immortality. With high rewards come unspeakable risks, and Ace has been hurt before. But the potential to cheat death might be too hard to resist.

This action-packed adventure explores the strength that develops through adversity as Ace confronts bullying, betrayal, poisoned waters, and vicious predators, all while forming lasting bonds with the courageous axolotls he meets along the way.

 

The Mystery of the Stolen World Cup Trophy bookcoverThe Mystery of the Stolen World Cup Trophy

By Angela Cervantes

Diez Espada—named after the jersey number of his soccer-obsessed father’s favorite player, Lionel Messi—would rather be chasing clues than soccer balls. When the World Cup trophy disappears at a glitzy party in Miami, he’s suddenly at the center of the most thrilling match of his life—a race to find the trophy before it’s gone for good.

Teaming up with his crush, Rio, and the world-famous Detective Enzo, Diez dives headfirst into a one-night whirlwind of secret tunnels and a squad of suspicious suspects: a spoiled son of a Miami tycoon, a famous sportscaster, and even Rio’s two prankster younger brothers.

The clock is ticking, the suspects are slippery, and the stadium lights are ready to shine. Will Diez find the trophy in time for the World Cup championship match?

Listen to the Girls bookcoverListen to the Girls

By Chrystal D. Giles

Calla has always had smart-girl energy. She’s Josiah the track star’s practical younger sister. Charlee and Jacoby’s problem-solving best friend. Attorney Dionne Howard’s model daughter. So it’s nice when someone seems to see her for her, outside of all that. But what if that person is a grown-up who maybe isn’t as trustworthy as Calla thought? Calla’s mom likes to say “Always do what you know is right.” But what if you don’t know what the right thing is?

These are the questions Calla faces on the last day of seventh grade, when she finds out that her favorite teacher has been accused of inappropriate conduct at his old school. Calla doesn’t know what really happened. She does know that people are saying mean things about the girls who have spoken out—and that can’t be right . . . can it? Inspired by her favorite newsblogger, EboniNews (whose motto is Amplify. Connect. Truth. ACT.), Calla has an idea. Can she find a way to ACT?

Diamond Fever! bookcoverDiamond Fever! A True Crime Story in the Wild West

By Steve Sheinkin

Late one night two travel-weary miners, Philip Arnold and John Slack, show up at a businessman’s office in San Francisco. The miners seem nervous. They’ve got something that needs to be locked in a safe overnight. What is it? Well, that really has to stay secret, but it’s… DIAMONDS! And lots of them. Had these two miners just discovered America’s first diamond mine? Well, this is the Gold Rush era after all. Plenty of people are striking it rich. Anything is possible.

When word of the find hits the streets, diamond fever sweeps the country. Wealthy investors are desperate to elbow Arnold and Slack aside and seize control—but can they persuade the miners to reveal the location of their bonanza? At the same time, thousands of prospectors fan out across the mountains and deserts of the West—will one of them find the site before greedy bankers grab everything for themselves?

 

The Second Life of Snap bookcoverThe Second Life of Snap

By Erin Entrada Kelly

Bright Valley Subsidized Camp #5 is not a perfect place to live. It’s dusty, there are no trees to provide respite from the beating sun, the trailers are falling apart, and the water supply is heavily rationed. But to twelve-year-old Zuzu Santos and her three best friends, Bright Valley is home.

When Zuzu’s dad loses his job at Lockwood, the corporation that controls everything from rations to education, he isn’t given money or food or water as severance, but a dated, first-generation robot. They do not provide a working charging station. Zuzu names the robot Snap, and he soon becomes part of the Bright Valley family. But Snap’s battery is dwindling every day, and though Snap is prepared for his inevitable reset, Zuzu isn’t. She would do whatever it takes to keep Snap alive. The problem is, Snap would do the same for Zuzu and her friends, no matter the cost.

 

Karen Latchana Kenney is a children’s author and editor who loves creating all kinds of STEM books and classroom content. Find her at https://www.karenlatchanakenney.com/.

 

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