By now, everyone knows that I love living mathematics, and especially mathematics involving living literature. Many people think that the connections between math and literature only make sense for the elementary years, but I’m here to tell you that high school students still benefit from the connection!
This list of living books for middle school math is perfect for making those connections and bringing a little excitement and delight to math time.
You are reading: Middle school math books
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living books for high school math
The Ghost Toll Booth is rich in imagination and character development…not to mention math concepts. ratio, proportion, averages, measurement, estimation, geometry, and more are seamlessly woven throughout the story.
math curse is a fun picture book that can be read in one sitting. Each page offers great opportunities for various mathematical explorations such as problem solving, averages, percentages, volume, sequencing, permutations, and more. kids who aren’t too excited about math might find the book a bit painless.
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sir cumference and the sword in the cone is just one of a series of sir cumference’s math stories. While some of the books are appropriate for elementary school children, many of them cover deeper middle school topics, like finding the volume of cones or the area of circles. I can’t speak highly enough of this series.
sadako and the thousand paper cranes is mostly historical fiction with a geometric twist. It takes place in Japan after the bombing of Hiroshima. prepare your tissues! After drying your tears, have fun with this origami lesson.
Having Frank is somewhat similar to the math curse (above), with a character who is a bit more thoughtful about math. everything he thinks seems to go through a mathematical funnel. it’s especially good at showing the real side of math. Find several suggested activities to go along with the book here.
A Grain of Rice is one of my favorite multicultural stories with a wonderful moral at the end. the book teaches the power of painless duplication. great place values are naturally also covered. we have enjoyed this lesson in the past.
holes was a book that I was initially hesitant to allow my children to read. I had the impression that it solved problems that were too big, but after the preview, I felt very comfortable handing it over to my children. Since then, it has become one of Caleb’s favorite books (and that’s saying a lot, since very few books make it to the “was okay” list). Many math lessons can be drawn from this book, including percentages, ratios, proportions, and more.
a million fish…more or less is a book that I didn’t like the first time I read it. I found the tall tales to be silly and difficult for my children to understand. then i started looking at this book from the perspective of math potential for older kids and the book earned a place in my top 10! Set in Louisiana and using the traditional language of the bayou, the characters’ stories about events tend to grow. here is an article that talks about using estimation with children.
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Gulliver’s Travels is a classic tale about a shipwrecked English surgeon who finds himself held captive by a group of little people, among other adventures at sea. lessons on ratios, proportions, and measurement can be easily linked to the book. Here are some math activity ideas to go with the book.
chasing vermeer is an artistic mystery that covers all sorts of math concepts like patterns, symmetry, shapes, roman numerals and more. there’s even a bit of math history! note that the lord’s name is taken in vain in this book.
Do you have any high school math favorites to share?
You’ll love the other posts in this series of the 10 best posts on living literature. if you’re interested in living math, be sure to also check out my living math that matters series full of practical living math lessons.
learn more about living math
Do you want to learn even more about the possibilities of living mathematics? The loving Living Math book and Living Math video training teaches you what Living Math is and, better yet, how to easily and practically incorporate it into your homeschooling program. there are so many benefits to living math, don’t miss out!
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