MARYAM'S MAGIC

From Althea Gibson author Megan Reid and rising star artist Aaliya Jaleel comes the first picture book about the trailblazing mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani, the first woman to win the world's most prestigious honor in mathematics.

As a little girl in Tehran, Iran, Maryam Mirzakhani was spellbound by stories. She delighted in visiting the city's crowded bookstores, eyes glued to the page, enraptured by stories about her favorite fierce protagonists. Then, at home, she'd spend hours drawing her own characters on giant rolls of paper that covered her floor.

Maryam's love of reading helped her to love school, too. But she did not like math. It didn't come easily to her, and the numbers felt cold, unrelatable - the very opposite of the bold, adventurous personalities in her novels. But then Maryam unexpectedly discovered a new genre of storytelling: geometry.

In geometry, the shapes had their own set of fascinating personalities, just like some of her favorite characters. Which made every formula or equation just a brilliant story waiting to be told.

With that wisdom, she invented new equations, games, and even new shapes and surfaces, ultimately becoming and the first woman and Iranian winner of the Fields Medal - the highest award in math.


Megan Reid works in books and television. She's lived in seven states and two countries (and gone to twelve schools!), but now she's happy to be based in Brooklyn with her dog, Luna. Meg is also the author of Althea Gibson: The Story of Tennis' Fleet-of-Foot Girl.

Aaliya Jaleel is a freelance illustrator, designer, and visual development artist, currently majoring in Animation at the University of Texas at Dallas. She is also the illustrator of Under My Hijab and Muslim Girls Rise. You can visit her online at www.aaliyamj.com.