The Girl With A Mind For Math: The Story of Raye Montague

Title: The Girl With A Mind For Math: The Story of Raye Montague
Genre: Nonfiction (Biography)
Author: Julia Finley Mosca
Major Awards: None
Age Group: Kindergarten-3rd grade

This is a biography of Raye Montague told in poetic form. Raye was always smart and headstrong, even as a young child. At age seven, her grandfather took her to see a German submarine. Here, she learned that engineers had built this boat, and from then on, she set her sights on becoming an engineer. People laughed at her when she told them her plans. She was such a smart girl, but this was during the time of segregation, so she could not go to the elite schools that the white students could go to. She was determined to reach her goal of becoming an engineer, and became very good at math throughout school. She was crushed when she went to college and was told that African American students could not be engineers. She pursued business instead, and graduated with honors. She was hired to type at a U.S. Navy facility after graduating, but she was not allowed to step foot where the boats were engineered. One day, the President needed a ship built, and fast. Nobody at the facility would be able to do it in time because of all of the time that measuring takes. Raye knew she could do it, and finished in eighteen hours! Everyone was astounded, and at the end, she was made an engineer because of her tremendous work in designing a ship. 

I would like this book in my classroom because of how inspirational it is. It shows students that, even if people doubt and belittle their dreams, they should still keep pursuing them. At the end of the book, it states to "Never give in. Take a chance. Rock the boat. If it sinks, you can swim. When a storm comes your way, hold your course, and don't stress. Never quit, and like Raye, propel straight to success!" I think these words are so important for students to hear because they will go through tough times in life, but they should keep pushing on and persevering. I think this book did a great job of teaching that lesson. 

I think that Kindergarten through third grade would be the best audience for this story. I liked how it was told in poetic form, with rhyming in each stanza. I think that even Kindergarteners would enjoy it because of that aspect. It is long enough for older students to read on their own, but easy enough for the younger students to enjoy, too, because the book is told in poetic form. The words are also easy to sound out! I think the author did a great job of turning a biography into a poem of sorts, making it entertaining for young students. 

In my classroom, we could design our own submarines by placing a can into a tub of water, and predicting whether we think it will float or sink. I could also have the students write about a dream they have, and what they will do to make that dream a reality. We could also discuss ways that Raye showed bravery and persistence in the story, and talk about the importance of never giving up. Finally, I could have my students research another person in history who studied math and write what they learned about that person.