SOLVED. YA book. Caterpillars help girl solve unsolved math problem. [s]

[claire]

Hi! Looking for a book I read in the 2010s in elementary/early middle school, likely in the YA genre. The main character is a young girl and her parents are mathematicians/academics. She learns about the Millenium Problems, which are famous unsolved math problems with a reward of $1 if anyone can find a proof for them. She befriends a pair of caterpillars in her backyard and one day they start wriggling around on her hand, spelling out the proof to one of the problems. After writing down as much as she can, she shows the unfinished proof to her parents. She doesn't tell them about the caterpillars and presents it as her own work. Her parents are shocked and urge her to complete the proof. But, she ends up letting the caterpillars go without having them finish the proof.

[Rosa]

"Oscar and Alphonse" by Chris Van Allsburg, in The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: Fourteen Amazing Authors Tell the Tales.

[claire]

Rosa wrote: ""Oscar and Alphonse" by Chris Van Allsburg, in The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: Fourteen Amazing Authors Tell the Tales."

Thank you so much!

[Rosa]

You're very welcome.
For a dollar, I'd do just about anything!