Power Up Your Brain: My Mathematical Christmas Adventures

By Anton J Kryka

This story is told by a young girl named Annie.

Annie is homeschooled, but she gets a day off when her parents and grandparents throw her a surprise birthday party. Then her grandmother is put in jail for a very silly crime.

Annie comes to her grandmother's aid as an acting judge. Annie and Ike, the toad who is her best frien

• Language: English
• Publisher: Anton J. Kryka Sr.
• Release date: Sep 27, 2015
• ISBN: 9781941696064

Anton J Kryka

A. J. Kryka dreamt of being an author since high school, many years ago. After being laid off from his job of 37 years, it was time to take that step. He was born in Wisconsin. He earned a BS degree in mathematics from the UW-Stevens Point. He moved to Michigan after college. For most of his career, he was a computer programmer. His early interests were science, reading science fiction, and playing the guitar. Later in life, his world revolved around his wife, his four boys, and his job. His books are youthful fantasy adventures filled with suspense and humor. They also emphasize the strength of the family and the power of education. Everyone from grandparents to grandchildren can read and enjoy his books.

Book preview

EBookCover

Annie's Travel Adventures Book 3:

Power Up

Your Brain

or

My Mathematical

Christmas Adventures

A. J. Kryka

© Copyright 2015 A. J. Kryka Sr.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-941696-06-4 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-941696-07-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-941696-08-8 (sc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015914787

First Edition 2015-09-19 Published by Anton J. Kryka Sr.

Salem Township, Michigan USA

Books by A. J. Kryka

Annie's Travel Adventures:

1. Turn On Your Ears

     or My Adventures as a Duck

2. Get Your Eyes Open

     or My Photonic Adventures

3. Power Up Your Brain

     or My Mathematical Christmas Adventures

The first chapters of each of these books can be viewed at

www.AJ-KRYKA.com.

Contents

1. History or Camping With Mother

2. Surprise Birthday Party or Friends

3. Taking Notice or Grandmother in Jail

4. Jailhouse News or Courthouse Blues

5. Silly Laws or Ike's Plan

6. Jailbreak or Emergency Exit

Day One: Moon Walk or Judgment Day

  7. Moving Home or Ceiling of the Sky

  8. Relocation Explanation or Daylight Blues

  9. Into the Tunnel or Invisible Door

  10. Old Friends or Less Gravity

  11. Strawberry Patch or Solar Eclipse

  12. Chemistry or Stern Words

  13. Tree Farm or Air Words

  14. A Familiar Place or Shopping

  15. Talking Gravity or Courthouse News

  16. Courthouse Hostage or Acting the Part

  17. New Evidence or Moon Witness

  18. Cross Examination or Jump

  19. Crash Landing or Jump Again

Day Two: The Dark Side of the Moon or Lunatic Tock Time

  20. Bumpy Flight or Hard Landing

  21. New Colony or Old Liar

  22. Turkey Rescue or Forgotten Code

  23. Killing Time or Tenure Torture

  24. Age Old Lecture or Questions

  25. By The Numbers or Equation Remembered

  26. First Request or Last Request

  27. Under Attack or Self-Defense

  28. Jail Break Again or Last Battle

Day Three: The Bright Side of the Moon or Hot Rod Racing

  29. Surprise Packages or Special Delivery

  30. Home in the Dome or Telephone Call

  31. Waking Up or Disarming

  32. The Shocking Truth or Baptism

  33. Abducted or Freedom

  34. A New Trial or Off to the Race

  35. A Million Fans or Two Places At Once

  36. Size Matters or Start Your Engines

  37. Un-Stock Car or Road Equations

  38. Just Getting Started or Shifting Gears

  39. Mistakes and Learning or Surprise Arrivals

  40. The Road Less Traveled or Santa's Helper

Day Four: Christmas Day or Special Delivery

  41. Christmas Morning Blues or Birth Announcement

  42. Full Circle or Very Special Delivery

  43. Birthday Party or The Perfect Present

Chapter 1

History

or

Camping With Mother

My name is Annette, but everyone calls me Annie.

Most of my life was spent with my grandfather. I learned thousands of things from him. Someday I hope to be as smart as he is.

I have been on two big adventures. Grandfather has been a part of those adventures, but I have a feeling that he had many adventures of his own before I was born.

Just before my first adventure, I met Ike in Grandfather's garden. Ike is Grandfather's guardian angel. He is also a number-one champion flycatcher and bug eater. Ike is a toad.

Ike became my guardian angel too.

When Grandfather went away on a sailing ship one night, Ike and I followed him. We both wanted to help him. That turned into a big adventure. Eventually, we did help my grandfather—and found my grandmother. Then we all came home together. It's good to have a grandfather and a grandmother.

For a few months, I spent my days with Grandfather and Grandmother. Grandmother knows a lot of things too. You can count on her to solve math problems in her head and cook a very tasty meal. I'm not as smart, and I'm not as skilled as they are, but I sure try to learn everything I can.

When Grandmother went away on a railroad train, Ike and I secretly joined her on the trip. That turned into my second big adventure. Travel can also be very educational. Anyway, on that trip, we found my mother and brought her home.

A month after that adventure, I spent two weeks with Mother. Mother and Grandmother called it a school vacation. I think Mother needed the vacation more than I did. Father wanted to come along, but he was busier than ever with his job.

Anyway, Mother and I went on a hiking and camping trip in Alaska. Alaska is a wonderfully wild wide-open place. It was going to be a mother-daughter only get-away.

When I unrolled my sleeping bag the first night, I found Ike inside. He wasn't supposed to come along, and Mother wasn't very happy at first.

Ike, what are you doing here? Mother asked.

I am here to protect Annie—and you from evil, Ike stated.

Ike has been at my side ever since we met. He has protected me from many kinds of evil. He saw it as his job to continue doing that.

This was supposed to be a trip for just Annie and me, Mother said.

Don't worry, Ike said, cheerfully. I won't interfere with your trip. I won't be any bother. I'm just here to make sure that you are both safe.

Mother tried to explain that this was a mother-daughter only trip and that that meant no guardian angels, no toads, but no one could stop Ike's passion for protecting his friends. She finally gave in.

Ike was helpful on the trip. On the first day, Mother's flashlight came unhooked from her backpack as we crossed a stream. Ike dove into the stream and found it. Even though the stream was only knee deep, neither Mother nor I would have found it. When Mother and I ran out of things to talk about, Ike would add some bits of wisdom to the conversation. This opened up new areas to discuss.

He was also very good at campfire sing-alongs. Most importantly, he was very good at keeping pesky bugs away from us around the campfire. Mother and I have a lot less mosquito bites because he was along.

The second night of our trip, Mother said, I'm going to have a baby this winter.

Mother, I would love to have a baby sister! I said. I could teach her—

Or him, Mother added.

There are lots of things I can teach her or him, I finished.

This is wonderful! Ike said.

Ike, do you think you can handle being a guardian angel to one more person? I asked. I'm sure my brother or sister will need your help.

If I cannot handle this added responsibility, I will find the perfect guardian angel to help me, Ike stated.

After that trip, Mother and Father spent a lot of time together. I went back to spending lots of time with my grandparents.

I turned eleven years old that summer.

Chapter 2

Surprise Birthday Party

or

Friends

Most of my other birthdays had been spent with just my father and my grandfather. Grandfather would try to bake a cake. Father and Grandfather would excitedly sing happy birthday, but they usually sang in two different keys. For this one, my parents, my grandparents, and Ike had planned a big surprise party.

The morning of my birthday, Mother and Father didn't leave after driving to my grandparent's home. We all went into the backyard. Then Becky and Captain Bart with his crew sailed into Pirate's Cove. Pirate's Cove is what Grandfather calls the end of the pond nearest his house.

We're all taking the train to New Hope for your birthday, Grandmother announced. We've planned a big party in Hopeville. All of your friends will be there.

Oh my, I said as everyone smiled at me.

I hope that this will make up for all your birthdays I missed, Mother said as she gave me a hug.

You didn't need to go to all this trouble, I said.

Trouble is your middle name, Annie, Ike said. Besides, we wanted to do it. We all love you, Annie.

Thank you, thank you all, I said. I think I was blushing.

The train is pulling in, Father said, pointing past Grandfather's garden.

The train stopped. The conductor got out and looked at his pocket watch. All aboard for Annie's birthday party, he called out. We don't want to be late.

We walked around the garden and headed to the train. Of course, the squirrels flew, but they still let me be the first to board the passenger car.

With Mother, Father, Grandmother, Grandfather, Austin, Holly, Becky, Captain Bart, and two hundred flying squirrels, we filled that car.

The train started moving. In a few seconds, we crossed Grandfather's bridge into New Hope. This bridge is the intersection of two four-dimensional spaces. I know this. I know the math. I know I've gone through it before, but this time I was awake. Yet all I saw was a sky blue tunnel for a few seconds. Then we were in New Hope.

The passenger car was very comfortable. The last time I was on this train I was riding in a boxcar with Ike.

We stopped in the tunnel near Dusty's home. Dusty is a dwarf from my second adventure. Dusty and his family live in a cave connected to the train tunnel. Dusty, Debra, Dustbin, Misses Dwight, and Dunstan the Elder got into the second passenger car. Dustbin was old enough to be walking by himself.

Battie waved at me as she flew by my window. Battie was a bat whose wings were so small that she couldn't fly. Ike had given her his flying sash, and now she loved flying. Two other bats flew alongside her. They were her aunt and uncle. They all flew into the second car.

Our next stop was Hopeville. We all got out.

The whole town was throwing the party. There were Happy Birthday signs up everywhere. I was so happy I couldn't stop smiling.

There were so many there to celebrate my birthday that I would have to think very hard to name them all. I'm not going to try to do that. I'm sure I will forget someone. However, I just have to mention a few of them.

Annabel Ant and her sisters rode around on Ike tickling him all day. Ike had gotten a new flying sash from Grandfather. Every now and then, he would take to the air to give them a spinning, twirling thrill ride. They loved it.

Terrie and Tim, two of the turkeys who had traveled with me in my first adventure, had married. They then opened a dance and slingshot shooting school in Hopeville. Of course, Terrie taught dancing. Tim taught the proper use and handling of a slingshot. They also had two children, Tim Junior and Little Terrie.

Freddy—Guardian Frederick Fox from my first adventure, Friendly Freddy Fox from my second adventure—had joined Terrie and Tim in their business. He wasn't any good with a slingshot. He handled class scheduling and turned out to be a pretty good dance teacher too.

Rita and Rick had gotten married and had a son named Rudy. Rita Reindeer had been a prisoner in Freelock City. She became one of my traveling companions in my first adventure after our escape from that city. At the end of the adventure, Grandfather had given her a flying necklace so that she could be one of the flying reindeer from the North. Rick was a flying reindeer from the North who had helped my grandfather in my first adventure. On this trip, Grandfather gave Rudy a flying necklace.

Ryan McDonald and Rachel Gallen had married. Ryan had been captured by the Gray Army in my first adventure. They had put him under a hypnotic spell. Beelinda Bee broke the spell by stinging him. In my second adventure, Ryan drove the stagecoach on the North South Road. Rachel was the oldest daughter on the Gallen's Farm near the end of the South Road. Ryan still drove the stagecoach, but they had a small farm just south of Hopeville.

Henry and Helen were courting. In my first adventure, Henry Horse had been a prisoner in Freelock City along with Rita. He helped us escape from there and became a good traveling companion. Helen had been a prisoner of the Gray Army in Freework City. She helped lead the stampede out of that city. Hadwin and Harwin, Helen's twin brothers, teased Henry about dating their sister, but you could tell that they liked him. Henry, Hadwin, and Harwin had pulled Ryan's stagecoach in my second adventure.

There were pistol and rifle shooting contests, and of course, there were slingshot and spear-throwing contests. The Vohteerians put on an archery contest, and the dwarves held an axe-throwing contest. It was funny to watch a Vohteerian throw a battle-axe, but at least, they always threw the axe in the right direction. The dwarves were very awkward at archery. Their hands usually got tangled up in the bowstring. But it was all in good fun, and everyone enjoyed the contests. I turned out to be pretty good with the bow and arrow.

Valter, one of the leaders of the Vohteerians, gave me a bow and a quiver of arrows as a birthday present. Most of my other presents were small personal items, like the red bandana I got from Millie and Mel. They were two of my teenage monkey traveling companions in my second adventure.

Everyone had plenty to eat, and there was one giant birthday cake. A hundred of my friends sang happy birthday. Some of them were even singing in the same key. Betsy told me to cut the first piece of cake for myself. Then she took over cutting pieces for everybody else. I think Billy Jackson had six pieces before his mother stopped him from having any more. Billy had been taken to the reeducation school with me in my second adventure.

There is one thing I need to add. The battle of Hopeville had been very quick. When the Vohteerians and dwarves had arrived in Hopeville, most of Karab's soldiers gave up without firing a shot. Commander Harman did spend five days inside his tank. He locked himself in and refused to come out. When he came out on the sixth day, he had lost his mind. He didn't even know who he was.

Most of the soldiers returned home to Central City. Corporal Clifford stayed in Hopeville. He got a job working in the store run by Billy's father.

It really was wonderful to see everyone and hear all about them. I couldn't have wished for a better birthday party.

This was an exciting end to a wonderful summer.

Chapter 3

Taking Notice

or

Grandmother in Jail

Have you ever noticed that you don't always notice everything that goes on? You might see something, but it doesn't really hit you. It doesn't really register in your brain.

Well, Grandfather has always grown a beard in the fall. I knew this, but