"Petya," she whispered, leaning toward her neighbor. "Do you have the answer?"
Masha sighed. She didn’t want jelly for a brain, but she also didn't want to spend her entire afternoon trapped in a world of locomotives and long division. "Petya," she whispered, leaning toward her neighbor
The classroom was unusually quiet for a Tuesday morning, save for the rhythmic thump-thump of Masha’s sneaker against her desk leg. On her desk lay the formidable "Mathematics, 4th Grade" textbook by Moro, Part 1. The classroom was unusually quiet for a Tuesday
Masha stared at Problem No. 14 on page 42. It was a multi-step monster involving three trains, two stations, and a very confusing amount of coal. 14 on page 42
Petya didn’t look up from his notebook. He was scribbling furiously, his glasses sliding down his nose. "I’m not using a reshebnik (solution book), Masha. My mom says the brain is like a muscle—if you don't use it, it turns into jelly."