Callie had butterflies in her stomach. She pulled on the ends of her braids. She tapped her foot. The math bee was about to begin.

It was Callie’s turn first. Mrs. Roberts asked her a question. It was addition.

Callie had to do the problem in her head. She was not allowed to use paper and pencil. She was not allowed to use a calculator. Mrs. Roberts called this “mental math.”

Phew! Callie got it right. She moved to the end of the line. When her turn came again, she was feeling calmer. This time her question was subtraction. Right again!

The line was getting shorter. The questions were getting harder. If you missed one, you had to sit down. Soon only Callie and Luke were left.

Callie’s question was another addition problem. It was a hard one. She really wished she could write it down. She tired to picture it in her head. She got it right!

Now it was Luke’s turn. Subtraction. He thought for a long time. But he got it wrong. He had to sit down.

Mrs. Roberts asked Callie the last question. If she got it right she would win. She didn’t want to make a mistake.

Callie took a deep breath. She took her time. She was a winner!