Seymour Simon - The Impossible Shrinking Machine and Other Cases

Text copyright 2013 by Seymour Simon

Illustrations copyright 2013 by Kevin OMalley

All rights reserved.

Published by Seymour Science LLC.

These stories, which have been substantially updated and expanded for a new audience, are based on the Einstein Anderson book originally published in 1980 by Viking Penguin, New York, under the title Einstein Anderson, Science Sleuth, and republished in 1997 by Morrow Junior Books, New York, under the title The Howling Dog and Other Cases.

Except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and articles, no part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher.

Contact: StarWalk Kids Media,
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Great Neck, NY 11021.

www.StarWalkKids.com

ISBN: 978-1-623346-82-9

An Imprint of StarWalk Kids Media

Contents

It was the best day of the year. At least thats what Einstein Anderson thought.

School had let out in the town of Sparta and today was the beginning of summer vacation. Two months of sleeping late in the morning. Two months of doing what Einstein wanted to do, not what Ms. Sugar, his fifth-grade teacher last year, wanted him to do.

Einstein knew it was the first day of vacation, but his body thought it was time to go to school. Even though his alarm hadnt gone off, hed woken up anyway. He lay awake in bed, with sunlight streaming in under the curtains, then he rolled over to check the time on his phone. It was 7:15 in the morning. Einstein Anderson pushed his head deeper into his pillow. He guessed he would get up in another hour or so. That is, if he felt like getting up.

Einsteins real name was Adam. But nobody called him Adam anymore, not even his parents. Einstein had been interested in science for as long as he could remember. From an early age he had solved science problem after science problem that stumped even his teachers.

At the age of six Einstein explained to Ms. Moore, his kindergarten teacher, how to make a real diving submarine out of a tall jar, a medicine dropper, a rubber band, and a balloon. At the age of seven Einstein showed Ms. Patrick, his first-grade teacher, how to set up a balanced aquarium in the classroom. At the age of eight Einstein built a robot that won first prize at the statewide science fair.

It was Ms. Moore who gave Adam the nickname of Einstein. Soon all his friends called him Einstein. Adam was proud of his nickname. He knew that Albert Einstein was the most famous scientist of the twentieth century, who had discovered many important things about the universe. His equation E=mc2 led to the understanding of atomic energy. Albert Einstein had been a gentle, kind man as well as a genius.

But even Albert Einstein enjoyed his summer vacations.

Twelve-year-old Einstein Anderson closed his eyes and tried to drift off back to sleep. He must have succeeded because the next thing he noticed was the theme song from Star Wars. It was his phone alarm. With a groan he rolled over, put on his glasses, and looked at the screen. It was now 8:15 and he had a text from his friend Paloma.

It read, Check out Stanleys blog!!!

Einstein groaned again. Stanley Roberts was a kid in Einsteins grade who always had a scheme to make money. He saw himself as the next Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg, someone who would use science and technology to become a billionaire. The problem was that Stanley didnt ever bother to learn anything about science. His money-making schemes always turned out to be fakes, one way or another.

Still in his pajamas, Einstein sat down at the small desk in his room and turned on his laptop. In a few seconds he was looking at the blog page for StanTastic Industries, Stanleys made-up tech company.

Technological breakthrough! the page said in blinking letters. Greatest Rollerblades ever! X-treme! New technology makes you fast, fast, fast! Going on sale soonreserve yours now!

Einstein knew that even though it was the first day of vacation, he had work to do. Most kids at school knew enough not to hand over money to Stanley, but he might be able to fool some of the new kids. Picking up his phone he thumbed in a reply to Paloma.

Lets C Stan this AM

Hed have to find out more about this Rollerblade scheme of Stanleys, but first he needed breakfast. He went into the bathroom, washed, and got dressed in T-shirt, sneakers, and his favorite weekend jeans, broken-in and ragged at the knees.

Einstein was an average-size twelve-year-old boy. His light brown eyes were a little nearsighted, and his glasses seemed a bit too big for his face. His eyes sometimes had a faraway look, as if he were thinking about some important problem in science. But Einstein was not always serious. He loved a good joke (or even a bad one) and liked to make puns, the worse the better.

Matt Anderson, Einsteins father, looked surprised when his son walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. He was just finishing breakfast and was about to leave for his office. Einsteins dad was a veterinarian. His little brother Dennis had his face buried in a plate of pancakes.

To what do we owe the honor of your presence so early in the morning, Einstein? asked his father with a smile. I was sure you were going to sleep in on your first day of vacation.

I got a text from Paloma, said Einstein. Stanley has a new plansome kind of extreme Rollerblades.

I guess science never takes a day off, his father said with mock sympathy.

Einstein sniffed the air. Any pancakes left, Mom? he asked hopefully. I just have time for a light breakfast.

Emily Anderson, Einsteins mother, nodded from her spot by the stove and watched with amusement as her son walked over to the refrigerator, poured himself a glassful of orange juice, popped two slices of bread into the toaster, poured himself a full bowl of milk and breakfast cereal, and sat down to eat.

His mom laughed, Well Im glad you have time for a light breakfast. Id hate to see what a heavy one looked like. While pancakes sizzled, Emily Anderson turned to a laptop she had perched on the kitchen counter and typed in a few words. She worked as a writer and editor on the