Book 1 · Activity book for grades 6 to 10

Six squaring missions that make your child the quickest calculator in the room

Squaring Secrets is Book 1 of Math Magic Missions. Every trick starts as a mystery, ends as a game, and comes with the reason it works, so your child remembers it long after the worksheet is done. Fifteen minutes a day, any curriculum, any country.

Buy Book 1 · $4.99 / ₹399 Launch price until 5 Nov 2026
Full price $10 / ₹800
Play Mission 1 free

Instant 32-page PDF download. Print it or use it on a tablet. The online Missions 2–6 are free with the book.

Try one trick right now

85² → cover the 5, take 8 × 9 = 72, write 25 on the end: 7225

Want the full mission? Play Mission 1 free online →

Math Magic Missions Book 1: Squaring Secrets cover with two inside pages

Your child can do the math. So why does it feel so hard?

  • You have watched your child reach for a calculator to work out 25 × 4.
  • You have seen a page of sums finished on Monday and forgotten by Friday.
  • You have heard “I’m just not a math person” and felt your heart sink a little.
  • You know practice matters, yet more worksheets only seem to bring more sighs.

Here is the surprising part. The problem is rarely ability. Most children are handed rules to memorise without ever being shown why the rule works, so each new topic feels like one more thing to forget. When a child discovers a pattern for themselves, it stops being a rule and starts being their trick, and children love showing off their own tricks.

Meet Book 1: Squaring Secrets

Math Magic Missions is a series of printable activity books of mental math tricks. Book 1, Squaring Secrets, turns six squaring tricks into short missions your child can finish in about fifteen minutes each.

Picture a Sunday lunch a few weeks from now. Your child turns to their grandfather and says, “Pick any number near 100 and I’ll square it before you can find your phone.” You watch the grin as the answer comes out first, and you hear the whole table laugh. That is the moment this book is built for, and once you start the first mission, you’ll see it coming sooner than you expect.

Every mission follows the same five steps

Mystery

A few surprising answers. Your child hunts for the pattern first.

Reveal

The trick, step by step, with worked examples.

The secret

Why it really works, shown two ways: with a geometric picture and with simple algebra.

Get your badge

Bronze, Silver and Gold questions. Clear them all to colour the mission badge.

Game

A code to crack, a race to win, or a magic trick for the family.

The six missions in Book 1

MISSION 1

The Big-Five Blaster

Square numbers ending in 5, even three-digit ones like 135² and 995², in your head. Try it free online

MISSION 2

The Fifty Force Field

Square any number from 41 to 59 in two quick steps, then run it backwards as a mind-reading trick.

MISSION 3

The Hundred Hop

Square numbers close to 100, like 96² or 104², in seconds.

MISSION 4

The Square Splitter

Square any two-digit number at all, even the awkward ones like 67².

MISSION 5

The Staircase Jump

Know one square and instantly know the next one up or down, so 31² and 29² come straight from 30².

MISSION 6

The Twin Trick

Multiply twin numbers either side of an easy number, like 48 × 52 or 97 × 103.

Also inside the book

  • A mission tracker with badges to colour
  • “Draw it yourself” grids to prove each trick with a picture
  • A Boss Challenge that tests all six tricks
  • A parents’ guide for helping at home
  • A full answer key for every question and game
  • A Square Master certificate to print

32 pages in all.

Bonus with the book: your order email includes the password to play Missions 2–6 online, with automatic checking of answers and a game that keeps score.

Book 1 of a growing series

Each book covers one family of tricks, so your child finishes something complete in about a week and can pick up the next book when they’re ready.

Available now
BOOK 1

Squaring Secrets

Six missions for squaring numbers near 50, near 100, ending in 5, and everything in between.

Available now
BOOK 2

Multiplication Shortcuts

Nine missions: × 5, × 9, × 11, × 25, halving and doubling, and numbers near 100, so your child multiplies in their head instead of on scrap paper.

See Book 2 →
Coming next
BOOK 3

Division and Divisibility

Quick checks for 3, 4, 8, 9 and 11, plus fraction anchors, so your child spots answers before working them out.

Later books will cover adding and subtracting, percentages and checking, and challenge tricks like square and cube roots.

Peek inside a mission

Mission 3: The Hundred Hop

After learning how to square numbers near 100, your child cracks this code. Each answer matches a letter, and the letters spell out what they’re becoming.

Question99²98²101²95²106²93²
Answer
Letter

The answer is inside the book, along with the trick that makes all six take under a minute.

Is this book right for your child?

It’s for you if

  • Your child is in grades 6 to 10, or is younger and loves numbers.
  • You want math time at home to feel like play, not homework.
  • Your child likes puzzles, codes, races or showing off a clever trick.
  • You want tricks your child understands, not just memorises.
  • Your child is curious about olympiads and needs a friendly starting point.

It’s not for you if

  • You’re looking for a full school syllabus or exam prep course.
  • Your child hasn’t learned times tables yet. Start there first.

Get Book 1: Squaring Secrets today

Six missions of discovery, games and practice that your child will actually ask to do, for less than the cost of a single tuition class.

  • 6 squaring missions, each with mystery, reveal, secret, practice and game
  • Picture proofs and simple algebra showing why every trick works
  • Bronze, Silver and Gold practice for every trick
  • A Boss Challenge and a Square Master certificate
  • Mission tracker, parents’ guide and full answer key
  • 32-page PDF, instant download, print as many copies as your family needs
  • Bonus: the password to play all six missions online, sent in your order email

In India

₹399 ₹800

UPI, cards or netbanking

Outside India

$4.99 $10

International cards, charged in USD

Get Book 1 now

Launch price until 5 Nov 2026. Checkout shows the price in your currency.

Your download link and online missions password arrive as soon as payment goes through. Because this is a digital product, sales are final, but if your file doesn’t arrive or won’t open, send me a message and I’ll sort it out personally.

Questions parents ask

How will I receive the book?

As a PDF, straight after payment. The download link is on your order confirmation page and in your order email. You can print it, or your child can write answers on a tablet with any PDF app.

Can my child play the missions online?

Yes. Mission 1 is free for everyone to play. Your order email includes the password for Missions 2 to 6. Type it once and every mission opens on that device. See all online missions.

Which grades is it for?

It’s written for grades 6 to 10. A grade 6 child can do every trick with the two-digit multiplication they already know, and follow the picture that shows why it works. Older students enjoy the algebra behind each trick, and in grades 9 and 10 the tricks become a handy speed boost for exams and olympiads.

Does it follow a particular curriculum?

No. These are mental math skills that work alongside any school board or country’s syllabus, from CBSE to Common Core to the UK curriculum.

How much time does it take?

About fifteen minutes per mission. One mission a day finishes Book 1 in about a week, and most children go back to replay the games.

Do I need to be good at math to help?

Not at all. Every mission explains the trick in plain steps, and the answer key covers every question and game, so you can learn right alongside your child.

Are there more books in the series?

Yes. Book 2, Multiplication Shortcuts, is out now, with nine missions on multiplying in your head. Book 3 covers division and divisibility, and I’m writing it now. Each book stands on its own, so your child can start with whichever one fits. Get new books by email to hear the moment each one is ready.

Can I print copies for my other children?

Yes, print as many copies as your own family needs. Please don’t share or resell the file outside your home.

What if I have a problem with my payment or download?

Send me a message and I’ll help you directly. I read every one myself.

Give your child their first math superpower this week

Imagine the look on their face when they beat the calculator for the first time, and then ask for the next mission. You can start tonight with Mission 1, because your download is ready the moment you pay.

Yes, start the missions
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