The best-selling creators of Iggy Peck, Architect and Rosie Revere, Engineer present the story of a little girl who, in the spirit of such visionaries as Marie Curie and Ada Lovelace, diligently applies her fledgling scientific prowess to advance her understanding of the world. 250,000 first printing. - (Baker & Taylor)

Ada Twist is a very curious girl who shows perseverance by asking questions and performing experiments to find things out and understand the world. - (Baker & Taylor)

Inspired by mathematician Ada Lovelace and physicist Marie Curie, this #1 bestseller from author Andrea Beaty and illustrator David Roberts champions STEM, girl power, and women scientists in a rollicking celebration of curiosity, the power of perseverance, and the importance of asking “Why?”

Now a Netflix series!
#1 New York Times Bestseller
A Wall Street Journal Bestseller
A USA Today Bestseller

Ada Twist’s head is full of questions. Like her classmates Iggy and Rosie (stars of their own New York Times bestselling picture books Iggy Peck, Architect and Rosie Revere, Engineer), Ada has always been endlessly curious. Even when her fact-finding missions and elaborate scientific experiments don’t go as planned, Ada learns the value of thinking through problems and continuing to stay curious.

Ada is an inquisitive second grader who was born to be a scientist. She possesses an unusual desire to question everything she encounters: a tick-tocking clock, a pointy-stemmed rose, the hairs in her dad’s nose, and so much more. Ada’s parents and her teacher, Miss Greer, have their hands full as the Ada’s science experiments wreak day-to-day havoc.

On the first day of spring, Ada notices an unpleasant odor. She sets out to discover what might have caused it. Ada uses the scientific method in developing hypotheses in her smelly pursuit. The little girl demonstrates trial and error, while appreciating her family’s full support. In one experiment, she douses fragrances on her cat and attempts to place the frightened feline in the washing machine.

For any parent who wants STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) to be fun, this book is a source of inspiration that will get children excited about science, school, learning, and the value of asking “Why?”

Check out all the books in the Questioneers Series:

• The Questioneers Picture Book Series: Iggy Peck, Architect | Rosie Revere, Engineer | Ada Twist, Scientist | Sofia Valdez, Future Prez | Aaron Slater, Illustrator | Lila Greer, Teacher of the Year
• The Questioneers Chapter Book Series: Rosie Revere and the Raucous Riveters | Ada Twist and the Perilous Pants | Iggy Peck and the Mysterious Mansion | Sofia Valdez and the Vanishing Vote | Ada Twist and the Disappearing Dogs | Aaron Slater and the Sneaky Snake
• Questioneers: The Why Files Series: Exploring Flight! | All About Plants! | The Science of Baking | Bug Bonanza! | Rockin’ Robots!
• Questioneers: Ada Twist, Scientist Series: Ghost Busted | Show Me the Bunny | Ada Twist, Scientist: Brainstorm Book | 5-Minute Ada Twist, Scientist Stories
• The Questioneers Big Project Book Series: Iggy Peck’s Big Project Book for Amazing Architects | Rosie Revere’s Big Project Book for Bold Engineers | Ada Twist’s Big Project Book for Stellar Scientists | Sofia Valdez’s Big Project Book for Awesome Activists | Aaron Slater’s Big Project Book for Astonishing Artists

Inspired by mathematician Ada Lovelace and physicist Marie Curie, this #1 bestseller from author Andrea Beaty and illustrator David Roberts champions STEM, girl power, and women scientists in a rollicking celebration of curiosity, the power of perseverance, and the importance of asking “Why?”
 
Now a Netflix series!
#1 New York Times Bestseller
A Wall Street Journal Bestseller
A USA Today Bestseller
 
Ada Twist’s head is full of questions. Like her classmates Iggy and Rosie (stars of their own New York Times bestselling picture books Iggy Peck, Architect and Rosie Revere, Engineer), Ada has always been endlessly curious. Even when her fact-finding missions and elaborate scientific experiments don’t go as planned, Ada learns the value of thinking through problems and continuing to stay curious.
 
Ada is an inquisitive second grader who was born to be a scientist. She possesses an unusual desire to question everything she encounters: a tick-tocking clock, a pointy-stemmed rose, the hairs in her dad’s nose, and so much more. Ada’s parents and her teacher, Miss Greer, have their hands full as the Ada’s science experiments wreak day-to-day havoc.
 
On the first day of spring, Ada notices an unpleasant odor. She sets out to discover what might have caused it. Ada uses the scientific method in developing hypotheses in her smelly pursuit. The little girl demonstrates trial and error, while appreciating her family’s full support. In one experiment, she douses fragrances on her cat and attempts to place the frightened feline in the washing machine.
 
For any parent who wants STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) to be fun, this book is a source of inspiration that will get children excited about science, school, learning, and the value of asking “Why?”
 
Check out all the books in the Questioneers Series:

• The Questioneers Picture Book Series: Iggy Peck, Architect | Rosie Revere, Engineer | Ada Twist, Scientist | Sofia Valdez, Future Prez | Aaron Slater, Illustrator | Lila Greer, Teacher of the Year
• The Questioneers Chapter Book Series: Rosie Revere and the Raucous Riveters | Ada Twist and the Perilous Pants | Iggy Peck and the Mysterious Mansion | Sofia Valdez and the Vanishing Vote | Ada Twist and the Disappearing Dogs | Aaron Slater and the Sneaky Snake
• Questioneers: The Why Files Series: Exploring Flight! | All About Plants! | The Science of Baking | Bug Bonanza! | Rockin’ Robots!
• Questioneers: Ada Twist, Scientist Series: Ghost Busted | Show Me the Bunny | Ada Twist, Scientist: Brainstorm Book | 5-Minute Ada Twist, Scientist Stories
• The Questioneers Big Project Book Series: Iggy Peck’s Big Project Book for Amazing Architects | Rosie Revere’s Big Project Book for Bold Engineers | Ada Twist’s Big Project Book for Stellar Scientists | Sofia Valdez’s Big Project Book for Awesome Activists | Aaron Slater’s Big Project Book for Astonishing Artists

Booklist Reviews

The team behind Iggy Peck, Architect (2007) and Rosie Revere, Engineer (2013) introduce a new STEM picture-book heroine. Ada Marie Twist is an African American girl who does not speak until the age of three. But once she does, she starts with "Why? And then What? How? and When? / By bedtime she came back to Why? once again." Ada Twist's curiosity is insatiable, often involving more chaos than method. A particularly bad smell sets Ada off on a journey of discovery that puts her at odds with her parents, though eagle-eyed readers will discover the source of the stink. The pen-and-ink illustrations incorporate a mishmash of white space and the paraphernalia of scientific experimentation: blocks, beakers, graph paper, gadgets; at times the pages can barely contain the breadth of Ada's inquisitiveness. An author's note reveals that the heroine is named after trailblazing women scientists Marie Curie and Ada Lovelace. Young Ada Twist and her nonstop intellect might just encourage readers to blaze trails of their own. Copyright 2016 Booklist Reviews.

Horn Book Guide Reviews

African American girl Ada Marie Twist's boundless scientific curiosity is a source of pride--and occasional consternation--to her parents and teachers. As she exuberantly questions, hypothesizes, and mixes concoctions at home and at school, she exemplifies a positive and inclusive image of science. Roberts's quirky illustrations further the humor and character of the energetic rhyming story. Copyright 2017 Horn Book Guide Reviews.

Kirkus Reviews

Her intellectual curiosity is surpassed only by her passion for science. But what to do about her messy experiments?Ada is speechless until she turns 3. But once she learns how to break out of her crib, there's no stopping the kinky-haired, brown-skinned girl. "She tore through the house on a fact-finding spree." When she does start speaking, her favorite words are "why," "how," and "when." Her parents, a fashion-forward black couple who sport a variety of trendy outfits, are dumbfounded, and her older brother can only point at her in astonishment. She amazes her friends with her experiments. Ada examines all the clocks in the house, studies the solar system, and analyzes all the smells she encounters. Fortunately, her parents stop her from putting the cat in the dryer, sending her instead to the Thinking Chair. But while there, she covers the wall with formulae. What can her parents do? Instead of punishing her passion, they decide to try to understand it. "It's all in the heart of a young scientist." Though her plot is negligible—Ada's parents arguably change more than she does—Beaty delightfully advocates for girls in science in her now-trademark crisply rhyming text. Roberts' illustrations, in watercolor, pen, and ink, manage to be both smart and silly; the page compositions artfully evoke the tumult of Ada's curiosity, filling white backgrounds with questions and clutter. Cool and stylish. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus 2016 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly Reviews

Beaty and Roberts return to the classroom featured in Iggy Peck, Architect and Rosie Revere, Engineer as they introduce an insatiably curious girl named Ada Marie, who comes from an African-American family so stylish that its time-out chair is an Eames. As Ada attempts to determine the source of a noxious smell, Beaty's bouncy rhymes emphasize the qualities that make for a great scientist: "She asked a small question, and then she asked two./ And each of those led to three questions more,/ and some of those questions resulted in four." Scientific research can be messy and thorny (and smelly), Beaty and Roberts suggest, but it's well worth the effort. Ages 5–7. Author's agent: Edward Necarsulmer IV, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner. Illustrator's agent: Artist Partners. (Sept.)

School Library Journal Reviews

K-Gr 2—Ada Marie Twist is an inquisitive African American second grader and a born scientist. She possesses a keen yet peculiar need to question everything she encounters, whether it be a tick-tocking clock, a pointy-stemmed rose, or the hairs in her dad's nose. Ada's parents and her teacher, Miss Greer, have their hands full as the child's science experiments wreak day-to-day havoc. On the first day of spring, the title character is tinkering outside her home when she notices an unpleasant odor. She sets out to discover what might have caused it. Beaty shows Ada using the scientific method in developing hypotheses in her smelly pursuit. The little girl demonstrates trial and error in her endeavors, while appreciating her family's full support. In one experiment, she douses fragrances on her cat and then attempts to place the feline in the washing machine. Her parents, startled by her actions, send her to the Thinking Chair, where she starts to reflect on the art of questioning by writing her thoughts on the wall—now the Great Thinking Hall. Ada shines on each page as a young scientist, like her cohorts in the author's charming series. The rhyming text playfully complements the cartoon illustrations, drawing readers into the narrative. VERDICT A winner for storytime reading and for young children interested in STEM activities. Pair with science nonfiction for an interesting elementary cross-curricular project.—Krista Welz, North Bergen High School, NJ. Copyright 2016 School Library Journal.