Ada Twist, Scientist and The Questioneers Books

Written by Meredith Bartolo Pappas

As my kids settle into their school year, I keep thinking about Ms. Lila Greer and how happy they would be if they were in her second-grade class, even though neither one of them is in second grade yet. It would be a different kind of fun from Ms. Frizzle’s wacky class, less magical adventuring but an even more clever group of classmates!

If you are wondering who Ms. Lila Greer is, and haven’t read the whole Questioneers Collection yet, then you have something fun to look forward to! With their absolutely endearing illustrations, plucky rhyme scheme, and courageous and inspiring characters, each one of these picture books is better than the last. They also have so many other cool offerings, a family calendar and activity books filled with great ideas and projects to try at home.

There is even a very cute Netflix show called Ada Twist, Scientist starring Iggy Peck, Architect, Rosie Revere, Engineer, and of course, Ada Twist herself!

We love reading these picture books over and over, and just recently started on the chapter books too. Here are our favorites from the Ada Twist Scientist bunch, all written by Andrea Beatty and illustrated by David Roberts.

Ada Twist, Scientist and The Questioneers Books

Sofia Valdez, Future Prez
While walking to school one morning, Sofia’s Abuelo trips and hurts his ankle at the local landfill. Sofia knows that landfill space could be turned into an amazing park for her community, so she gathers up all her courage and goes to city hall to get something done. But can a second grader really make a difference for her community? Of course! This is one not to be missed, especially for any civic-minded kiddos!

Aaron Slater, Illustrator
Aaron has wanted to be a writer since he was a sweet baby listening to stories read and told to him by his family. But as he gets to school he realizes that actually writing and reading are a challenge for him and he finds other ways to express himself, like beautiful art! Such a poignant tale, especially for anyone who has struggled with reading and writing skills.

Ada Twist, Scientist
Named for acclaimed scientist Ada Lovelace, Ada Twist is a curious scientist with many ideas and projects up her science sleeves! With all her science studies, the thing she learns is how to be both curious and patient in all of her experiments. This one is just right for any budding scientist and pairs well with the Ada Twist’s Big Project Book for Stellar Scientists.

AdaTwist, Scientist: The Why Files
Another series with our friend Ada that answers many burning questions, including why do some plants have flowers and some don’t? Each one of these non-fiction books has a different theme, like plant life, bugs, flight, or the science of baking, and is just right for kindergarten and second grade. (Each one is written by Andrea Beatty with help from an expert in the field.)

The Questioneers Book Set 1-4 
Even more fun with the Questioneer bunch! The first four chapter books focus on Ada, Sofia, Rosie, and Iggy and are just as fun and engaging as the picture books. We really enjoyed Iggy Peck and The Mysterious Mansion because we love a mysterious mansion, but all of them are great reads geared for ages five and up.

Ada Twist Wall Calendar
Stay organized and on track with Ada Twist! Though I don’t have this one myself, I am so tempted by it because I think it would make all of my mundane daily scheduling seem so much more fun and exciting!

Any book you choose from the Ada Twist Scientist vast collection is a good one, whether you want to read about a second-grade scientist, community organizer, illustrator, or engineer. (I have hopes they will someday write a whole story about the illustrious teacher, Ms. Lila Greer, who makes an appearance in each book.) No need to go in order when deciding where to start, any one of these smart books is a good beginning to your Questioneers journey!

Which one of the Ada Twist Scientist characters would you want to spend the day with, if you had to choose just one?

About Meredith Bartolo Pappas

Meredith is a licensed teacher with almost twenty years of experience in education. Her specialties are holistic learning, early literacy, and social-emotional development. She is also a reading specialist, artist, and mom of two. She loves all things bookish, magical, and cozy. Find her at Sharing Circle Education sharingcircleeducation.com and on Instagram @sharingcircleeducation.

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