Ada Lace: On the Case is Available to Pre-Order!
I am so excited to announce that my first book, Ada Lace: On the Case is now available to Pre-Order on Amazon!
This is Book One in my Ada Lace Adventures chapter book series. I've created them with the incredible children's book writer Tamson Weston and the talented illustrator Renee Kurilla. They'll be published worldwide by Simon and Schuster.
The book features third-grade inventor and scientist, Ada Lace, who has a knack for science and technology, and a nose for trouble. She loves to learn, explore, and invent gadgets that can help her solve problems.
I wanted to work on a project like this because it was a creative way to bring my love of science and technology to kids. Real science is integrated sporadically throughout this story in an effort to generate "accidental learning" for the kids engaged in Ada's adventures.
It was also, perhaps obviously, intentional to make the main character a little girl. There aren't enough science-focused children's books and there certainly aren't many that feature girls as the main character. Representation is so important - it's hard for kids to want to be something they've never seen. When you were a kid, what did you picture when you thought of a scientist or engineer? I for one always pictured a socially awkward white dude with glasses. With this book, I'm hoping we can broaden the spectrum of what kids imagine when they think of "sciencey" people.
And for anyone wondering - yes, this book is for both little girls and little boys. ;)
Right now, there are a total of three Ada Lace Adventures books coming out next year. We've finished the first two and are currently working on the third. They each have very different stories and cover a variety of topics in science and technology.
I've worked as a science communicator for a little over three years now, talking about science on TV, on YouTube, on the news, in TEDx talks, and in dozens of K-12 schools. I've found that kids in grade school are very enthusiastic about science and love asking questions. As the students get older, it somehow becomes less cool to like science. Older kids and adults are more self-conscious and are afraid to ask questions. Everyone's nervous about asking a dumb question or admitting to ignorance on certain topics.
Through this book, and through my work as a science communicator, I want to encourage questions. I want to make you feel comfortable not knowing something - because this is what science is all about! With science we admit to ignorance, relentlessly pursue interesting questions, and allow ourselves to be persuaded by evidence.
After each chapter, I've written "Behind the Science" sections where I further explain any science or tech-related topics. This part of the book is written in 1st person. I've added my own stories and experiences with science and technology in an effort to make these topics more personal and relatable.
There are so many wonderful things to learn about the universe and the world around us. We just need to give kids the confidence to explore and help them maintain an interest in learning as they grow older. I believe that giving them a role model like Ada can help accomplish just that.
In a world with "fake news" and "alternative facts," interesting science-related children's books are needed now more than ever. Help me bring Ada Lace: On the Case to kids all over and let me know what you/they think on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!
Ada Lace: On the Case will be on bookshelves in September, but available for Pre-Order on Amazon today. Click the button below to check it out.