11 Experiments That Failed

“This is a most joyful and clever whimsy, the kind that lightens the heart and puts a shine on the day,” raved Kirkus Reviews in a starred review. Is it possible to eat snowballs doused in ketchup—and nothing else—all winter? Can a washing machine wash dishes? By reading the step-by-step instructions, kids can discover the answers to such all-important questions along with the book’s curious narrator. Here are 12 “hypotheses,” as well as lists of “what you need,” “what to do,” and “what happened” that are sure to make young readers laugh out loud as they learn how to conduct science experiments (really!). Jenny Offill and Nancy Carpenter—the ingenious pair that brought you 17 Things I’m Not Allowed to Do Anymore —have outdone themselves in this brilliant and outrageously funny book.