11 Experiments That Failed

A hilarious how-to of "science" experiments, dreamed up by a wildly imaginative kid.

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.Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2011:
"This is a most joyful and clever whimsy, the kind that lightens the heart and puts a shine on the day. Go ahead, break a few dishes in the washing machine, see the humor and enjoy this fine poke at every science fair that ever was."Jenny Offill is the author of 17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore and 11 Experiments that Failed, both illustrated by Nancy Carpenter, as well as Sparky, illustrated by Chris Appelhans, which won the 2015 Charlotte Zolotow Award. In addition, she has written several adult novels, including The Department of Speculation, which the New York Times named one of the 10 Best Books of 2014, and Weather.

Nancy Carpenter is the illustrator of more than sixty books for children, including 17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore and 11 Experiments that Failed, both written by Jenny Offill. She also illustrated The Great Stink by Colleen Paeff, a Sibert Honor Book; A Letter to My Teacher by Deborah Hopkinson and Balderdash! by Michelle Markel, both of which received starred reviews; and Apples to Oregon by Deborah Hopkinson, an SCBWI Golden Kite Award winner. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband, daughter, son and dog.