Ada Twist and the Perilous Pants

by Andrea Beaty

  “What?” asked Mrs. Twist.

  She did not look happy.

  Ada did not feel happy.

  Why didn’t her mother just understand what she was saying? She didn’t have time to draw a picture. Maybe if she said it faster and louder!

  Ada blurted out her ideas as fast and loud as she could. But her words jumbled and bumbled and fumbled. Some of them got left out altogether.

  “Air pressure … jeep … buoyant force … monkeys … gravity!” Ada said as fast as she could. “Tennis balls … LEAPING LEMURS!”

  “ADA MARIE!”

  Ada stopped talking. Her mother was frustrated and frazzled. She was mad.

  And time was running out.

  “Mom!” said Ada. “The downward forces have to be greater than the buoyant force or the pants will never sink, and—”

  “Ada!” Mrs. Twist cut her off. “What did I tell you?”

  Ada’s parents were always telling her things, so Ada kept a list in her notebook. She flipped it open.

  “The bathroom is not a science lab,” she said.

  “Not that,” said her mother.

  “The pantry is not an ant farm,” said Ada.

  “What else?”

  “Don’t put my toothbrush in the earthworm box,” said Ada.

  “Ada,” her mother said in her trying-to-stay-calm voice, “what did we tell you about your brother’s things?”

  Ada’s mother was upset, and it made Ada think of Rosie, who was upset, too. Rosie was scared and worried about Uncle Ned. Time was running out and no matter how fast Ada talked or how she tried to explain it to her mother, her mother didn’t understand. What would Rosie do if Uncle Ned blew away? What if he blew away to a whole other country? What if Rosie never saw him again? It made Ada sad. Her heart turned to goo.

  Ada stopped talking and stood quietly, not knowing what to do.

  “Ada, you know that …”

  And suddenly, Mrs. Twist stopped talking, too. She pushed her glasses up and looked closely at her young daughter’s face. And at that moment, her heart also turned to goo. Ada was trying her best to tell her something. And she didn’t understand what.

  Mrs. Twist sighed and knelt next to Ada. She looked at her daughter and smiled kindly. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  “Start at the start,” she said gently.

  And that’s what Ada did. She told her mom about the birds and the tree and how Uncle Ned flew into the—

  Mrs. Twist jumped to her feet.

  “What?!” she said. “Ned Revere is flying around town in helium pants? This is an emergency!”

  “I know,” said Ada. “But it’s okay.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Mrs. Twist. “How is it okay?”

  Ada smiled. “Because I know what to do.”

  CHAPTER 13

  Just then, Ada’s brother, Arthur, came in. He pointed at the racquet.

  “Is that my rac—” he started, but then interrupted himself. “Mom! There’s a guy with balloon pants flying around town! I think he’s in trouble!”

  “We know,” said Mrs. Twist.

  Arthur looked at his mom. He looked at Ada. He looked at his tennis racquet, which was his most prized possession in the world.

  He looked at Ada again.

  “How can I help?” he asked.

  CHAPTER 14

  They sped back to the factory. The bus screeched to a stop and Uncle Fred pulled the lever to open the door.

  “Good luck, Ada!” he said.

  They hopped off the bus.

  “He’s still up there!” said Arthur, pointing to Uncle Ned.

  The crowd was even larger now. The monkeys were racing up and down the fire ladder and an ostrich was pecking at the fire hose.

  “We’re back!” announced Ada.

  “Hellooooo-oooooo-oooooo!” yelled Uncle Ned.

  “Let’s get to work,” said Ada.

  Arthur opened the bag of tennis balls.

  Ada took out a ball and grabbed the racquet.

  “What’s the plan?” asked Iggy.

  “I’m going to hit balls to Uncle Ned, and when he catches them, their mass will be added to his mass, and gravity will pull him toward Earth, and then the …” said Ada.

  Iggy looked confused.

  Ada started to get overwhelmed. She needed to explain, but she didn’t have time to draw a picture to show the plan.

  Rosie looked at Ada and smiled.

  “I get it!” she said. “Uncle Ned is like a boat floating on a sea of air. You’re going to weigh him down with tennis balls until his ‘boat’ sinks and Beau can grab him!”

  “You’ll overcome the buoyancy force!” said Iggy. “See? I got it!”

  Ada beamed. Now, all she had to do was make the plan work!

  “Put the tennis balls in your helmet, Uncle Ned!” she yelled.

  “Okay!” he yelled back. “But can you hurry? There are two mean-looking birds on the wall up here!”

  “What do they look like?” said Ada.

  “They are black and purple and have a V in their tails,” said Uncle Ned. “They are swooping at me like crazy!”

  “Do they have orange beaks?” asked Ada.

  “No!” yelled Uncle Ned. “They have beady eyes and a bad attitude!”

  Ada thought for a moment and yelled back.

  “Do you have any dragonflies in your pocket?” she asked.

  “No!” cried Uncle Ned.

  “Then don’t worry about it,” said Ada. “Those are Purple Martins, and they eat flying insects like dragonflies. They won’t bother you.”

  “Phew-ewwww-ewwww!” replied Uncle Ned, swirling around again and again.

  Ada grabbed a tennis ball and took aim.

  “I need to hit it at this angle,” she said, pointing up to Uncle Ned.

  “That’s about a hundred degrees,” said Iggy.

  “I used an angle like that in my cheese-cracker arch the other day. It was delicious!”

  THE PURPLE MARTIN

  FROM THE NERD BIRD

  GUIDE TO BIRDS FOR NERDS

  By Mr. Otto Bonn

  The Purple Martin

  Family: Hirundinidae

  Genus and Species: Progne subis

  Swallows are slim, graceful birds that swoop and dive through the air to catch flying insects. They have pointed wings, tiny feet, and short bills which open very wide to capture insects in flight.

  The Purple Martin is the largest swallow in North America. Males are purple-black on top and underneath. They are the only swallows with black bellies. The females are light in color, including their bellies and chin. Purple Martin tail feathers are shaped like the letter V.

  The Purple Martin migrates each winter to South America, then returns to North America to nest in the spring. They nest in semi-open country near water, towns, and farms. In the west, they can be found in saguaro desert and mountain forests.

  Purple Martins like to nest in communities. They often nest in multi-room bird houses put up by people. However, Purple Martin populations are dropping. Possibly because of a lack of nesting sites, and competition with starlings.

  “Here goes,” said Ada.

  She swung the racquet.

  THWACK!

  The bright green ball flew off the racquet and right at Iggy’s head. It grazed his hair. It bounced off the wall and knocked the sketching pencil out of Barb Ross’s hand.

  “Hey!” said Iggy. “Aim for Uncle Ned!”

  “I did!” said Ada.

  She tried again.

  THWONK!

  The ball hit the fire ladder next to a monkey. The monkey screeched at Ada, grabbed the tennis ball, and ran off.

  “Sorry!” she said.

  THWOOP!

  THWOOP!

  Ada hit ball after ball and they went everywhere EXCEPT where they were supposed to go.

  Ada frowned. She was frustrated. Why didn’t this work? Ada studied her notebook.

  “Why isn’t it work
ing?” she asked. “I know how high to hit the ball and how hard.”

  “Knowing what to do isn’t the same as being able to do it,” said her mom.

  Ada’s mother was right. Ada knew all about the forces and angles, but she didn’t know how to hit the balls to make it happen. There was only one person she knew who could do that. She handed the racquet to her brother.

  “Can you do it?” she asked.

  Arthur smiled.

  “Did world-famous tennis champion Arthur Ashe wear wristbands?” he asked.

  Ada knew the answer to that. Her brother had five posters of his favorite tennis player on his walls. Arthur Ashe wore wristbands in each one.

  CHAPTER 15

  The dark clouds were looming closer and Ada could see the far-off trees swaying in the wind. A storm was coming.

  Soon, that wind would reach the factory, and when it did, everything would change. The eddy that now trapped Uncle Ned would collapse and he would be set loose from its grasp. Then, who knows where he might fly?

  “Hurry, Arthur!” said Ada. “We’re running out of time.”

  Arthur grabbed a tennis ball.

  THWACK!

  The ball lobbed into the air and soared gently over Uncle Ned and right past him. It dropped to the ground with a gentle thud.

  “Too hard,” Arthur said and adjusted his grip.

  He tried again.

  THWACK!

  This time, the ball arced high into the air. Uncle Ned reached out and grabbed it! The crowd cheered. Uncle Ned took off his helmet and put the tennis ball inside.

  “Keep going!” said Ada.

  THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!

  Arthur hit ball after ball into the air. One after another, they flew close enough for Uncle Ned to catch and put in his helmet. As Ada had hoped, Uncle Ned dropped a tiny bit lower in the air. The plan was working. The crowd went wild!

  “Yay!” they cheered. “Arthur! Arthur!”

  Like his favorite tennis player on Centre Court at Wimbledon, Arthur Twist took a deep breath and focused.

  THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!

  Arthur hit the tennis balls perfectly. Uncle Ned missed a ball, but he caught the next two. As he added each ball to the helmet, he dropped a little lower. He hovered a few centimeters out of Beau’s reach. Beau stretched as far as his long arms could go.

  “I can almost reach you!” yelled Beau. “Hurry, Arthur! The storm clouds are coming!”

  Indeed, the dark clouds moved closer and closer still.

  THWACK!

  “One more!” yelled Ada.

  THWACK!

  With perfect precision, Arthur lobbed a ball high into the air. The ball soared up … up … up … and into Uncle Ned’s outstretched hand.

  Uncle Ned grabbed it. He plopped it onto the pile of tennis balls in the helmet.

  Uncle Ned dipped toward the ladder as Beau reached and reached and reached—

  CHAPTER 16

  Just then, a large dragonfly zipped past Uncle Ned’s head.

  One Purple Martin spied the dragonfly and zoomed after it.

  Swoosh!

  The bird swooped past Uncle Ned’s right ear.

  Swoosh!

  The other Purple Martin zoomed past Uncle Ned’s left ear. They fluttered and tumbled through the air like acrobats. Just as Beau’s fingertips touched the tip of Uncle Ned’s shoe, the dragonfly landed on Uncle Ned’s nose.

  “HELP!” cried Uncle Ned, dropping the helmet and slapping at his face.

  The helmet crashed to the ground. The green balls hit the steamy-hot asphalt and bounced in every direction.

  Boing! Boing! Boing!

  The lemurs, monkeys, and ostrich chased the balls right into the crowd. People shrieked and eeeeked! It was chaos!

  Ada, Iggy, and Rosie watched in horror as Uncle Ned popped higher into the air out of Beau’s reach.

  “Heeeeeeeelp!” he yelled. “Do something!”

  The tennis balls bounced like gas molecules spreading out in every direction! Just like the molecules that spread out from Arthur’s hot, stinky shoe.

  Ada remembered her experiment and what she had learned. The hot shoe was stinkier than the cold one. At least, the stink of it had reached Ada faster than the stink of the cold shoe. That meant that the hot air molecules spread faster than the cold air molecules.

  Ada quickly flipped open her notes. There it was! The answer to the problem!

  Ada looked at the hot, black asphalt down below Uncle Ned. The surface sizzled and heated the air above it, which rose in gentle waves. Stinky, nose-burning, asphalt-reeking waves. And that is when Ada Marie Twist knew exactly what to do.

  There was no time to lose!

  CHAPTER 17

  “Quick!” shouted Ada. “Grab the hose!”

  Ada and Iggy ran to the fire hose, which was laying on the hot pavement next to the truck. “No!” said Rosie. “Remember what will happen?

  You’ll knock Uncle Ned out of the eddy and he’ll fly off into that wind!”

  “No, he won’t,” said Ada. “Trust me!”

  She grabbed the end of the fire hose.

  Iggy grabbed the hose behind her.

  Rosie looked doubtful but jumped in line behind Iggy.

  “Hit it, Bee!” yelled Ada.

  Bee flipped the switch on the pumper truck and a heavy spray of water burst out of the hose. It was more powerful than Ada had imagined. The three friends struggled to control the hose, but they held tight.

  “Get ready, Beau!” Ada yelled, and she pointed the hose at the asphalt just below Uncle Ned.

  The water splashed over the hot surface, and instantly Uncle Ned plunged downward. It wasn’t much, but it was just enough! Beau reached out and grabbed him by the foot!

  Bee flipped off the water and the hose flopped to the ground. Uncle Fred scrambled up the ladder and grabbed the rope dangling from Uncle Ned’s waist.

  “We got him!” yelled Uncle Fred.

  The crowd cheered again. “How did you do that?” asked Uncle Ned.

  “I remembered that hot air takes up more room than cold air. So, we cooled down the asphalt with the water. That cooled the air just above it and that made you drop enough to grab your foot!”

  “Well done!” said Uncle Ned. “Now can I get out of these pants?”

  But there was no time. Just then, a strong gust of wind blasted into the courtyard and blew the dust and leaves up and away. The whirlwind was gone. A heavy raindrop splattered the asphalt. Then another. And another.

  Raindrops began to fall faster and faster and the crowd scattered. Uncle Fred tied Uncle Ned’s rope to the bumper of the Zoo Bus and rounded up the zoo animals. The Questioneers and Ada’s mom and brother hopped onto the bus.

  In a few moments, Uncle Fred stopped at the Twist house on Milk Lane.

  “Thank you for rescuing me!” said Uncle Ned. “If it weren’t for you, I’d be eaten by birds and halfway to Timbuktu by now!”

  “You’re welcome!” said Ada as she waved goodbye to Uncle Ned, Uncle Fred, Iggy, and Rosie.

  Uncle Fred honked and headed down the street with Uncle Ned floating above the Zoo Bus.

  Arthur ran up the steps to the front porch of the Twist house. Ada and Mrs. Twist followed him as thunder rumbled in the distance.

  “Thanks for letting me use your racquet,” said Ada. “You could be a tennis champion someday. Like Arthur Ashe.”

  “Maybe,” said Arthur. “But you should stick with science.”

  Arthur opened the front door and stepped into the house. He paused and smiled at Ada.

  “Actually,” he said. “Let me know if you want to play tennis sometime. You weren’t that bad. But you have to use your own racquet. And stay out of my stuff!”

  Arthur tried to look mad, but it didn’t work. Ada grinned at her brother as he shut the door, leaving Ada and her mom alone on the porch.

  Just then, the sky opened up and rain poured buckets onto the roof of the porch and splashed into puddles in the yard. The
smell of the rain hit Ada’s nose and she closed her eyes for a moment and breathed it in. It was not the kind of smell that curled her toes. It was a warm and cozy smell that mixed with her mom’s perfume and was one of the best things in the world.

  Ada and her mom sat and watched the rain plop and splop and splash on the grass. Her mother put her arm around Ada and gave her a hug.

  “Ada,” she said. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you when you tried to tell me about Uncle Ned. I just didn’t get it.”

  Ada smiled at her mom. “I know,” said Ada.

  “You know I’m very proud of you,” said Mrs.

  Twist. “And I—”

  “I know,” said Ada.

  “How do you know what I’m going to tell you?” asked Mrs. Twist.

  “Because you already did,” said Ada.

  Ada smiled. “See,” she said. “I always write down the important things so I’ll remember. But I have a question.”

  “Just one?” asked Mrs. Twist.

  “Well …” said Ada. “Do big raindrops taste different than little ones?” she asked. “And, why is rain gray in the air but clear on my hand? Why do earthworms crawl on the sidewalk in the rain? What if …”

  CITIZEN SCIENCE!

  When Ada Twist performed her stink experiment, she tried to gather as much information

  as she could. Gathering data is how scientists test their hypotheses and learn more about the subjects they study. Sometimes, scientists need help gathering data. That’s when they call on citizen scientists!

  Citizen scientists are people like you who help in scientific research. Citizen scientists gather data about animals, climate, aging, botany, and many other topics.

  The Great Backyard Bird Count is one example of citizen science at work. Each February, more than one hundred thousand people of all ages from around the world join in! They count and identify the birds near them and share the data they collect.

  The Great Backyard Bird Count gives scientists a snapshot of the world’s bird populations. Scientists use the data to learn more about weather and climate change, bird diseases, and migration.