Sleepover Scientist Read online

  PENGUIN WORKSHOP

  Penguin Young Readers Group

  An Imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

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  Text copyright © 2019 by Kelly Starling Lyons. Cover illustration copyright © 2019 by Vanessa Brantley Newton. Illustrations copyright © 2019 by Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. Published by Penguin Workshop, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. PENGUIN and PENGUIN WORKSHOP are trademarks of Penguin Books Ltd, and the W colophon is a registered trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

  ISBN 9781524790554 (paperback)

  ISBN 9781524790561 (library binding)

  ISBN 9781524790578 (ebook)

  Version_1

  For Missy, Stacy, Niche, Shaune, and best friends everywhere—KSL

  Thank you to my mom, sisters, and dear friends for your continuous support that pushes me to keep going and do my best even in the hardest of times. I wouldn’t have come this far without you—NM

  If you want to try any of the experiments in this book, always ask a parent or guardian to supervise. Being a sleepover scientist means staying safe.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter One: The Big Idea

  Chapter Two: Surprise Guest

  Chapter Three: Jada’s Law

  Chapter Four: Stalemate

  Chapter Five: End of the Road

  Chapter Six: Formula for Fun

  Chapter Seven: Sleepover Survivors

  Jada’s Rules for Being a Sleepover Scientist

  Acknowledgments

  Excerpt from Jada Jones: Dancing Queen

  About the Authors

  Chapter One:

  THE BIG IDEA

  I love school, but long weekends are the best. Dad gets home early. Mom takes off from the library when she can. I plan family adventures, like going to the Museum of Life and Science or visiting Morehead Planetarium.

  That’s why I was surprised when Mom suggested something else for the one coming up.

  “Jada, you’re always planning fun for the family, why don’t you think of something just for you?”

  Yes! I didn’t need to think. I looked around my room at the posters of my science heroes, like Dr. Mae Jemison and Dr. George Washington Carver, and knew just what I wanted: my first sleepover. My friends and I could make ice cream in plastic bags, create slime, and do other cool experiments. An evening all about science with my BFFs. Couldn’t get any better than that.

  “Can I have a sleepover with Lena and Simone, please?”

  I crossed my fingers behind my back and waited and hoped . . . and hoped and waited. Seconds felt like hours.

  “That’s a great idea,” Mom said. “Let me talk to your dad.”

  I crossed my fingers tighter as Mom left my room and headed downstairs. My best friend Mari and I were supposed to have a science sleepover. But then she moved away. So I wanted to have one with my besties from school, Lena and Simone.

  Mom came back smiling.

  Yes!

  “I’ll ask their parents,” she said. “If it’s okay with them, it’s fine with Daddy and me.”

  “Thanks, Mom!” I gave her a hug. “I want to do kitchen chemistry and call it the Best Friends Lab.”

  “Nice idea, but I didn’t know Lena and Simone were into science like you.”

  I paused and thought about my friends. Sure, they liked other things more, like jumping double Dutch, writing stories, acting, making arts and crafts. But they didn’t hate science.

  “They like it okay,” I said. “But after the sleepover, they’ll love it.”

  “Hmmm,” Mom said. “They might. But you might want to have some other activities, too.”

  I heard what Mom said, but I knew my friends would love my science sleepover. What was there not to like?

  I ran to the playroom to get a white crayon and two pieces of white paper for my invisible message invitations. I wrote them out. Yay! You couldn’t see anything. All Simone and Lena had to do was paint on the paper with watercolors for the waxy writing to appear. Wait until they got their invites, I thought. Bet they’d be surprised.

  * * *

  At school, it was hard to keep my sleepover secret. The invitations were in my backpack. Mom told me to give them out at the end of the day.

  “You look happy,” Lena said when I sat at our table. “What are you smiling about?”

  “You’ll see,” I answered, then started on my morning work. I tried to focus, but kept thinking about the sleepover. I pictured my friends looking amazed as we did one super science project after another.

  “Jada? Jada!”

  “Huh?”

  I snapped out of my daydream. My classmates giggled.

  “Sorry, Miss Taylor,” I said.

  “Could you please turn in your worksheet?”

  How was I going to make it through the day?

  Finally, the last bell rang. As we headed to the buses and carpool lane, I handed each of my BFFs a small bag with a folded piece of white paper and a plastic palette of watercolor paint.

  “What’s this?” Simone asked, peeking into the bag. She pulled out the paper and opened it.

  “It’s an invisible message,” I said, beaming. “When you get home, paint the paper with the watercolors and writing will appear.”

  “Cool!” Lena said.

  “I guess,” Simone said, crinkling her nose. “Sounds like a lot of work. Can’t you just tell us what it says?”

  “Simooonnne.”

  I stuck out my lip and made my eyes as big as I could.

  “Okay, okay,” she said, laughing. “Just stop with that face. I’ll paint it and read.”

  * * *

  The next day, sleepovers were the talk of lunch.

  “I’ve only had sleepovers with my cousins,” Lena said. “We’re going to have so much fun.”

  “I have to admit, the invitation was pretty cool,” Simone said.

  “What are you talking about?” Gabi asked.

  “Sleepovers.”

  “Oh,” she said. “The last one I had was terrible. One of my friends didn’t like the snacks I picked out. My cousin didn’t want to play games. She kept complaining about being bored and wanted to go home. I just wanted it to be over.”

  That sounded awful. I hoped ours wouldn’t be like that.

  “I had a sleepover for my birthday,” Miles said, digging into his mac and cheese. “It was great until we got into a fight over a video game. One person didn’t talk for hours.”

  I hadn’t thought about sleepover problems. What if mine was a flop? My leg bobbed up and down as I tried to push that thought out of my mind.

  * * *

  “So what are we going to do at the sleepover?” Simone asked as we waited to jump rope at recess.

  “It’s a surprise,” I said. “I have it all planned.”

  “Oooh, do you want me to bring my nail polish? I got a new set with
sparkly colors,” Simone said. “Check it out.”

  She wiggled her fingers to show off her violet nails that looked like a sky filled with stars.

  “I can bring my speaker so we can listen to music,” Lena added.

  They traded ideas back and forth: Karaoke. Games. Drawing. Every time they came up with a new suggestion, my stomach fluttered like a bird trying to break free. Not once did they mention anything related to science. I thought about the sleepover disasters we talked about at lunch. I hoped my big idea didn’t turn into a big bust. I forced myself to show my brightest smile.

  “All you have to do is show up,” I said. “Leave the fun to me.”

  Chapter Two:

  SURPRISE GUEST

  At home, I scanned the books on our shelves until I found the one I was looking for: Home Science Experiments. I curled up on the couch, flipped through the pages, and started thinking about projects that could make Simone and Lena science fans like me. Just when I opened my notebook to write down a few ideas, my little brother, Jackson, walked in.

  “Can I come to your sleepover?”

  “No, sorry, Jax. It’s girls only.”

  “No fair,” he said, stomping his foot and pouting. “I like science, too.”

  “I know,” I said. “But we do science together all the time. At the sleepover, I want to do it with my friends.”

  “No fair!” He stomped again. “Simone and Lena are my friends, too. I’m telling Mom.

  “Mom!” he yelled, running into the next room.

  Great. Now I had little brother drama. I sighed and started working on my list. Simone mentioned painting nails. I saw an experiment using clear nail polish to make rainbow art. Maybe they’d like that. Lena talked about music. What if we jammed while we made science magic? I smiled, leaned back against a fluffy pillow, and exhaled. I had it covered. Nothing to worry about.

  Mom came in with Jax right behind her.

  “Jada, would it hurt for Jax to be there for a little bit of the sleepover? Maybe he could do the first experiment. Then, it could be just the girls.”

  I sighed again.

  “I really don’t think . . .”

  Mom gave me a look that meant to keep my thoughts to myself.

  “Just the first one.”

  Jax pumped his fist and pulled it down to his side. He flapped his knees like a football player scoring a touchdown.

  “I get to go! I get to go!”

  I frowned. I was glad he was happy. I sure wasn’t.

  * * *

  On sleepover day, Daddy took me to the discount store to get plastic tablecloths, plates, bowls, and food for kitchen science. I dragged behind as we walked up and down the aisles. I found everything on my list and then spotted decorations with atoms, the periodic table of elements, magnifying glasses, and microscopes. It was just what I wanted, but I couldn’t get excited.

  “Look, Jada!” Daddy said. “How about these for your sleepover?”

  “Sure. Thanks,” I said, and dropped them into the cart without a smile.

  “Now I know something is wrong,” he said, hugging my shoulder. “Aren’t you excited?”

  “Kinda,” I said. “A little nervous too. I hope everyone has fun.”

  “They will, baby girl,” he said. “They’re your friends. You don’t have to worry or do anything fancy to entertain them. Just be you.”

  At home, I taped the “Best Friends Lab” banner on the wall in the kitchen. I decorated the table and cabinets with colorful science pictures—flasks filled with bubbling yellow and purple liquid, blue and green atoms on a background of orange. I grouped the supplies for each activity and put the bowls in the middle. I set out safety goggles for party favors. I wanted everything to be just right.

  “When are Lena and Simone coming?” Jax asked.

  “At seven.”

  “Yay!”

  I sighed and headed to my room to rest before the big evening. I lay down on my daybed and closed my eyes. When I opened them and looked at the clock, it was almost time for the fun to start. I rushed downstairs, sat on the couch, and waited for the doorbell or a knock. Nothing. I checked out the supplies. Everything was in place. I sat on the couch and waited some more. Crickets.

  I walked to the window and opened the blinds. No one was coming up our steps. No cars were driving toward our house. I sank onto the couch and felt my last drop of hope fading as I waited. I got up and peeked one last time. The street was empty. I walked up the stairs to my room and realized this was worse than I imagined. My sleepover wouldn’t be a disaster; it wouldn’t happen at all.

  I sat up in bed, startled as the doorbell echoed through the house. My heart pounded. Sweat dampened my forehead. I looked at the clock— 6 p.m. I inhaled and breathed out slowly. Whew. It had just been a nightmare. My sleepover didn’t start for another hour.

  “Jada,” Daddy called. “It’s for you.”

  I jumped up and raced down the steps toward the door. I wondered who came early—Lena or Simone. Daddy had a funny grin when I passed him.

  I blinked, shook my head, blinked again, and then screamed.

  “Mari!”

  We jumped up and down. I hugged her so tight, I wondered if she could breathe. I couldn’t believe my bestie wasn’t in Phoenix. She was right here in Raleigh, standing in front of me.

  “How? When? What are you doing here?”

  We laughed.

  “My Aunt Tasha is getting married on Saturday.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  I hugged her again. I had to make sure she was real.

  “I wanted to surprise you.”

  “I’m having a sleepover tonight. Can you come?”

  “Yep.” She picked up her lavender overnight bag and grinned. “Your mom told mine all about it.”

  “Really? This is going to be the best sleepover ever! Wait until Lena and Simone see you.”

  I pinched my arm to make sure I wasn’t dreaming again. My three best friends together. What could go wrong?

  Chapter Three:

  JADA’S LAW

  I pulled Mari into the kitchen.

  “I love your hair!” I said.

  It was in a braided updo for the wedding.

  “Thank you,” she said. “I love your lab!”

  She oohed and aahed as she looked at everything I had set out on the island for our activities: laundry detergent, liquid glue, clear nail polish, strips of black construction paper. The kitchen table was covered with a plastic purple tablecloth and ready for action.

  “You have the best ideas!” she said. “Tonight is going to be superrific.”

  I missed her crazy words. Mari always made me smile. It was so cool that we’d have our science sleepover together after all.

  “I can’t believe you’re here,” I said, plopping on a stool. “How’s Arizona?”

  “I miss you so much,” she said. “But I‘m making friends and we do day trips on weekends. My favorite so far is Sedona.”

  “Is that the postcard you sent me of the red rocks?”

  “Yep, they’re everywhere. When the sun sets, it looks like the rocks are glowing. I have pictures on my tablet.”

  “Cool! Let’s save those until Simone and Lena get here.”

  Jax and Mom came in.

  “Mari!”

  Jax ran to her.

  “Hey, Action Jackson,” she said, rubbing his head.

  “Good to have you back, Mari,” Mom said, giving her a hug.

  I filled Mari in on our class and science club and showed her a new treasure I added to my rock and mineral collection: agate with patterns of swirls.

  “Marvtastic!” Mari said as she admired it.

  It felt good having her back.

  Right at seven, the doorbell rang again.

  “Stay i
n here,” I told Mari. “Let’s keep the surprise going.”

  I ran to the door and peeked through the blinds.

  “Lena!”

  I swung it open and put her flowered bag next to Mari’s. As Mom talked to her mom, I told Lena to close her eyes. I led her by the hand into the living room.

  “Okay, you can look.”

  She stared and opened her mouth. Nothing came out. Then, finally she squeaked, “Mari?”

  “Hey, Lena,” Mari said, giving her a hug.

  “Mari’s here for the weekend. Isn’t that awesome?”

  Lena and Mari caught up, talking about school and friends. Now, all we needed was Simone. A few minutes later, the doorbell rang again.

  “Why don’t you answer the door this time, Mari?” I said. “That will definitely surprise her.”

  Lena and I watched as Mari walked to the entryway with Mom behind her. She peeked through the blinds and saw Simone, then opened the door.

  “Wait, what?” I heard Simone say. “Mari? What are you doing here?”

  “Surprise!” she said and held out her arms.

  Simone looked stunned, like she didn’t know what to do.

  “Group hug,” I screamed.

  Lena and I raced down the hall to join them.

  “Aren’t you going to invite Simone in?” Mom asked.

  I laughed.

  “Oh yeah, come on in. Let’s get this party started.”

  Everyone followed me into the kitchen. I turned and spread my arms wide in a big flourish.

  “Welcome to the Best Friends Lab. Can’t believe I have my three BFFs here with me. This will be the best night ever.”

  “Wow, Jada,” Simone said, checking out the decorations. “This is a lot of . . . science. Cool lab.”