Abrams is introducing a new protagonist to its bestselling The Questioneers series, written by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts, which has been published in 25 languages and has sold more than six million copies worldwide.
Billie Jean Peet, Athlete, whose cover is seen here for the first time, centers on the non-musical middle child in a family of musicians who can’t find her niche, until a mistake on the basketball court leads to an unexpected revelation. Abrams will release the title on September 30 with an announced first printing of 250,000 copies.
Billie Jean follows in the footsteps of earlier gifted Questioneers characters, beginning with Iggy Peck, Architect in 2007. The series has expanded to encompass six additional picture books, seven chapter books, six nonfiction early readers, five project books, and two tie-in picture books to the Emmy Award–winning Netflix show Ada Twist, Scientist, for which Beaty and Roberts serve as executive producers.
An Athlete Takes Center Stage
Beaty and Roberts have built the series organically, in turn spotlighting classmates who have appeared in earlier books. “David draws every kid as a real person complete with a personality,” the author explained, “but he never tells me what that is! So, I scour each book for tiny clues, and the stories grow from there.”
To flesh out the character of Billie Jean Peet, Beaty was inspired by the girl’s clothing tag that always sticks up, long energetic braids, headphones, and springy shoes, which catapult her off the page in Rosie Revere, Engineer.
“These added up to a slightly chaotic, music-loving kid full of kinetic energy,” Beaty recalled. “It felt right that she would be a basketball player. Basketball is high-energy, which can seem chaotic, and has its own kind of music. Billie Jean’s enthusiasm often outpaces her skill and this frustrates her. Plus, she compares herself to her siblings and classmates, who know exactly where they fit in—or so she thinks.”
Asked to assess The Questioneers’ success over almost two decades, Beaty pinpoints several factors. “David and I both share the same philosophy: use the exact language or image the story requires, be it sophisticated, subtle, or extremely silly, or all three at once; and always respect the reader. We have never changed anything because it was too complex for young readers—they figure it out. And the biggest thing is that readers connect emotionally with the characters and can imagine themselves as architects, artists, scientists, or athletes.”
Pamela Notarantonio, VP and creative director at Abrams, who was the book and cover designer for Billie Jean Peet, Athlete and three earlier Questioneers titles, noted that the cover design plays an important role for the series. “A bold color and large title type immediately differentiates each book as a unique story showcasing an individual character, while the series design elements tie all of the books together,” she said. “Each color scheme is chosen to ensure that it is meaningful to the main character and their story, because colors will eventually be used to identify that character throughout the rest of the series and the marketing campaigns.”
Collaborating with Beaty and Roberts on The Questioneers has been one of the highlights of Notarantonio’s 11-year tenure at Abrams. “David is an illustration genius and Andrea is a lyrical mastermind,” she said. “I am in awe working with this dynamic duo.”
The Questioneers: Billie Jean Peet, Athlete by Andrea Beaty, illus. by David Roberts. Abrams, $19.99 Sept. 30 ISBN 978-1-4197-7574-1
