My Explosive Diary

Emily Gale

Book 1 of Eliza Boom

Language: English

Publisher: Aladdin

Published: Dec 31, 2013

Description:

Meet Eliza Boom—assistant inventor, junior spy, and full-on fantastic—as she tells all in this first book of a chapter book series packed with jokes, doodles, and dear-diary secrets!

Eliza Boom is having a blast. Her father is an inventor who makes gadgets for spies, and Eliza is his unofficial assistant…very unofficial.

Eliza knows if she can just build that one indispensable thing that every secret agent needs, she can be a full-fledged spy herself, but somehow her inventions keep going wrong. Still, with her best friend (well, dog), Einstein, she’s not going to give up.

When Eliza’s father loses a top-secret roll of film, Eliza realizes that she might have accidentally given it to class bully Zoe Wakefield, the Queen of Mean. Eliza’s got to retrieve the film, which Zoe is using as a hair bow, before enemy spies get to it. Luckily she’s got Einstein as well as her own brand-new assistant (and friend), Amy, to help her.

Can these three would-be 007s get the film, stop the spies, and get revenge on the class bully? There’s only one way to find out—and that’s to read Eliza’s diary!

**

### From School Library Journal

Gr 2–5—Eliza Boom is a quirky young inventor who spends her days constructing gadgets with her best friend and dog, Einstein. Eliza takes after her father, also an inventor, whom she believes is employed by spies. Her father flies into a panic when he realizes a strip of top-secret spy film is lost. Eliza, mistaking the film for a ribbon, gave it to the class bully, Zoe. Through a series of zany plans involving gadgets, Eliza attempts to recover her dad's missing film. The book contains lessons on dealing with bullying. Eliza first tries to extend kindness toward Zoe, but her efforts are rejected. Ultimately, Eliza befriends Amy, another of Zoe's victims. The two discover they have a lot in common and become close friends, demonstrating that there often is help available to those dealing with a bully. Written in diary form, each chapter represents a different entry. Pencil drawings enhance the story and add to the whimsical feel of the book. Eliza has a fun voice that will appeal to newly independent readers.—Tiffany Davis, Mount Saint Mary College, Newburgh, NY

### About the Author

Emily Gale lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her partner, two children, and two cats. Before that she was a freelance writer in London, publishing a fictional magazine column and several picture books including *Doctor Pig* and the Just Josie series.