Meet Eliza Boom, junior spy and inventor extraordinaire

We chat with Eliza Boom about where she gets ideas for her experiments, her favourite books and her best friend Einstein.


I imagine that being a junior spy / inventor extraordinaire equals quite a busy life! Can you describe to us a regular day for you?

I know it’s time for me to get up when I hear Einstein’s tummy rumbling. I mean my dog, by the way, not the famous scientist. After I’ve fed Einstein I have to do my thinking. The tricky thing about being an inventor as well as a normal kid is that I still have to go to school and do other boring things like tidy my room and have swimming lessons.

One day I’ll be like my dad and stay in my lab ALL DAY inventing things. His lab is a garden shed. Mine is my bedroom.

At school I avoid the meanies and hang out with my friend Amy, who is almost as good at spying and inventing as I am. But not quite, because she hasn’t had as much practice. I am quite good at school but sometimes get distracted thinking about my inventions. I take my diary everywhere because it’s very important to keep track of things when you are an inventor/spy.

After school I play with my baby sister, Plum, and I rub Einstein’s tummy for at least half an hour. My stepmum Alice usually nags me to do things, which used to annoy me until I found out her awesome secret.

I try to invent at least three really cool things every day. At night, the second last thing I do is write in my diary. And the very last thing I do is give Einstein a kiss.

(You can find out what Alice’s secret is in )


How do you come up with ideas for all your experiments?

My favourite place to have ideas is in my lab/bedroom. It’s important to be upside down because it helps me think. But I can’t always be in a quiet room upside down so I have do some thinking while I’m in Maths lesson or running down the street or walking my dog or when I’m supposed to be doing my homework. Sometimes I come up with the ideas and the rest of the time the ideas come and find me.


Sometimes your experiments fail. How do you deal with that?

My dad says that for every great experiment there are 99 that didn’t work. My dad has invented at least 50 great things which means he has … a lot of experiments that went wrong. It is quite stressful. He is bald now and that might be why. I have loads of hair so I think it must be going quite well. The best way to deal with something going wrong is to quickly go and invent something else. Or cuddle your dog.


Einstein is your best friend. Can you tell us a little about him?

He’s the best. Sometimes he is the only one who really understands me. Einstein is extremely smart but that is not so obvious to everyone else. Like me, he’s a bit scruffy. Unlike me, he really enjoys burying things. That gets us into all sorts of trouble.


Do you have any hot tips for other kids interested in being spies or inventors?

Yes, I have quite a lot of tips.

  1. Don’t spy on your friends.
  2. Don’t spy on your neighbours, unless they are extremely suspicious. (This happens to me in My Fizz-Tastic Investigation.)
  3. Find a good thinking position (e.g. Upside down).
  4. Don’t be afraid of mistakes. They are not monsters.
  5. It is good to take advice or help from other people.
  6. Try not to blow stuff up.

Do you like reading? What are some of your favourite books?

I like to read about witches, spies and scientists. Some of my favourite books are: The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy, Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh, Judy Moody Saves The World by Megan McDonald and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming. But my favourite book of all is my diary.


You can read all about Eliza’s adventures in My Explosive Adventure and My Fizz-Tastic Investigation.

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Cover image for Eliza Boom's Diary: My Explosive Adventure

Eliza Boom’s Diary: My Explosive Adventure

Emily Gale

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