Publisher Description

Eliza Boom--assistant inventor, junior spy, and full-on fantastic--investigates a case of puppy love in this second book of a chapter book series packed with jokes, doodles, and dear-diary secrets! When Einstein, Eliza's faithful (and furry) lab assistant and best friend (and dog), falls in love with the next door neighbor's dog, Eliza only wants to help smooth the path to happiness for the canine pair. Unfortunately, the new neighbor, Mrs. McNice, seems to have other ideas. In fact, Eliza is convinced that Mrs. McNice isn't as nice as she seems. But no one will believe her. Can Eliza invent the perfect gadget to help her reveal the truth? Or is Einstein's budding romance doomed to failed puppy love?

Author Biography

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. Joëlle Dreidemy can't remember the first time she started drawing...maybe the first time she picked up a pencil! She spent her childhood among books from Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake, Tony Ross, Ralph Steadman, and others who influenced her style. Joelle studied art at the famous Emile Cohl School in Lyon, France, where she met fantastic and motivating teachers like Yves Got and Jean Claverie. She now lives in Paris illustrating projects for French, English, American, and Korean publishers. When not drawing, Joelle practices karate, plays piano, and goes to museums and the movies.

Excerpt from Book

My Super-Spy Diary Monday Morning My Lab, 7 a.m. Dear Edison, I've lost my guinea pig. I know what you'll say: Let me explain. It all has to do with my new invention. Lately I've discovered that I can invent POTIONS as well as GADGETS. My first potion was for my best friend, Amy. She desperately needed my help. Amy's mom had washed her hair in mayonnaise after reading on the Internet that it kills lice. Result: STINKY! So I decided to create Egg-Away Shampoo (Potion No. 1) for Amy. I thought about what girls smell like . . . . . . and used all those things in my potion. (Sometimes I smell of dog hair too, but I decided not to put any in the potion!) Finally, we were ready for testing. Step 1: Saturate test material (wet Amy's hair). Step 2: Apply substance (rub in the shampoo). Step 3: Flush excess substance (rinse it all off). Step 4: Dehydrate test material (dry Amy's hair). Result: FANTASTIC! Then I discovered that someone else had a smelly problem. Alice, my stepmom, was complaining nonstop about Einstein's stink. She's got a nose for trouble. Probably because she's a spy and strange smells are SUSPICIOUS. Although Dad's a brilliant inventor, he's much too busy to make doggy shampoo. So it was up to me to save the day, and our noses. Einstein and I got to work in my lab. First we needed thinking time. I put on some music to help us relax--I always have my best ideas when I'm relaxed. THE MUSIC WORKED! I knew exactly what should go into the potion. Since Einstein is one of the family, he should smell like all of us! Potion No. 2: Poochie-Pooh Solution Ingredients: 1. My toothpaste 2. Dad's shaving cream 3. Plum's diaper-rash cream (only smells nice in the tube, not on her bottom) 4. Alice's face cream It was time for testing. But first I had to ask Einstein a very important question. Not a REAL guinea pig, of course! Guinea pig is the name you give to someone you're testing an invention on. I knew Poochie-Pooh was going to be fantastic . . . it felt lovely and fizzy on my head. FIZZ-TASTIC! The trouble started when we got to "Step 3: Flush excess substance." Einstein HATES lots of water. So that's how I lost my guinea pig. And now I REALLY NEED to find him. Yours with fizz-tastic hair, Eliza Boom Junior Potions Master

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