Boom! (novel)
Encyclopedia
Boom! is a children's science fiction
novel by Mark Haddon
published in 2009. It is the revised version of Mark Haddon's Gridzbi Spudvetch!, which was published in 1992.
. As mentioned in Boom!, Gridzbi Spudvetch had many faults. Mark Haddon admitted that 'no one could pronounce the title and know what the story was about until they read it', and also mentioned that the book was 'full of references to floppy disk
s, cassette players and Walkman
s'. The book went rapidly out of print.
The book would have stayed out of print, but over the years several people commented about how much they loved the book. Alison Williams, the teacher of Lilac 4 from SS Philip and James Primary School in Oxford
, said she had been reading the book to her children and how much they loved it. To prove this she sent letters from the children to Mark Haddon, which were all kind and funny and very complimentary. With some inspiration Mark Haddson made a new edition, which was published in 2009 under the title Boom!.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel by Mark Haddon
Mark Haddon
Mark Haddon is an English novelist and poet, best known for his 2003 novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.- Life and work :...
published in 2009. It is the revised version of Mark Haddon's Gridzbi Spudvetch!, which was published in 1992.
Plot summary
Jim and his best friend Charlie are wondering if Jim will get sent to a school for mentally ill children because Jim's 16-year-old sister Becky said he would. This causes Jim and Charlie to decide to bug their teachers' next meeting, where they find two of the teachers speaking in a strange language. Charlie ends up being kidnapped, so Jim and Becky chase after him. It turns out that the two teachers are actually aliens.Publishing history
Gridzbi Spudvetch! was published in 1992 by Walker BooksWalker Books
Walker Books is an independent British publisher of children's books, founded in 1978 by Sebastian Walker.The success of their Where's Wally? series enabled them to expand into the American market, starting a sister company called Candlewick Press in 1991.Amelia Edwards, co-founder of Walker Books,...
. As mentioned in Boom!, Gridzbi Spudvetch had many faults. Mark Haddon admitted that 'no one could pronounce the title and know what the story was about until they read it', and also mentioned that the book was 'full of references to floppy disk
Floppy disk
A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
s, cassette players and Walkman
Walkman
Walkman is a Sony brand tradename originally used for portable audio cassette, and now used to market Sony's portable audio and video players as well as a line of Sony Ericsson mobile phones...
s'. The book went rapidly out of print.
The book would have stayed out of print, but over the years several people commented about how much they loved the book. Alison Williams, the teacher of Lilac 4 from SS Philip and James Primary School in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, said she had been reading the book to her children and how much they loved it. To prove this she sent letters from the children to Mark Haddon, which were all kind and funny and very complimentary. With some inspiration Mark Haddson made a new edition, which was published in 2009 under the title Boom!.