> Skip to content
  • Published: 20 July 2021
  • ISBN: 9780241455449
  • Imprint: Puffin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 272
  • RRP: $14.99

The Accidental Diary of B.U.G.



This hilarious middle-grade series about unforgettable Billie Upton Green, perfect for fans of Tom Gates, marks the arrival of major new author-illustrator Jen Carney.

Meet Billie Upton Green and her VERY accidental diary - and don't you DARE call her B.U.G!

Billie has taken the new girl at school under her wing. She'll teach her the important stuff - Biscuit Laws, Mrs Patterson and of course where to sneakily eat a Jaffa Cake. She might even get invited to the EVENT OF THE YEAR (Billie's mums' are getting married).

But then suspicion sets in. The new girl seems VERY close to Billie's best friend Layla.

And she knows a LOT about the big school heist - the theft of Mrs Robinson's purse. But, Billie is on to her. Well, as long as Patrick doesn't catch her eating biscuits first.

Join Billie in this laugh-out-loud adventure!

A sparky, funny new series perfect for fans of Diary of A Wimpy Kid - Daily Mail

Jen Carney knows how to make kids laugh . . . and I mean totally unreserved roll-on-the-floor belly laugh. Billie Upton Green is a firm favourite in our house - Emma Mylrea, author of Curse of the Dearmad

  • Published: 20 July 2021
  • ISBN: 9780241455449
  • Imprint: Puffin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 272
  • RRP: $14.99

About the author

Jen Carney

Jen Carney is an author-illustrator living in Lancashire with her wife, three children and an array of
animals. She wrote her debut novel to celebrate diverse, contemporary and slightly bonkers families.

Also by Jen Carney

See all

Praise for The Accidental Diary of B.U.G.

For readers of seven-plus, Jen Carney's The Accidental Diary of BUG (Puffin) introduces sparky eponymous heroine Billie Upton Green . . . This cheery, highly illustrated diary story, more rooted in contemporary reality than Liz Pichon's Tom Gates books, is the first in a series that's sure to find devoted fans.

The Guardian

I really enjoyed reading the adventures of Billie Upton Green (not Bug!!)! Billie is a delightful and relatable character, and her escapades are both funny and heart-warming. I particularly enjoyed the inclusivity in the text, and it's a real joy to see such positive LGBTQ+ representation in children's books. Jen has written a real treat for younger readers, and the artwork is fabulous, too!

L. D. Lapinski, The Strangeworlds Travel Agency

Readers will love Billie's adventures, and her funny, doodle-filled way of sharing them, as much as they love the Dork Diaries or Wimpy Kid stories, and it's great too to see such a warm celebration of diverse family life.

Andrea, LoveReading4Kids

A sparky, funny new series perfect for fans of Diary of A Wimpy Kid.

Daily Mail

Ideal for fans of Tom Gates, or Pamela Butchart's books . . . a wonderful new series.

The Week Junior, Book of the Week

Jen Carney writes family life with warmth, nuance and a phenomenal eye for detail. Plus, she knows how to make kids laugh . . . and I mean totally unreserved roll-on-the-floor belly laugh. Billie Upton Green is a firm favourite in our house.

Emma Mylrea, author of Curse of the Dearmad

Carney's lively, upbeat Billie is a welcome inclusive addition to the world of illustrated diaries. Her two mums feel like people I know, her weariness at explaining their existence just as familiar - and Billie herself is a treat, from her passion for biscuits to her determined pursuit of the school thief. Fun, funny, and deceptively clever.

Susie Day, author of Max Kowalski Didn't Mean It

The Accidental Diary of B.U.G. is immense fun and is the first book I have read in a single sitting in a long time! It's warm, funny and has the best joke involving childbirth that you could put into a children's book!

Louie Stowell, author of Otherland

A brilliant, hilarious and heartwarming book! I'm pretty sure if I'd read this as a child it wouldn't have taken me quite so long to understand and accept my own queer identity. Amazing for normalising same-sex parenting and adoption, completely laugh-out-loud funny and a feast for the eyes with lots of fun and engaging doodles. I loved it!

Abigail Balfe, A Different Sort of Normal

Fun, funny, inclusive and warm-hearted, these books are pure, cheery joy

Sophie Anderson, author of The House with Chicken Legs

Discover more

penguin pop image
penguin pop image