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McDonald's (the Beezy books) comical novel introduces the entertainingly mercurial Judy Moody. The book itself has a look as fresh as its heroine (a compact trim size and an inventive jacket design die-cut that reveals the bright green and orange of the cover below). From the start, Judy devises intriguing solutions to her dilemmas. The book opens on the first day of third grade, with a hilarious spread in pen-and-ink wash showing only Judy's feet sticking up from her bed as her mother attempts to rouse her from the doorway. What to wear? Judy has no T-shirt to rival her classmates' shirts touting their exotic summer destinations, so the heroine decorates a plain white T with a drawing of a shark and the words """"I Ate a Shark."""" For a """"Me collage"""" at school, she insists that her cat, Mouse, is too old to qualify for the """"My Favorite Pet"""" slot; unable to find a two-toed sloth, she purchases a Venus flytrap and proceeds to overfeed it raw hamburger. Her relationship to her best friend, Rocky, and her second-grade brother, Stink, also propel the plot in diverting directions, and the dialogue is spot-on (e.g., when aspiring doctor Judy gets her kit in the mail, Stink asks, """"Why can't I ever be Elizabeth Blackwell, First Woman Doctor?"""" and she responds, """"For one thing, you're a boy""""). It's hard to imagine a mood Judy couldn't improve. Ages 6-9. (Apr.)
ALA BooklistJudy Moody is in a bad mood the first day of school, certain third grade won't be as fun as second. Being assigned a front-row seat, beside yucky Frank Eats-Paste Pearl, isn't encouraging, although things improve when her teacher assigns an intriguing Me collage, and Judy gets a new pet, a Venus Flytrap. There's always some trial to contend with, from pesky brother Stink to being the only girl at a birthday party, but sometimes the worst events--or people--turn out better than expected. Deceptively hefty, this beginning chapter book features large type; simple, expressive prose and dialogue; and plenty of child-appealing humor. Children will enjoy lively Judy and her diverse hobbies and adventures with best-friend Rocky. They'll also like the witty, detailed drawings (especially the picture of Judy's unique collage, a nice activity idea), contributed by Peter Reynolds. An entertaining story that portrays challenges and pleasures from a kid's perspective, and shows how making the best of things can have surprising rewards. (Reviewed July 2000)
Horn BookJudy Moody discovers that being in third grade brings a new set of challenges, including the creation of a "Me collage" that showcases her feelings, family members, and favorite activities. McDonald's offbeat humor coupled with expressive black-and-white cartoonlike illustrations make Judy, her family, and her friends both appealing and realistic.
Kirkus ReviewsChangeable skies arch over a third-grader's moodscape in this easy-reading chapter book from the versatile McDonald ( The Night Iguana Left Home , 1999, etc). Whether it's having to sit next to Frank "Eats Paste" Pearl on the first day of school, having a toad relieve itself in her hand, or playing the role of a cavity at the Brush Your Teeth Week assembly while her little brother Stink gets to tour the White House, something is always putting Judy into a grouchy mood, at least for a while. The author casts her appealing protagonist with equally appealing friends, plus a brother who not only holds his own, but also has a redeeming ability to take a practical joke. She brings the episodic story to a satisfying climax in which Judy, instead of throwing a tantrum, resourcefully rescues her homework, a painstakingly constructed collage, after Stink accidentally splashes it with purple juice. Reynolds's black and white washes are perfectly placed to track Judy's ups and downs, though parts of the full spread scenes do vanish into the gutter. Surefire fare for Cleary, Kline, and Hurwitz fans. (Fiction. 8-10)
School Library JournalGr 2-4-Judy Moody is grumpy. She hates the thought of summer ending and dreads starting third grade, until her new teacher asks each student to create a "Me" collage to share with the class. Then she can't wait to tell about her new pet-a Venus flytrap that eats bugs and hamburger, the T.P. (Toad Pee) Club initiation, and how she ate a shark over the summer. Judy's second-grade brother Stink and her friend Rock are major figures in the story as is her nemesis, Frank Pearl. Judy is independent, feisty, and full of energy, a delightful new character for beginning chapter-book readers. Reynolds has captured her personality in his humorous illustrations done in watercolor, tea, and pen and ink.-Janie Schomberg, Leal Elementary School, Urbana, IL Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
Starred Review for Publishers Weekly
ALA Booklist
Horn Book
Kirkus Reviews
School Library Journal
"Hello, Mr. Toad," said Judy. She cracked herself up.
"Class, please hang your backpacks on the hooks and put your lunches in the cubbies," said Mr. Todd.
Judy Moody looked around the classroom. "Do you have a porcupine named Roger?" Judy asked Mr. Todd.
"No, but we have a turtle named Tucson. Do you like turtles?"
She liked turtles! But she caught herself just in time. "No. I like toads." Judy cracked up again.
"Rocky, your seat is over by the window, and Judy, yours is right up front," said Mr. Todd.
"I knew it," said Judy. She surveyed her new front-row desk. It didn't have an armadillo sticker with her name on it.
Guess Who sat across the aisle from her. Frank Eats-Paste Pearl. He glanced at Judy sideways, then bent his thumb all the way back, touching his wrist. Judy rolled her tongue like a hot dog back at him.
"You like sharks too?" he asked, passing her a small white envelope with her name on it.
Ever since they had danced the Maypole together in kindergarten, this boy would not leave her alone. In first grade, Frank Pearl sent her five valentines. In second grade, he gave her a cupcake on Halloween, on Thanksgiving, and on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Now, on the first day of third grade, he gave her a birthday party invitation. Judy checked the date inside-his birthday was not for three weeks! Even a real shark would not scare him off.
"Can I look inside your desk?" asked Judy. He moved to one side. No sign of paste.
Mr. Todd stood in front of the class. GINO'S EXTRA-CHEESE PIZZA was printed in large letters on the board.
"Are we having extra-cheese pizza for lunch?" Judy asked.
"For Spelling." Mr. Todd held his finger to his lips like it was a secret. "You'll see."
Then he said, "Okay! Third grade! Listen up! We're going to try something
different to kick off the year, as a way of getting to know one another. This year, each of you will make your own Me collage. All about YOU. You can draw or cut out pictures and paste things to your collage that tell the class what makes you YOU."
A Me collage! It sounded fun to Judy, but she didn't say so.
"We don't have to draw a map of our family, then?" asked Jessica Finch.
"I'm passing out a list of ideas for things you might include, like your family. I'm also giving everyone a folder for collecting the things you want to put on your collage. We'll work on these as we have time over the next month. At the end of September, you'll each get a chance to tell the class about YOU."
All through Language Arts and Social Studies, Judy thought about one thing-herself. Judy Moody, star of her own Me collage. Maybe third grade wasn't so bad after all.
"Okay, everybody. Time for Spelling."
"Yuck. Spelling," Judy said under her breath, remembering her bad mood.
"Yuck. Spelling," Frank Pearl agreed. Judy squinched her eyebrows at him.
"Take out a piece of paper and write down five spelling words you can find hidden in the words on the board, GINO'S EXTRA-CHEESE PIZZA."
"Cool Spelling, huh?" said a note passed to Judy by Frank.
"No," she wrote back on her hand, flashing it at him.
Judy took out her brand-new package of Grouchy pencils with mad faces on them. GROUCHY pencils-for completely impossible moods, said the package. Ever see a pencil that looks like it got up on the wrong side of the bed?
Perfect. The new Grouchy pencil helped her think. She found the words TREE, TEXAS, and TAXI hidden in Mr. Todd's spelling on the board. But instead she wrote down 1)NO 2)NO 3)NO 4)NO 5)NO.
"Who would like to tell the class five words they came up with?" asked Mr. Todd.
Judy's hand shot up.
"Judy?"
"NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!" said Judy.
"That's one word. I need four more. Come up and write them on the board."
Judy Moody did not write TREE, TEXAS, and TAXI. Instead she wrote RAT and GNAT.
"How about BRAT?" called Rocky.
"There's no B," said Frank Pearl.
TIGER, wrote Judy.
"One more word," said Mr. Todd.
SPIT, wrote Judy.
"Can you use any of those words in a sentence, Judy?" asked Mr. Todd.
"The tiger spit on the rat and the gnat."
The whole class cracked up. Frank laughed so hard he snorted.
"Are you in a bad mood today?" asked Mr. Todd.
"ROAR," said Judy Moody.
"That's too bad," said Mr. Todd. "I was just about to ask who wants to go
down to the office and pick up the pizza. It's a welcome-back surprise."
"Pizza? Pizza! For real?" The room buzzed with excitement.
Judy Moody wanted to be the one to pick up the pizza. She wanted to be the one to open the box. She wanted to be the one who got to keep the little three-legged plastic table that kept the box top from sticking to the pizza.
"So. Who would like to pick up the pizza today?" asked Mr. Todd.
"Me!" yelled Judy. "Me! Me! Me! Me! Me!" everyone shouted at once, waving their hands like windmills in the air.
Rocky raised his hand without saying a word.
"Rocky, would you like to pick up the pizza?"
"Sure!" said Rocky.
"Luck-y!" Judy said.
JUDY MOODY by Megan McDonald. Copyright (c) 2000 by Megan McDonald. Published by Candlewick Press, Inc., Cambridge, MA.
Excerpted from Judy Moody by Megan McDonald
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
"Judy Moody was in a mood. Not a good mood. A bad mood. A mad-faced mood."
To start, Judy Moody doesn't have high hopes for third grade. Her new desk won't have an armadillo sticker with her name on it. Her new classroom will not have a porcupine named Roger. And with her luck, she'll get stuck sitting in the first row, where Mr. Todd will notice every time she tries to pass a note to her best friend, Rocky. An aspiring doctor, Judy does have a little brother who comes in handy for practicing medicine, a cool new pet, and a huge Band-Aid collection.
Judy also has an abundance of individuality and attitude, and when Mr. Todd assigns a very special class project, she really gets a chance to express herself! Megan McDonald's spirited text and Peter Reynolds's wry illustrations combine in a feisty, funny first chapter book for every kid who has ever felt a little out of sorts.