Judy Moody

McDonald, Megan. Judy Moody. Illustrated by Peter Reynolds. Candlewick Press, 2006.160 pages. $12.99. ISBN 9780763606855. 

Summary:

Judy Moody is a third grader who has the usual assortment of problems: a tagalong younger brother, Stink; a boy in her class who wants to be her friend, Robert; and days that just don’t seem to go right for her. Judy Moody is a girl who has believable but surmountable problems and clever ideas that sometimes get her into trouble. This first book in the series introduces us to Judy, her friends, and family, setting the stage for more funny adventures to follow.

Curriculum Connections:

A solid entry in the genre of realistic fiction, this text shows a clever protagonist and her good and bad choices. Students will relate to Judy Moody and could make text-to-self reflections. Judy’s teacher has each student create a collage about themselves as a way to get to know each other at the beginning of the year; a similar activity could be another way to connect to this text and build the social fabric of the class.

Personal Reflections:

I picked up this book at the suggestion of one of the third grade girls I work with---apparently Judy Moody is BIG in her class. I enjoyed it and shared my impressions during a “lunch bunch;” we agreed that Judy is the kind of girl we could imagine knowing and we like how she thinks, even when it gets her into trouble.

Awards:

ALA Notable Children’s Book, 2001; Beverly Cleary Children’s Choice Award (OR); Garden State Children’s Book Awards (NJ).

Age/Interest Range:

8-12

Genre/Themes:

Realistic Fiction, Humor, Sibling Relationships, Family, Friends

Read-Alikes:

Allie Finkel’s Rules for Girls: Moving Day (Cabot), the Clementine series (Pennypacker), and the Ivy and Bean series (Barrows) address similar themes and feature quirky heroines with real-life problems.