Customer Reviews

Judy Moody (Book #1)

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Judy Moody is a wonderful book - thought provoking, adventurous... and funny! Not only will readers have fun learning about Judy and her moods, but they'll also learn how Judy deals with her moods. Luckily Judy is quite a creative thinker, which helps her turn some of the "worst things ever" into some of the best things ever. The illustrations are absolutely fabulous - very whimsical and playful... a perfect fit for the story!

As a guidance counselor, I can already see many ways to use Judy Moody with kids in my work - from discussing "moods", problem solving, and friendships, to self-awareness through the "All-About-Me" project. This book will appeal to both boys and girls alike - a must for every library, classroom, and family bookshelf!

After your young child has devoured his or her fill of "Junie B. Jones" books and has gobbled up the entire "Amber Brown" series without so much as breathing, it can be hard to know where to go next. The answer is a series that I like to consider child-driven. You'll never hear adult praising the magnificence of "Judy Moody" books. Parents don't think to recommend her and educators have entirely missed out on her appearance in their students' hands. Kids, however, request her by name. They ask frantically where the "Judy Moody" books can be found and heaven help you if you're a children's librarian caught not knowing who she is. I, for the longest time, sort of lumped her together with the "Molly Moon" books (which I had also not read). A quick perusal of both was enough to cure me of THAT little quirk. Now when a kid asks me for "Judy Moody" stories, I know they're just looking for books about an average little girl who has some normal adventures and some extraordinary spunk.

Judy wakes up the first day of school in a mood. "Not a good mood. A bad mood. A mad-face mood". Fortunately, there's more to the story than that. Meeting your heroine right off the bat when she's woken up on the wrong side of the bed doesn't show you the good side of Judy initially. At first, she's a cranky crochety gal who's little brother bugs her, who makes fun of her teacher's name, and who can't stand her eternal crushee, Frank Pearl. "Ever since they had danced the Maypole together in kindergarten, this boy would not leave her alone". Fortunately, teacher Mr. Todd has a wonderful assignment for the class. They are to make a Me collage. On it, they will show items that explain who they are as a person. Judy is intrigued and the book follows her as she sets off to figure out what her favorite pet is (*hint* it's green, has teeth, and finds spiders delicious), what the worst thing to happen to her was, what she finds funny, etc. Along the way, Judy learns that there's more to Frank Pearl than meets the eye and that even her brother's mistakes can be turned into something good.

There is nothing about Megan McDonald's creation to necessarily set her apart from the pack. She doesn't have divorced parents like "Amber Brown" or deal with issues in any way. Judy isn't as young as "Junie B. Jones" either, so her problems are a little more mature. The thing about Judy is that she's got personality. Judy likes to use the word, "rare" rather than "cool", which actually kinda works. She collects things obsessively and when she is not feeling particularly perky she shows it by proclaiming, "ROAR". I enjoyed the sections in which Judy interacted with her brother and Frank Pearl. Her brother does typical annoying-little-brother stuff, but McDonald sometimes (and unexpectedly) takes his side when Judy acts just a bit too mean. Likewise, Frank Pearl turns out to be a pretty cool guy, if you ignore the fact that he once ate paste on a dare.

For those kids who haven't quite graduated onto the "Anastasia Krupnik" books of Lois Lowry or the "Alice" series by Phyllis Naylor, "Judy Moody" fills a gap. Judy will never be as well remembered as "Ramona", but she has a style entirely of her own. I can see why both boys and girls alike are enjoying her tales.

I recently read this book with my 8 year old son for the bookclub we are in through his school library, and we loved it. He was intent on not reading it at first because he thought it was a "girls book", but when we finished it the other day he was actually disappointed. I found it to be heartwarming and funny. Especially her turnaround in feelings about the "eats paste" kid and the TP club. He seemed to enjoy it a lot, you will too.

Judy Moody is a humorous book that will keep you reading for long moments at a time.When our class read this book I was practically rolling all over the floor I was laughing so hard. The part that was my favorite was the time Judy played a trick on her brother, Stink. All in all, Judy Moody is a brilliantly written and illustrated book !

The first book in the Judy Moody series is a quick, reasonably humorous read that follows the escapades of third-grader Judy as she goes pet shopping, lectures her younger brother, Stink, about moon rocks, and even goes to the birthday party of her nemesis, Frank Who Eats Paste, all while searching for just the right stories and items for her Me Collage.

The younger readers who use our library quite like this book and the ones that come after it. It doesn't have much depth, though -- even for juvenile lit., the characters are somewhat flat, and the episodes tend to lurch toward their conclusions. Kids looking for another chapter book fix will probably read this and enjoy it, but it likely won't stay in their memory when it's over.

"Judy Moody has them all!" Which mood will she have today? Judy Moody is a bright story with enthusiastic spunk! This hilarious story is so funny, you'll fall over laughing! When our teacher, Ms. Pandiani, opened the book, it was like a golden ray of light just opened my heart up. All the beautiful pictures and words fit in perfectly, like puzzle pieces. People will fall in love with the book, as I did..... "What will she do?", "Please don't let her....", "Oh no, I think I know what's coming next!" Then, I suddenly realize we're out of time! I wish Judy Moody would last forever! I recommend this book to people of all ages! :-)

Every parent and teacher of third grade children should read this book to themselves then with the kids! What a fresh perspective of childhood from a grown-up. This is the way eight year olds talk, think, and act. I see it daily in the halls at school. Judy Moody sees and tells about life in a way that makes the reader laugh out loud, moan over toads, and remember all of the joys of being eight. Friendships gained, little brothers tolerated and mysterious parents all combine to make this book a must for every home and school library. The faculty and staff of our school love it so much that our copy of Judy Moody, which arrived last week, is already showing signs of wear and tear.

What a treat! NOt only to read this awesomely playful novel but also to be asked to illustrate it! I remember when I was eight, picture books were layed to rest and chapter books were next, but they often lacked art, so I WAS DETEREMINED to stuff this one FULL of art! Candlewick did an amazing job packaging the book. It feels like a little box of chocolates! Enjoy and savor. There's more Moody on the way!

I am a student at Waldron Mercy.(KMM)Judy Moody is a super sassy 3rd grader. She has a mom,a dad,a little "gets his nose into everything" brother named Stink,a best friend named Rocky,and a pet cat named Mouse.Judy Moody was in a mood. Not a great good one at that. She was in a mad mood. She was in a mad mood because she knew that it was the first day of school. Judy knew thatshe was going to sit in the front seat where her teacher Mr.Tod could see her. So Judy can't pass notes to her best friend Rocky. Her techer Mr.Tod gives them an assignment to make a poster about themselves. The poster has to have what they like to eat, what they like to play etc. Judy does not know what to do for her poster.One of the questions Mr.Tod gave them was "What is your favorite pet?" The pet that Judy has is an old lazy cat named Mouse. Judy Moody begs and begs to her parents for a new pet. After all the beging and beging her perents say yes to Judy. Judy, her dad and her little brother Stink, go to the pet store to get her a pet. When Judy walks in she sees the best pet of all time. She runs for it and picks it up. She asked her dad if she can get it. Judy's dad says,"Yes." To find out what Judy picked read the book "Judy Moody Was in a Mood. Not a Good Mood, A Bad Mood." I liked this book because it was well written, and it was funny. I would recommnend this book to any 4-5 grader.

I am transribing for my son who needs his voice heard. "I thought that Juudy Moody had a bad expereince on the first day of school. I related to the school part, as I go to school, too. My favorite part was her crazy collage. I made one, too. We hung it in my room. The book's illustration are only black and white. However, I do not find this disappointing. I like the character Frank; his room is filled with weird collections. I would would definitely recommend this book and other Judy Moody books as well."