Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
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.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|
Children's Literature - Children's Literature
Young readers will enjoy meeting Judy Moody--and her many moods--in this funny, easy-to-read chapter book. Judy has a little brother named "Stink," a bug-eating pet plant named "Jaws" and a roomful of "stuff" collections. She has a best friend, Rocky. AND a 'pest' friend--paste-eating, dull-as-dirt Frank Pearl. Judy's adventures begin on the first day of third grade when her new teacher, Mr. Todd, asks each student to create a ME collage. This puts Judy into a happy, cut-and-paste mood! But, it's also the day that Frank Pearl invites Judy to be the one-and-only girl at his upcoming just-for-nerds birthday party. Ouch--Judy gets a stubborn, grouchy mood attack! Readers will laugh along with Judy's moods, good and bad, as she discovers that sometimes the "Worst Thing Ever" corner of your ME collage can bump right against your "Funniest Thing Ever" spot...and that sometimes a 'pest' friend can put you in the best of moods. Adding immensely to the fun of this book are Peter Reynolds' funny, squiggly, pen-and-ink drawings, which have been sprinkled liberally throughout the text. 2000, Candlewick Press, Ages 8 to 11, $15.99. Reviewer: Dianne Ochiltree
School Library Journal
Gr 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.|
Kirkus Reviews
Changeable 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)
From the Publisher
The book itself has a look as fresh as its heroine . . .The book opens . . . with a hilarious spread in pen-and-ink wash . . . the dialogue is spot-on . . . It's hard to imagine a mood Judy couldn't improve.
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
...[T]his 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) . . . 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.
—Booklist
Changeable skies arch over a third-grader's moodscape in this easy-reading chapter book . . . Reynolds's black-and-white washes are perfectly placed to track Judy's ups and downs . . . Surefire fare for Cleary, Kline, and Hurwitz fans.
—Kirkus Reviews
McDonald's offbeat humor coupled with expressive black-and-white cartoonlike illustrations make Judy, her family, and her friends both appealing and realistic.
—The Horn Book Guide
Fans of Beverly Cleary and the Amber Brown books should appreciate this fresh, energetic series about an irresistibly willful third grader.
—FamilyFun
Judy is just, well, intense, in that at-odds-with-the-whole-world way typical of third graders . . . this large-type chapter book is immensely funny . . . Fuming all the way, Judy Moody rules.
—FamilyFun
