This review consists of two parts: 1. My daughter's review (she's 8) and 2. my review (the Mom's).DAUGHTER SAYS:I think Judy Moody is funny and I would be friends with her in real life. We have some things that are the same; like, we're both in Grade 3, we both have little brothers, and we both have a pet cat. There are some really funny parts in this book. In a spelling test, Judy has to find five words out of GINO'S EXTRA CHEESE PIZZA, she finds the words tree, Texas, and taxi, but instead she writes down 1) no, 2) no, 3) no, 4) no, and 5) no. When her teacher asks her to share her words she says "no, no, no, no, no". I found this really funny. I like the part where they find a "moon rock" and smash it to make "moon dust". Her brother Stink then sells the moon dust for 50 cents a bag. I like this club called the T.P. Club which stands for Toad Pee Club because Judy and her friend found a toad and it peed on them so they started a Toad Pee Club - but I don't really want to join that club. I like her brother Stink's crazy costume when he goes to see the President of the United States. When he gets back, Judy and her friend had stuck a fake plastic hand out of the toilet and when her brother goes to the bathroom he gets scared and yells:Hey, Dad! Mom! There's somebody in the toilet!I can't think of anything I don't like about it.I really liked this book and I would recommend it to my friends who are girls. Boys my age might also like it because Judy's friends are two boys, Rocky and Frank. I would read the next Judy Moody books.MOM SAYS:At first, I was a bit taken aback by Judy's sassiness toward her teacher. That kind of back talk would not be tolerated in our house! Then, she's just downright mean to a little boy in her class, Frank. Fortunately, Judy's character develops in a positive direction throughout the rest of the book; so, theoretically a young reader would see that once Judy loses her negative attitude, she befriends someone new, fully enjoys Grade 3, and really just becomes a better human.One of the things I particularly appreciated about this book is that Judy is portrayed (in the end) in such a way that she could be a good role model for tween girls. For example, Judy aspires to become a doctor and her role model was Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman doctor in the United States. She collects atypical items such as dead moths, scabs (ok, a bit gross!), body parts (from dolls), and Band-Aids and isn't afraid of holding toads! She won me over with the problem-solving she did after her brother dumped juice on her Me Collage the day she was to present it to the class.In the end, I really liked Judy! In fact, I felt that Judy was a rather realistic representation of 8/9 year-old girls. Yes, they are moody. Yes, they can be sassy. Yes, they would rather get soaking wet than use a "baby" umbrella. Yes, they can be mean to their little brothers/sisters. Yes, when they are not busy tormenting their younger siblings, they can be kind and compassionate. Yes, they are smart, imaginative, and groovy.IS IT JUST ME? Judy's parents go to Washington with Stink and leave Judy with Rocky presumably under his parents' supervision. Yet, Judy and Rocky sneak back into Judy's house to pull the gag on Stink - - literally waiting for him to come home so they can guide him to the bathroom. The parents don't seem surprised or concerned that the two kids are in the house unsupervised. Ok, so two 8/9 year olds are in a house alone unsupervised - - does anyone else have a problem with this? Just asking...Oh, and while Clementine gets in trouble calling her brother vegetable names, apparently Judy has the go-ahead from her parents to call her little brother Stink! Really?! Derogatory nicknames are ok?! Weren't there other nicknames available?While Judy is not exactly as charming as Clementine, I still did like her overall. The author cleverly uses the first book in the series to introduce us to Judy through the Me Collage project. Judy has moods - so do most girls that age! I feel she does redeem herself by the end of the book and therefore I would recommend this book to girls up to 9 years old. The book has many illustrations which are excellent and the text is not particularly dense therefore it probably would not be very challenging to read for older tweens. I think boys in the same age range may like this book as Judy is not a typical girlie-girl and her friends in the book are boys. I reserve the right to change my rating if I read the next books in the series and find Judy's character deteriorating.For the full review and for other reviews of children's books. Please visit us at www.motherdaughterbookreviews.com
I finished this in a very short time, but in that span of time, I got a whole lot out of it. This is Judy Moody's first book. We're introduced to this girl, who isn't like your average girl. She's different. As the cover states, "Judy Moody was in a mood. Not a good mood. A bad mood." Judy is certainly different. She has grouchy pencils (which I want!), hundreds of cool band-aids and a set goal in mind for her future. It's nice reading about a 3rd grader set on becoming a doctor and already preparing for it. Then again, I didn't really imagine her as a 3rd grader. More like a 10-12 year old. Mhmm.There were many sub-stories in this first book, but they all worked. They were all fun. The main storyline was about Judy Moody and the rest of her classmates being assigned a project- The ME Collage. The rest of the chapters are her discovering things about herself and adding more things to her project. The ending was really sweet. It proved that Judy isn't a spoiled brat and is actually down-to-earth.The situations are also very realistic. Though not all of us has got that spunk that Judy possesses, but I'm sure that we've all interacted with people the way Judy's done. From her slowly letting a person in her life (Frank Pearl) and her arguments with her little brother. It shows that Judy Moody isn't a perfect girl in her own perfect world. She's encountered lots of problems and obstacles, but she doesn't let that stop her. She goes in with life, fighting and being the best that she can be BECAUSE in her eyes, she is indeed the best.This entertaining book teaches us the importance of friendship, of family, of self-identity and how life doesn't always go the way you want it to, but you just gotta deal with it. That's a lot for a book aimed for children. Great book.
What do You think about Judy Moody (2010)?
Judy Moody, c2000, Megan McDonaldعنوان: جودی انجمن مخفی تشکیل میدهد؛ نویسنده: مگان مک دونالد؛ تصویرگر: پیتر اچ. رینولدز؛ مترجم: محبوبه نجف خانی؛ مشخصات نشر: تهران، نشر افق، چاپ نخست 1385، در 108 ص، مصور، از سری: جلد 1 از 12 جلد جودی دمدمی؛ گروه سنی: ج، شابک: 9789643693497؛ موضوع: کتابهای کودکان، داستانهای تخیلی، ماجرایی، داستان خواهران و برادران
—Ahmad Sharabiani
Judy is not happy about starting third grade, where she just knows she will have to sit next to Frank again. Frank, who eats paste and who gave her five valentines in kindergarten, cupcakes on numerous holidays in first grade, and who indeed is in the seat next to her when she arrives in her third grade classroom, and immediately passes her an invitation to his birthday party. Sheesh!Plus, unlike all the kids, she doesn't have a shirt that says something, like Orlando, or Paris, or... anything! But, according to her dad, she DID eat a shark that they got at the farmer's market, which inspires her own homemade shirt design...And if that weren't bad enough, there's no class porcupine, and no class trip to D.C., like there was last year. But there will be a cool collage project all about Judy, a new club that involves toad-holding, and a new perspective on Frank. It turns out that the paste eating was a one-time thing done on a dare, which is not nerdy, but COOL!I enjoyed Judy and her scrappy spirit. She is a fine successor to Ramona. Plus, the book, with its amusing illustrations and chunky format was appealing to look at and hold. I give this one a big thumbs-up for ages 6 and up!
—Jackie "the Librarian"
Meet Judy. Judy is in a mood all the time. Not a good mood though, she doesn't like anything, or if she does, she makes sure no one knows about it. Judy Moody is constantly grumpy, never with a smile on her face and forever annoyed with her little brother, or little 'bother' as she likes to call him, Stink. It is a new year at school, which means a new class and a new teacher. Judy is not happy. But when class teacher Mr Toad, sorry I mean Mr Todd, sets their first project; to do a 'Me' collage, Judy almost has so much fun she nearly forgets that she's supposed to be in a bad mood all the time.Throughout the story's short chapters Judy Moody tackles the different areas of her 'Me' collage. Judy decides what could possibly be her favourite pet when the only pet she has is an old cat called Mouse who is scared of everything. She founds the TP Club with her best friend Rocky, but does not let anyone know what the TP stands for. And Judy learns to tolerate Frank Eats-Paste Pearl, the most irritating boy she has ever known, until she finds that they actually have more in common than she first thought.This book is a funny read for children age 7-10. Its adventurous antics and comical mishaps will keep the reader engaged in the book. The reader can relate to the characters in the story because they are age appropriate and resemble real life, for example, everyone knows what its like to have an annoying little brother and readers will know just how it feels to be in one of Judy Moody's moods! The illustrations bring the story to life and are a great tool for children that are starting to read independently. In the classroom this book would be great to have on a shelf for independent readers but would also be fun to read to a class. Its comical value and expression could be fully conveyed by the teacher, promoting maximum impact on the children listening.
—Jessica Hall
