Megan McDonald: Judy Moody

Judy Moody is suffering from the ultimate Monday-itis — the first day of the new school year. She is in a bad mood because she just knows that all the other third-graders will be wearing T-shirts that says "Disney World" or "Sea World". Judy doesn't have any T-shirts with writing on because she didn't go anywhere exciting over summer.

However, Judy can always find a solution for her problems. When her father reveals that the fish they bought at the market was actually shark, Judy immediately finds a marker pen and designs her own shirt. It features a very toothy shark and the words "I ate a shark" in big letters. Now Judy feels ready to face the first day of school.

Judy Moody is part of a growing community of feisty, self-aware young literary heroines. Eloise (Kay Thompson) and Pippi Longstocking (Astrid Lindgren) were in the vanguard of these characters.

All these characters share a view that they are entitled to be just who they want to be, and that other people's expectations shouldn't dictate their behaviour. Endearing, exasperating and independent, they whirl through the lives of their families and friends, frequently creating havoc and nearly always having fun.

Humour plays an important role in these books and Judy Moody is no exception. Readers will rejoice in Judy's determination to do things her own way. When her teacher asks her to find five spelling words in "Gino's extra-cheese pizza", bad-mood Judy, who has in fact found a number of different words, uses her Grouchy pencil to write "No No No No No".

But even Judy Moody thinks that the class's first assignment, a "Me" collage, sounds like fun. After all, she will have the chance to star in her own project, and what could be more fascinating as a subject? The collage does present problems, however.

How can she put down a "favourite" pet when she only has one to choose from? Judy solves this by buying a new pet — a Venus fly trap that her little brother immediately feeds too much meat, creating a very smelly pot plant.

Judy Moody is the first book in a series that has won over both boys and girls. Who could resist a girl who collects dead moths, scabs, Tattoo Band-Aids and body parts (from dolls). The generous size of the text, the fast-paced story and the funky illustrations make these books very accessible to reluctant readers as well as confident readers.

Author Megan McDonald started writing as a child. The youngest of five sisters, she often couldn't get a word in edgewise during family conversations.

When she showed signs of developing a stutter, her mother took action. McDonald was given a notebook in which to write down her thoughts to make up for not being able to tell her stories to the family.

McDonald became hooked on writing and progressed from those early notebooks to the critically acclaimed Judy Moody series and a number of other books. She says she made Judy Moody an older sister because, "I wanted to know what it would be like to be in charge."

Readers will have no doubt that Judy Moody, whether in a good mood, bad mood, or going to a boring party mood, is definitely in charge of her world.

McDonald will be visiting New Zealand on October 14-15.


Publisher: Walker Books

Price: $16.99

Age: 5-10 yrs

Recommended by: Jenni Keestra

For more information contact Walker Books' Australia publicist Rachael Flamer-Caldera, email: mailto:rcaldera@walkerbooks.com.au