JUDY MOODY MOOD MARTIAN by Megan McDonald

Judy decides she wants to be in a good mood for a whole week! This is not going to be easy for someone who gets "moody" so easily! This book is all about friendship, what to do when your friend acts like an alien, and finger knitting. A great addition to this fun series!

Judy Moody is always a winner in my book. Can't go wrong with this fun girl and her fun family and friends.

4 out of 5 stars
No AR reading level at the time of this writing

JUDY MOODY AND FRIENDS by Megan McDonald

  

Megan McDonald introduces a new transitional chapter book series starring Judy Moody and her friends. The first book focuses on Jessica Finch, her love of pigs, and a misunderstanding between Jessica and Judy (AR reading level of 2.5). The second book focuses on Rocky Zang, a magic show, and his not-so-fabulous assistant, Judy Moody (AR reading level of 2.7). The stories are fun and address the ups and downs that can come in friendships. I am excited to introduce these to my younger students who are ready to stretch their reading skills but aren't quite ready for the length of a full chapter book. Students who enjoy the Mercy Watson series and the Branches line of transitional chapter books might enjoy these. Two more books in the series will release in September. Pictures of those covers are posted below.

4 out of 5 stars

  

THE MORE THE MERRIER by Stephanie Barden

In book two of the Cinderella Smith series, Cinderella is still having issues with her former friend and neighbor, Rosemary T. This time the girls are both competing in the spelling bee, and Rosemary is saying rude things about Cinderella and her family. Cinderella tries giving Rosemary T. the silent treatment as "revenge" but it ends up making things worse rather than better.

I love Cinderella Smith! She is top of my list of great female characters alongside Fancy Nancy and Judy Moody. This is a book I can confidently recommend to girls in 2nd or 3rd grade as well as those in 5th and 6th. This story addresses the topic of bullying and "mean girls" without being heavy handed or preachy. Cinderella has a great group of friends and a wonderful family support system. I look forward to sharing this one with my students!

4 out of 5 stars
AR Reading Level of 4.3

CHAPTER BOOK: Judy Moody and the Bad Luck Charm by Megan McDonald

Judy gets a smooshed penny and is convinced it gives her good luck. She finds money, bowls three strikes, and wins three stuffed animals in The Claw game. In fact, Judy is so sure of the power of her penny, she doesn't study for the school spelling bee even though she really wants to win so she could go to Washington, DC. Before she even gets one word to spell, she drops her penny in the toilet! Is it still going to be lucky? Will she ever get to DC, the "District of Cool?"

This is a cute story about friendship, luck, hard work, and a runaway pig. I expect it will be a hit with Judy's many, many fans. My students will be hounding me to get this one in the library as soon as I can.

3 out of 5 stars
AR level of 3.1

MONDAY: Judy Moody Predicts the Future by Megan McDonald

Summary
Judy gets a mood ring but it refuses to work the way she wants it to so Stink takes it. When Judy decides she wants it back, she pretends she can predict the future to convince Stink that the ring belongs with her. Her (fake) power goes to her head, and her big prediction in front of her entire class bombs. Can Judy get a prediction right? Can she get the mood ring to turn just the perfect shade of purple?


Review
I bought a set of Judy Moody books for our school library because I love Judy and her brother, Stink. I received this book in the set and felt like I need to read it to see if it would be appropriate for our Christian school library. It is. This was a cute story. Judy's desire to predict the future and do something "magical" is a familiar desire to kids.


3 out of 5 stars
AR level of 3.1


Recommended for: Judy Moody fans


Cautions: none

MONDAY: Judy Moody Declares Independence

Summary 
A family trip to Boston inspires Judy to write her own declaration of independence. She hopes doing her chores without being asked and being nice to her brother will gain her a bigger allowance and more freedoms. But things don't quite go as she planned.

Review

I enjoyed the historical pieces about Sybil Ludington, the Revolution and the relationship between Judy and a British girl named Tori that Judy meets in Boston. Cute story.

3 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: Judy Moody fans, fans of the movie that came out this summer, kids who like reading about history.


Cautions: None.


[I am an Amazon Associate. If you link to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a small portion of the purchase price.]

MONDAY: Judy Moody, Girl Detective

Summary 
Judy is reading her way through the classic Nancy Drew mysteries which inspires her to start solving her own mysteries. When police puppy, Mr. Chips, goes missing from his locked cage, Judy and her friends and brother are on the case.

Review

Cute, fun story with great illustrations (I am a big Peter H. Reynolds fan!). I prefer Judy to Junie B. and recommend her books, without reservation, to readers between 6 and 12 years old.

4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: Nancy Drew fans, Judy Moody fans, fans of the new movie in theaters now.


Cautions: None.


[I am an Amazon Associate. If you link to Amazon from one of my blogs and buy something, I receive a small portion of the purchase price.]

TUESDAY: Judy Moody Goes to College

You may recognize the illustrations for Judy Moody Goes to College from yesterday's review. Peter H. Reynolds illustrates this series by Megan McDonald.

I have liked Judy, and her brother Stink, since we first discovered their stories a year or two ago. In this story, Judy's substitute teacher thinks she needs an attitude adjustment - and tutoring. So Judy heads to college to build some better math skills and discovers she loves the college life. In fact, she loves it so much, she is wants to be in college permanently. Her new collegiate outlook on life has an interesting impact on her third grade classmates.

Girls will love Judy's no-nonsense approach to life. Judy's school buddies and her little brother, Stink, will give boys plenty of guy stuff to relate to also. This is the 8th book in the series.
Recommended for ages 9 to 12.