{Synopsis} – “Judy Moody was in a mood. Not a good mood. A bad mood. A mad-faced mood.”
To start, Judy Moody doesn't have high hopes for third grade. Her new desk won't have an armadillo sticker with her name on it. Her new classroom will not have a porcupine named Roger. And with her luck, she'll get stuck sitting in the first row, where Mr. Todd will notice every time she tries to pass a note to her best friend, Rocky. An aspiring doctor, Judy does have a little brother who comes in handy for practicing medicine, a cool new pet, and a huge Band-Aid collection.
Judy also has an abundance of individuality and attitude, and when Mr. Todd assigns a very special class project, she really gets a chance to express herself! Megan McDonald's spirited text and Peter Reynolds's wry illustrations combine in a feisty, funny first chapter book for every kid who has ever felt a little out of sorts.
{My thoughts} – Judy Moody is a little girl that is unhappy that summer is over. It’s the first day of school and she didn’t get to do anything special, like she assumed all of her friends probably had. At breakfast, however, she learns that she did do something worth talking about, she ate shark. She decides that this news of shark eating is so special that she just has to mark up her t-shirt to show that she had ate shark. I have to say that if it were my daughter I would have been surprised, however, at least she had something to talk about the first day of third grade.
Once class begins the teacher assigns homework. Judy is suppose to make a “Me Collage.” The object of the collage is to allow students to creatively tell others more about themselves, through pictures, objects, etc… She goes through a rough go of trying to make this collage for school. It appears that she was putting way more thought into it and what others would think about it, then just having fun with the assignment. Eventually she finishes it and has to present at at school. In between somethings happen that almost stop her from presenting it, but she decides to take a chance and does and it all turns out okay and in her favor.
I really enjoyed the illustrations in this book. They helped to bring more character to the story. I also like how the simple wording of the story continued throughout the entire book. I want to read more of this series in the future, as this was a rather enjoyable read.
Final Conclusion: 5 Star Rating.
