Judy Moody and the Bad Luck Charm. by Megan McDonald. August 14, 2012. Candlewick Press. 176 pages. ISBN: 9780763634513Judy Moody has a lucky penny. At first, it brings great luck - prizes from The Claw machine, a lucky number of marshmallows in her breakfast cereal, and ten dollars among her Crazy Strips collection. Unfortunately, though, her good luck runs out before the class spelling bee and she is not selected to represent the third grade in Washington, DC. Now her only chance to go on the trip is to accompany her classmate, Jessica, and babysit Jessica’s pet pig, Peegee Weegee. Will her luck hold out long enough to keep Peegee Weegee out of trouble, or will more bad luck follow her to Washington?
This book fits in nicely amongst the others of the series, but it did give me pause. Why would someone bring her pig all the way to Washington, DC for a spelling bee? And why hire a third grader to watch him? I haven’t read all of the previous Judy Moody titles, so maybe this is just par for the course, but this storyline seemed especially unrealistic to me. I also noticed that the characterization of the Moody family, and even of Judy herself, seemed stronger to me in the
most recent Stink book than it does in this one. I found that surprising, since the Stink books are a spin-off from the Judy Moody series, but it might also be that the Judy series is just more well-established so readers need fewer reminders of who everyone is.
The idea of a good luck charm is a nice choice of topic for a chapter book, because I think a lot of kids wish for magical objects, or at least pretend everyday things like pennies and rocks can grant them wishes. I also like the fact that Judy ultimately learns that her good fortune comes from her own actions and not from magical outside sources. Finally, I think this book fills the need for more pig-related chapter books for Mercy Watson fans looking for what to read next.
Judy Moody and the Bad Luck Charm will be published along with
Judy Moody's Mini-Mysteries and Other Sneaky Stuff for Super-Sleuths on August 14.
I received a digital ARC of Judy Moody and the Bad Luck Charm from Candlewick via NetGalley.
Judy Moody's Mini-Mysteries and Other Sneaky Stuff for Super Sleuths. by Megan McDonald. August 14, 2012. Candlewick Press. 96 pages. ISBN: 9780763659417 This summer, Candlewick will publish not one but two new Judy Moody titles. While
Judy Moody and the Bad Luck Charm (which I will review next week) is a regular Judy Moody story which follows in succession after
Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer, this book is something a little bit different. It’s Judy’s guide for detectives, complete with puzzles, activities, and a set of short Encyclopedia Brown-esque mysteries for readers to solve.
What makes
Judy Moody's Mini-Mysteries and Other Sneaky Stuff for Super Sleuths stand out for me over other activity books of its kind is how much emphasis it places on reading. This isn’t just an opportunity for kids to fill in a few blanks and move on. Rather, readers have to read carefully to solve mysteries, answer simple logic puzzles, and learn Judy’s various detecting strategies. Just like the rest of the series, the book is heavily illustrated, so new chapter book readers can feel confident trying it out, and the various puzzles would be as much to do alone as with a group, whether that is a child’s family, scout troop, or class.
There are only two drawbacks to this book. One is that it relies on some of the earlier Judy Moody books for hints and clues to some of the puzzles. I can see kids being frustrated if they buy or borrow this book but don’t have the others on hand. Sure, the publisher wants to encourage kids to read the other books in the series, but I hadn’t read Judy Moody, Girl Detective, and it annoyed me that I couldn’t understand some references because of that. In the same way, the book also devotes a good number of pages to Nancy Drew. Nancy Drew is a great character, and kids should definitely discover her, but if they haven’t yet, a pretty sizeable chunk of this book is lost on them.
All in all, this is a book mainly geared toward fans of the series who have read the other books and will appreciate the tie-ins with various plot points. Kids who fancy themselves spies or detectives will love the tips they find here, and they’ll gain confidence from solving Judy’s mysteries right along with her.
I received a digital ARC of Judy Moody's Mini-Mysteries and Other Sneaky Stuff for Super Sleuths from Candlewick via NetGalley.
The Sisters Club. by Megan McDonald. 2003. Candlewick. 208 pages. ISBN: 9780763632519Ten-year-old Stevie Reel is the middle sister between near-teenager, Alex and funny, smartypants eight-year-old Joey. The girls’ parents own a local theater, and the entire family, in one way or another, has the performance bug. Whether they’re acting out
King Lear in the living room, auditioning for a role in a community production, or filling in as a sister’s understudy at the last minute, the Reel girls all have a flair for the dramatic. Their club, The Sisters Club, is the forum for much of their sisterly conflict, enmity, and hilarity - and Stevie’s narration, combined with typewritten dramatic scenes from Alex and journal entries from Joey’s so-called “homework notebook” give the reader a front-row seat for every fight and gesture of kindness.
I think the best thing about this book is the way Megan McDonald writes the girls’ voices. I was shocked when I saw a review on Goodreads saying they sounded unrealistic, because I actually think Stevie, Alex, and Joey sound more like real kids than a lot of other children’s book characters. Alex perfectly straddles the line between childhood and adolescence, by harboring a secret crush on a boy, but also having nightly chats with her sock monkey. In her notebook, Joey comes alive as the quintessential little sister, taking notes and making comments on her older sisters’ lives. I will admit that the Reel parents might be somewhat less well-rounded, but it’s not their story - it’s really a story about what it means to be - and have - a sister. And as a big sister, I can admit that McDonald is dead-on about how these relationships play out.
My only real criticism of the book is that it took so long to hook me. The documents interspersed with the more traditional prose confused me a lot at the start of the novel, and it wasn’t until I got to know the characters better that I started to find these sections interesting, rather than burdensome. I could have used some more context for those items, just to help me understand how they were meant to function.
This shortcoming aside, though, this book is highly entertaining and a must-read for tweens with siblings. It’s a good one to recommend to fans of
The Penderwicks who are awaiting the fourth book, and to girls who have liked any of the contemporary American Girl titles (
Aloha, Kanani,
McKenna, etc.). This book isn’t as timeless as
The Penderwicks, or as moralistic as an American Girl title, but it shares elements of both that appeal to readers in the 8 to 11 age range. I also couldn’t help but think a little bit about Rachel Vail’s teen trilogy about the Avery sisters, which is a good YA recommendation for older kids who like
The Sisters Club and are ready for a bigger challenge.
I borrowed The Sisters Club from my local public library.
Great review, will you be reviewing the other two?
Possibly. I read the second one, and it's been a while, so I'm not sure I'll remember enough to write a review. But when I finish the third one, I'll consider it.
Thanks for commenting!