Tag: Judy Moody

BONUS REVIEW: Judy Moody, Book Quiz Whiz by Megan McDonald

BONUS REVIEW: Judy Moody, Book Quiz Whiz by Megan McDonald

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Judy, Stink, and some of their friends make up the Virginia Dare School’s book quiz team, the Bookworms.

The Bookworms have been competing at school, and now they’ve made it all the way to the Book Quiz finals. Judy, Stink, Sophie, Frank and Jessica have been reading like crazy to prepare. Judy has even tried speed reading, although it didn’t go very well.

The Bookworms are feeling pretty confident, aside from some tummy butterflies – until they hear about their competition. The Bloodsucking Fake-Mustache Defenders have a 4th grader on their team! “Mighty Fantasky” is supposed to be a for-real speed reader. And she’s already read the 5th Harry Potter book. That’s almost 900 pages long! How can the Bookworms – three 3rd graders and two 2nd graders – compete against that?

Review

This was a delight! It felt like a Mr. Lemoncello book with all the book references, but for a younger audience. There’s supposed to be a book list in the back of the final copy, but it was not in the reviewer’s version.

Kids who read a lot will have a great time answering the book quiz practice questions along with the characters. And the book list is pretty vast. Readers will probably find some new titles to try as well. The only potential negative here is that the emphasis is on reading fast and accumulating knowledge to answer questions rather than on enjoying reading for the stories and the characters, being transformed by what we read, etc.

It’s fun to watch Judy and Stink working together in this story. They encourage each other in their reading, and Judy helps Stink with his nervous feelings. Fans of both characters will find something to love here. This is the 15th book in the Judy Moody series.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Judy Moody and the Right Royal Tea Party by Megan McDonald

REVIEW: Judy Moody and the Right Royal Tea Party by Megan McDonald

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this from Netgalley and Candlewick in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Judy’s imagination gets quite the work out when her class does a family tree project. Judy’s grandmother brings her all the family research they have, including the Moody family crest. Judy learns that one of her relatives was on the Titanic and another broke someone out of the Tower of London.

Judy decides this means she must be related to the Queen of England. She writes to the queen, visits a castle (in Virginia, where her family lives), and plans a royal tea party for her friends where she could be crowned queen.

But the tea party doesn’t go the way Judy planned. And a classmate’s family tree project shares new information relating to Judy’s family that changes everything.

Review

Overall, this is a solid story, but not my favorite. I’ve not enjoyed the latest books as much as I adored the earlier ones in the series. This one is cute, with lots of British references, including a list of fun terms at the back. The castle tour and family tree projects were fun parts of the story. The kids had really clever ideas for their projects. This could be a great classroom tie in for lessons on the British monarchy or for family tree projects. It could also be fun for a tea party or tea-party themed birthday celebration. The illustrations were not available in my early review copy, but Peter H. Reynolds always does an excellent job!

If you’re new to Judy Moody, I would start with the earlier books to get to know the characters. Judy Moody Goes to College is my favorite. Readers could start with this one, though, without issue. The books don’t have to be read in order. If you enjoy Judy’s books, be sure to check out the series starring her brother Stink as well as the Judy Moody and Friends Early Readers.

Rating: ♥♥♥

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: April Fools’ Day

Posted on by Jaymie

Happy April Fools’ Day! I have never loved this “holiday,” especially as a teacher. But I do like to READ about pranks and pranksters. Here are a few prankster books to enjoy this month:

My Lucky Day – Hilarious picture book about a hungry fox who finds a pig on his front porch. How lucky! By the time it is all over, though, it just might be the pig who is the lucky one!

 

 

 

 

April Fools’, Mr. Todd! – I haven’t had a chance to read this one yet, but I LOVE Judy Moody. This early reader series with Judy and her friends is perfect for kids in lower elementary grades who are growing as readers and are ready to try some longer stories. The illustrations are full color and fantastic. I can’t wait to read this one!

 

 

 

The Terrible Two – A prankster arrives at his new school ready to show the other kids his skills. But there is a pretty impressive prankster already there. Is this school big enough for TWO master pranksters? I get a huge kick out of this series by Mac Barnett. There are two books already with a third slated for 2018. Great for fans of the Wimpy Kid books.

 

 

 

The Last Boy at St. Edith’s – This book about the only boy at an all-girls school (the school tried to go co-ed and it didn’t work, but his mom teaches at the school, so he is stuck) who tries to prank his way to expulsion is on my TBR! I’ve been trying to get to this one for awhile. This might be the perfect time to read this one!

 

 

 

 

Codename Zero – A prankster is recruited to help a secret government agency. This is on my TBR, too, This is the first book in a series. I love books where the grown ups have to seek out a kid to save the day!