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“ROAR!” “Same-same!” and Other Judy-isms: An Interview with Judy Moody Author Megan McDonald
Judy Moody and her moods first ROARed onto the literary scene in 2000, fresh from a summer vacation in which she ate a shark. Nearly 20 years later, the beloved series is being reissued with splashy new covers and stickers—rare! I thoroughly enjoyed interviewing Judy’s creator Megan McDonald, and I’m sure you’ll love it too—no lie!
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Judy’s exclamations are so unusual. Where did they come from? When she says “Roar!” do you imagine she’s actually roaring or saying the word?
Judy Moody’s expressions spring mostly from my imagination. I made up “Roar!” for a bad mood, and I wanted a counterpart for a good mood. So I looked up “awesome” and “excellent” in my trusty-dusty thesaurus. That’s where I found “rare.” And the rest, as they say, is history!
Some of her favorites, like “Same-same!” “No lie” and “Or something!” just came from writing dialogue, and hearing what I think of as Judy’s voice in my head. When I read “ROAR!” aloud, I say the actual word and growl on the R’s, but many people just have her growl, “Grr” and that’s fine too!
Do you find yourself talking like Judy?
Yes, Judy-isms have become part of the vernacular at our house. I often catch myself saying “Rare!” and “No lie!” When I’m around kids and they tell me they love to read, or they like to collect stuff, too, I always answer, “Same-same!”
Same-same! Are Judy’s friends based on real people you’ve known?
Judy’s friends are not specific people I’ve known, but some of their names are. Rocky Zang was my nephew’s best friend when he was growing up, and I just love that name. Most are based on qualities of people I’ve known. For example, Frank Pearl is the best friend who’s like a puppy dog—he’s loyal and follows along with Judy no matter what scheme she’s dreaming up. Rocky is the kind of bestie that is close enough to Judy to get annoyed with her. And we all know the classic frenemy: Jessica Finch.
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My nearly 6-year-old loves the series and wants to know how many Judy Moody books you plan to write? Did you ever imagine you’d have a 20-year-old 3rd grader?
I don’t have a magic number for how many books I’d like to write. I just take them one-by-one, and as long as I’m still having fun and enjoying spending time with my characters, I keep writing. New ideas just keep coming to me!
I never imagined that almost 20 years later Judy Moody would still be making readers laugh and inspiring them to read. It’s so exciting now when I meet twenty-somethings who tell me that Judy Moody was their favorite book growing up, or the first chapter book that they could read independently. I’m honored to have such a place in a reader’s heart!
Growing up with so many sisters, what made you decide to give Judy a younger brother?
I tell a lot of funny stories about growing up with sisters in the books, but I wanted the real-life stories to have a life of their own. So inventing a pesky little brother was the perfect vehicle to help me add imagination to the true-life stories.
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Judy has such excellent collections and finds wonderful uses for the things she collects. Did you/do you like to collect things? What kinds of things?
I’m a collector, for sure and absolute positive. I really did collect scabs, Barbie doll heads, and ABC gum when I was Judy’s age. No lie. These days, I have an awesome eraser collection—many have been given to me by Judy Moody readers and fans. I collect sock monkeys, Magic 8 Balls, anything with dragonflies, beach glass, Japanese Kokeshi dolls, nesting dolls…
And books, of course!
What’s next for Judy Moody? And what’s next for you?
Coming this September is… Judy Moody and the Right Royal Tea Party. Judy creates a family tree in third grade and begins to believe that she is related to the Queen of England!
Next up for me is something completely different from Judy Moody—a fantasy. Shh! Top secret!
We can’t wait! Thank you so much!
Check out the playful new covers on the Judy Moody series here!