Judy Moody Declares Independence (Judy Moody Series #6)

by Megan McDonald, Peter H. Reynolds (Illustrator)

Overview

When a visit to Boston spurs Judy's interest in Revolutionary heroes and heroines, she's soon on a quest for more independence in this hilarious episode from Megan McDonald and Peter H. Reynolds. Huzzah!

She, Judy Moody, would hereby, this day, make the Judy Moody Declaration of Independence. With alien rights and her own Purse of Happiness and everything.

Hear ye! Hear ye! Everyone knows that Judy Moody has a mood for every occasion, and now a visit to Boston has put our famous third grader in a revolutionary mood. When Judy meets an English girl named Tori at the Tea Party ship, she is gobsmacked to learn how many liberties her British friend enjoys — her very own phone, private loo, and pounds of allowance. When a day of cheerfully doing her chores doesn't earn Judy Moody more rights, and staging a revolt in the form of a tea-throwing Boston Tub Party has her dad reading the riot act, Judy is forced into temporary retreat. Who would guess that a real-life crisis involving her brother, Stink, would finally give Judy a chance to show her courageous quick thinking — and prove her independence, once and for all?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763648527
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	02/09/2010
Series:	Judy Moody Series , #6
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	742,425
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 7.40(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	530L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Megan McDonald is the author of the award-winning Judy Moody series as well as a companion series starring Judy's brother, Stink. She is also the author of the novel The Sisters Club, as well as Ant and Honey Bee, illustrated by Brian Karas. She lives in Sebastopol, California.

Peter H. Reynolds is the illustrator of all the Judy Moody and Stink books. He is also the author-illustrator of the picture books The Dot, Ish, So Few of Me, and The North Star. He lives in Dedham, Massachusetts.

Read an Excerpt

When Judy got home, she dragged her tote bag upstairs to her room. Thwump, thwump, thwump. She dragged her backpack, her blanket, her pillow, and her sock monkey. And her stuff from the gift shop. She shut the door and climbed up into her secret hideaway (her top bunk).

She, Judy Moody, was supposed to be writing her makeup book report, as in not waiting till the very, very last minute. Instead, she declared freedom from homework.

Then she, Judy Moody, had an idea. A freedom idea. A John Hancock idea. A Declaration of Independence idea.

She did not even stop to call Rocky and tell him about the Boston Tea Party Ship and the Giant Milk Bottle that sold star-spangled bananas. She did not even stop to call Frank and tell him about Mother Goose's grave and the musical toilet.

That could wait till tomorrow.

But some things could not wait.

Judy gazed in awe at the copy of the Declaration of Independence she'd gotten in Boston. It was on old-timey brown paper with burned edges that looked like tea had been spilled on it. Judy squinted to try to read the fancy-schmancy handwriting.

When in the bones of human events . . . blah blah blah . . . we hold these truths . . . more blah blah . . . alien rights . . . Life, Liberty, and the Purse of Happiness.

She, Judy Moody, would hereby, this day, make the Judy Moody Declaration of Independence. With alien rights and her own Purse of Happiness and everything.

_____________________
JUDY MOODY DECLARES INDEPENDENCE by Megan McDonald. Copyright (c) 2005 by Megan McDonald. Published by Candlewick Press, Inc., Cambridge, MA.

Editorial Reviews

Favorite characters and unfolding plot lines will draw kids into a host of summer titles. Celebrating the 4th of July, Judy Moody Declares Independence by Megan McDonald, illus. by Peter H. Reynolds. Where else to set a tale about our nation's beginnings than in "Bean Town... the Cradle of Liberty, Birthplace of Ben Famous Franklin and Paul Revere.... `Boston rules,' " says Judy. Fans get a history lesson delivered with humor, as Judy petitions for her own freedoms-such as more allowance. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 2-4-Judy Moody knows a lot about the American Revolution and is excited when her family takes a trip to Boston to visit the main sites along the Freedom Trail. The third-grader makes friends with a girl from England and gets a bit of the British perspective as well as a pen-pal relationship. The girls read some of Ben Franklin's sayings and make up their own, such as "Fish and little brothers stink after three days." Upon returning home, Judy declares freedom from hair brushing and the right to her own bathroom. Her final defiance, a Boston Tub Party, is amusingly depicted in a cartoon illustration across a spread. Black-and-white full-page and spot art done in watercolor, tea, and ink is scattered throughout the book. The jacket looks as if it were made from a brown paper bag and has red, white, and blue cutouts of stars. Independence is good for curricular ties to social studies units, and McDonald does a great job of transforming the concepts into familiar concerns. Read aloud or alone, this delightful book will inspire children to write their own declarations of independence complete with "alien" rights and the "purse" of happiness.-Sharon R. Pearce, Chippewa Elementary School, Bensenville, IL Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Fans get a history lesson delivered with humor, as Judy petitions for her own freedoms — such as more allowance.
—Publishers Weekly

Fans can cheer 'Huzzah! Huzzah!' for Judy as she connects history with her own story.
—San Francisco Chronicle

Judy's petitioning for parental concessions will spark recognition in many readers, and in both McDonald's charismatic narrative and Reynolds' line drawings, the characterization of a dauntless, endearingly notional third-grader is as spot-on as ever.
—Booklist

INDEPENDENCE is good for curricular ties to social studies units, and McDonald does a great job of transforming the concepts into familiar concerns. Read aloud or alone, this delightful book will inspire children to write their own declarations of independence.
—School Library Journal

Illustrator Peter H. Reynolds portrays Judy’s spunk, and McDonald tells a story that not only offers a fun, fictional heroine, but also admirably introduces a real female heroine from the time of the American Revolution.
—Connecticut Family

From the Publisher