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Children's Fiction Patriotic Holidays

Judy Moody Declares Independence

by (author) Megan McDonald

illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

Publisher
Candlewick Press
Initial publish date
Feb 2010
Category
Patriotic Holidays, Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance, Siblings
Recommended Age
6 to 9
Recommended Grade
1 to 4
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781536200768
    Publish Date
    Apr 2018
    List Price
    $7.99
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780763648527
    Publish Date
    Feb 2010
    List Price
    $22.99

Classroom Resources

Where to buy it

Description

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?

About the authors

Contributor Notes

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.

Excerpt: Judy Moody Declares Independence (by (author) Megan McDonald; illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds)

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

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

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