Judy Moody: Book Quiz Whiz, by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
Judy Moody: Book Quiz Whiz, by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
Oh, Judy Moody. I always find it comforting to see you on the shelf, even though I haven’t read a book about you for years and years.
And so, in this time of Leila Tries To Get Her Reading Groove Back—a time in which I have gone full weeks without reading ANYTHING purely for pleasure—it seemed like a sign when you showed up on my doorstep.
I read Judy Moody, Book Quiz Whiz in one sitting. Which doesn’t sound like much for an adult reader, I grant you!
But, it was me! Reading! A book! For fun! For the first time in a long time!
Which is something. The beginning of a corner turned, perhaps?
ANYWAY. If you’ve read a Judy Moody book, you know what to expect: It’s funny, it’s smart, the stakes aren’t high—the kids are prepping for a Book Quiz Challenge at the local bowling alley and there’s a new kid on the other team named MIGHTY FANTASKEY and she’s a SPEED-READER and she used to be HOME-SCHOOLED (and is therefore a genius) and she has read “…fifth-grade books, like Harry Potter Book Five. She didn’t just carry it around to look cool” and so our heroic bookworms are VERY CONCERNED about their chances in the contest.
Basically, the entire arc of the story has an emotional impact in the Pleasant Warm Fuzzy quadrant of the How Many Feelings Are There Chart, and that was the right thing for me at this particular juncture.
Up next, maybe:
As is right and proper, this book includes an appendix in which McDonald lists all of the books referenced in the lead up to the book quiz and in the book quiz itself—so it seems appropriate for me to pick up one of the titles I haven’t already read. Three possibilities:
Fake Mustache, by Tom Angleberger
Trombone Shorty, by Troy Andrews, illustrated by Bryan Collier
Toys Go Out: Being the Adventures of a Knowledgeable Stingray, a Toughy Little Buffalo, and Someone Called Plastic, by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky