Judy Moody: Sunny-Side Up (#17)

81lX3Zzmu7L
Co-Authors / Illustrators
Publisher
Age Range
6+
Release Date
September 10, 2024
ISBN
978-1536220391
Buy This Book
      
Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow! Mr. Todd has Class 3T looking for the Five Ws in the newspaper, but all Judy can see is how much bad news there is. Climate change! Deadly virus! Sea turtles endangered by straws stuck in their noses! The good news is that Judy is taking all the bad news as a call to action. She gets out her notebook, clicks her six-year pen, transforms into a Kid Reporter, and goes out in search of happier stories. Rare bird sighting in Virginia Beach! Escaped bearded dragon found! Plastic straws banned at Virginia Dare School! There’s even a scoop that Judy overhears while ordering a scoop at Screamin’ Mimi’s—about someone who found real buried treasure. Kids intrigued by the first edition of Judy’s Sunny-Side-Up News—offering stories, a word search, a comic, a recipe, and more—may just be inspired to create their own second edition. After all, there’s no telling how much good news is out there until you start looking . . . and acting!

Editor review

1 review
Judy and the Newspaper
Overall rating
 
4.0
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
4.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
4.0
In Mr. Todd's third grade class, Judy Moody and her friends are learning about that five w's of newspaper reporting, the parts of the newspaper, and the types of subjects that are covered in the news media. Judy notices that her father always reads the print paper that is delivered to their home, and her mother listens to the radio when the family is sitting down to breakfast. She also notices that most of the stories are very depressing, which she doesn't like. When she hears about stories that are a little more upbeat, like Owen Caspar finding treasure in Farburg, she convinces her mother to take her there to get an interview. She also does in depth reporting on the missing blue bearded dragon from Mrs. Birdwistle's Fur and Fangs pet shop, where her friends frequently hang out. The reptile is eventually located at Jessica's house, but Izzy (a future dog owner) is very taken with him. There are also some ecology lessons, and the class plans a clean up of the nearby beach. Judy is concerned that even after all of her classmates clean up plastic waste, their cafeteria seems to produce a lot of it, so she talks to Mr. Todd and her class about it. They all decide to approach the school board to ban plastic straws in the building, and the measure goes through. Buoyed by the good news around her, Judy produces her own "Sunny-Side Up" newspapers, and delivers it to all of her neighbors to rave reviews.

Good Points
Like Holt's Piper Reed, Barrows' Ivy and Bean, Pennypacker's Clementine, and Sheth's Nina Soni, Judy is always finding some interesting things to do, most of which involve her friends and her class at school. Her parents are involved and supportive, and Stink is an interesting, if somewhat annoying, younger brother. There's even a good sense of community, with the Fur and Fangs shop, and a walkable neighborhood.

It did seem a little odd that the class was studying the print newspaper, and that the Moodys got one delivered to their home. This is great, but even I read the paper online now. Perhaps this will encourage young readers to ask what this magical source of information they've never seen is. Having the instruction at school does give Judy the information she needs to create her own newspaper, which is included at the end of the book.

Reynolds' page illustrations add a lot to this elementary aged chapter book, and the smaller trim size and larger font will make this appealing to readers who are starting to get interested in chapter books. I know I tore through Haywood's B is for Betsy books in first grade, and my own daughters loved Parks' Junie B. Jones series, so Judy (who has been in third grade since 2000) is a good choice for a new generation wanting can-do, positive characters.
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0

User reviews

There are no user reviews for this listing.
Already have an account? or Create an account