Review Detail

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.