Judy Moody Goes to College. (Judy Moody, #8). Megan McDonald. Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press (Distributed in Canada by Random House of Canada), 2010. 129 pp., pbk., $7.00. ISBN 978-0-7636-4855-8. Note: Judy Moody Uber-Awesome Collection. ISBN 978-0-7636-5411-5. Contains Volumes 1-9. $54.00. Grades 1-4 / Ages 6-9. Review by Deborah Mervold and Kira Gerein. **** /4

excerpt:

Sheesh. Life was no fair. Judy liked baloney (the sandwich). Judy liked Italy. She even knew a special dance from Italy- the tarantella. Mr. Todd was probably in the Land of Baloney right now, dancing like a tarantula, while they were stuck in the Land of Multiplication, learning boring old times tables.

She, Judy Moody, did not like third grade, Class 3T-that-was-now-3G, without Mr. Todd.

When Judy arrives at school one Monday, she discovers that her teacher, Mr. Todd, has traveled to Italy for a teacher seminar. Judy doesn't understand why Mr. Todd has to go because he is already an excellent teacher. The replacement teacher is Mrs. Grossman whose biggest problem for Judy is that she is not Mr. Todd. The situation gets worse for Judy when Mrs. Grossman points out that Judy is struggling with her math and suggests a tutor.

      At first, Judy is opposed, but when she discovers that her tutor is a college student and that she will meet her tutor, Chloe, at the Colonial College Campus, she is thrilled. Then Judy finds out that Chloe plays games and makes math fun, she is no longer worried that she will be counting beads and doing " baby" math. One of the activities that they share is an art class where Judy does a picture which is left at the class to dry. The professor decides to put the picture in a student art show. At the end of their sessions, Chloe invites Judy and her class to the campus to see the art show where Judy's picture is featured.

      The other students in Judy's class are jealous of Judy and her stories about college, and so that they all decide to fail a math exam so that they can go to college and have a math tutor too. This situation added a comic twist to the story. Other humorous details included Judy's taking on the habits of college students, such as calling her parents by their first names and wanting to decorate her room like a college dorm room.

      The language provides colour and humour to the story while the vocabulary is varied and interesting. Judy has a "Not Webster's New World College Dictionary First Edition" as a section at the end of the book, written as if it had been done by a Grade 3 student. The 11 short chapters of Judy Moody Goes to College have titles which add humour as well as develop the plot. The titles tie into the subject, and all end with "tude" , such as "Math-i-tude" , Flunk-i-tude" , and "Glad-i-tude" . The characters are a continuation from the other books in the series. The problems and issues that are faced by Judy are age appropriate. There is a
"Who's Who" page at the beginning with a picture of each character and a comment by Judy. They add interest and humour to the text as do the pen and ink illustrations by Peter H. Reynolds.

     Although Judy Moody Goes to College is a part of a series, this book can stand alone. The author includes pages about the author and illustrator at the end of the book, titled " Ten things you might not know about them" . As well, there are tips on how to redecorate your room, written at the level that children would enjoy. Reference to a Judy Moody website is included.

     Although Judy Moody Goes to College would appeal to a variety of readers, including readers of humour, adventure and realistic fiction. This book would be an excellent class novel for individual reading or as a read aloud choice. It would be an excellent addition for personal, class, school and public libraries.

Highly Recommended.

Deborah Mervold is an educator from Shellbrook, SK, who is now doing faculty training and program development at Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology. Kira Gerein is a Grade 5 student in Saskatoon, SK.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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