Judy Moody Predicts the Future by Megan McDonald Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

Judy Moody #4. Candlewick Press (Feb. 2005) Own

Judy Moody ate one, two, three bowls of cereal. No prize. She poured four, five, six bowls of cereal. Nothing. Seven. Out fell the Mystery Prize. . . .
Judy definitely has a mood for every occasion. And now she has a mood ring to prove it! The mood ring’s Extra Special Powers have put Judy in a predicting mood, and her outrageous predictions have everyone wondering if Judy really is psychic. According to "Madame M" (for Moody), the Toad Pee Club’s long-lost mascot will reappear, Judy will earn the coveted Thomas Jefferson tricorn-hat sticker for Great Job, Good Thinking—and love may be the real reason behind her teacher’s new eyeglasses. Will Judy’s latest adventures put kids in a very Judy Moody mood? (Signs point to yes!)

Judy Moody in general is one of the more popular series for kids. I've only read one book featuring Judy Moody and I remember enjoying it. I can't say I fully enjoyed this one, however I believe that mainly has to do with the age group this is aimed at. Also, I felt like I was out of the loop with a lot of things mentioned including Judy's little brother! Even so the flow of this book was a little too disjointed for me.

I zoomed through Judy Moody Predicts the Future which I wasn't surprised with since it's such a small book with larger type than I'm used to. It's also a relatively easy read, but not out of this world entertaining. Judy lives up to her name in Judy Moody Predicts the Future. She's not the nicest person ever to her little brother, but that's what you expect from an older sibling. Still, her personality just wasn't for me. I know she's supposed to be moody yet I read the first book introducing her and I never felt this way then. I felt like I was missing so much too. There is a whole story about a frog I'm missing and I don't remember Stink being introduced at all. I'm really interested in Stink's love of dictionaries. Readers are always characters I hone in on in books so Stink was nice to read about. I'm so curious how he got his name and what his real name is. That would just be sad if he was really named Stink as well as highly unlikely his parents would do their own son.

So maybe I should have just read this series in order right? I think so too. I think the many questions I had while I was reading this book distracted me. But, I still think the chapter flow felt very disjointed although again I'm sure kids wouldn't think any of it. It's tailored to kids so I understand. But, I enjoy kids books too so I will still argue that this needed better flow. One big plus I have to mention is Peter. H. Reynolds' illustrations throughout the book. If you don't know him, he's a wonderful illustrator that writes his own books about art and accepting yourself.

I do expect to try again with this book after I've read the others in the series and see how I feel about it then. Judy Moody is popular for a reason. It's sassy main character I'm sure will delight many girls and boys. I don't know if they would start acting moody themselves or if that's just my thinking after reading a review of a similar situation. Judy Moody is worth a shot since she's such a classic series character and when I give her a second shot I hope I feel she deserved it. For now Judy Moody Predicts the Future was just alright for me.

Have you read the Judy Moody series? What do you think of Judy Moody?