Judy Moody Declares Independence Hardcover - 2005

When Judy got home, she dragged her tote bag upstairs to her room. Thwump, thwump, thwump. She dragged her backpack, her blanket, her pillow, and her sock monkey. And her stuff from the gift shop. She shut the door and climbed up into her secret hideaway (her top bunk).

She, Judy Moody, was supposed to be writing her makeup book report, as in not waiting till the very, very last minute. Instead, she declared freedom from homework.

Then she, Judy Moody, had an idea. A freedom idea. A John Hancock idea. A Declaration of Independence idea.

She did not even stop to call Rocky and tell him about the Boston Tea Party Ship and the Giant Milk Bottle that sold star-spangled bananas. She did not even stop to call Frank and tell him about Mother Goose's grave and the musical toilet.

That could wait till tomorrow.

But some things could not wait.

Judy gazed in awe at the copy of the Declaration of Independence she'd gotten in Boston. It was on old-timey brown paper with burned edges that looked like tea had been spilled on it. Judy squinted to try to read the fancy-schmancy handwriting.

When in the bones of human events . . . blah blah blah . . . we hold these truths . . . more blah blah . . . alien rights . . . Life, Liberty, and the Purse of Happiness.

She, Judy Moody, would hereby, this day, make the Judy Moody Declaration of Independence. With alien rights and her own Purse of Happiness and everything.

_____________________
JUDY MOODY DECLARES INDEPENDENCE by Megan McDonald. Copyright (c) 2005 by Megan McDonald. Published by Candlewick Press, Inc., Cambridge, MA.

Megan McDonald is the author of the awardwinning JUDY MOODY, JUDY MOODY GETS FAMOUS!, JUDY MOODY SAVES THE WORLD!, JUDY MOODY PREDICTS THE FUTURE, and JUDY MOODY, M.D.: THE DOCTOR IS IN! She says, "Judy is already an independent thinker, and so it was natural that she would write her own Declaration of Independence -- declaring independence from brushing her hair, little brothers, and bedtime. When writing JUDY MOODY DECLARES INDEPENDENCE, I walked the Freedom Trail with my editor one snappy-cold October day and filled myself up with Revolutionary history. And guess what? There really is a musical toilet! No lie!"

Peter H. Reynolds is the illustrator of all six Judy Moody books. He says, "My work with children in the past twenty years has very much been around the theme of self-determination. JUDY MOODY DECLARES INDEPENDENCE is about exactly that -- learning how to think for oneself. This newest Judy-jaunt is a tribute to the independent spirits we hope to inspire, and her antics are sure to get readers in a mood to celebrate original thinking. I love Judy's feisty and creative spirit. She and her friends are like family to me now."