Common Sense Note
A hint of the complexity of "saving the world" from environmental degradation is given here, but so are child-accessible ways of doing something about it.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Matt Berman
Judy may be moody, impulsive, and wired, but she never runs out of ideas -- or enthusiasm. Megan McDonald's delightful creation, produced in attractive volumes with brown-paper covers, large print, and hilarious, cartoony illustrations by Peter Reynolds, captivates middle graders who are making the transition to chapter books.
This third entry in the series has all of the zip and wit fans expect from the series, but also presents important issues about the environment in an age-appropriate way. A funny, easy-to-read book that might get children thinking -- what could be better?
From the Book:
It was still dark out when Judy woke up early the next morning. She found her flashlight and notebook. Then she tiptoed downstairs to the kitchen and started to save the world.
She hoped she could save the world before breakfast. Judy wondered if other people making the world a better place had to do it quietly, and in the dark, so their parents would not wake up.
Plot Summary:
Inspired by her third-grade teacher, Judy Moody is going to save the world -- so the world had better watch out. She enters a design-your-own band-aid contest (which her little brother, Stink, wins, much to her mortification), tries to relieve her family of anything that might be related to the rainforest, releases her brother's pet toad into the wild, and hides all of her classmates' pencils (made from rainforest wood).
She even tries to live in a tree as a protest. But, with her teacher's help, she finally comes up with an idea that might actually help -- to collect enough recyclables to raise enough money to plant 100 trees in the rainforest.
Related Books:
The Judy Moody series
Judy Moody was in a mood. Not a good mood. A bad mood.
Judy Moody Gets Famous!
Judy Moody Predicts the Future
More Feisty Middle-Grade Heroines
The Ramona series by Beverly Cleary
The Calliope Day series by Charles Haddad
The Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park
The Amber Brown series by Paula Danziger
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