Transcription
In a MoodShe, Judy Moody, was in a mood. A sourball mood. A mad-face mood. All becauseschool photos had come home that day.If Stink came into her room, he wouldask to see her school picture. And if heasked to see her school picture, he wouldsee that she had been wearing herGIRL, HEAR ME ROARI AMT-shirt. (The sameone she wore today.) And if he saw herwearing her ROAR T-shirt in her school11Copyright 2015 Individual author and/or Walker Books Ltd. All rights reserved.
photograph, he would also see that shelooked like Sasquatch. With bird’s-nesthair in her face and in her eyes.Mum and Dad were going to freak.“Just once we’d like to have a nice schoolphoto of our girl,” Dad had said just thismorning.“Maybe this will be the year,” Mumhad said.But third grade was no different.Judy spread out her school pictures onthe floor. She looked like:A one-eyedpirate(Second grade)A clown(Kindergarten)A boy(First grade)Sasquatch(Third grade)Copyright 2015 Individual author and/or Walker Books Ltd. All rights reserved.
If only Mum and Dad would forgetabout school photos this year. Fatchance. Maybe Judy could pretend thedog ate them! Too bad the Moodysdidn’t have a dog. Only Mouse the cat.She could say that an evil school-photobandit erased them from the mastercomputer. Hardly.To make things worse, Rocky hadgrabbed her Sasquatch picture in classand wouldn’t give it back. Then hepassed it to Frank, which made Judy yelpand jump up out of her seat instead ofdoing her maths. That’s when Mr Toddsaid the A word.Antarctica.13Copyright 2015 Individual author and/or Walker Books Ltd. All rights reserved.
The desk at the back of the room whereJudy had to go to chill out. For the thirdtime that day! Never in the History of Judyhad she been to Antarctica that manytimes in a row.A doughnut-sized sicky spot sat in herstomach just remembering it.That’s why she, Judy Moody, was ina mood. A finger-knitting, don’t-thinkabout-school-photographs, need-to-bealone mood. As in by herself. As in nostinky little brother to bug and botherher like a pesky mosquito. Bzzz! Stinkwas always in her ear.Judy’s Number One Favourite Place tocurl up with Mouse was on her top bunk,but Stink would for-sure find her there.14Copyright 2015 Individual author and/or Walker Books Ltd. All rights reserved.
She crawled over gobs of flip-flops andblobs of dirty clothes to her secondfavourite spot to be alone – the very back ofher wardrobe. She popped a wad of Stink’syard-long bubblegum in her mouth.“Don’t look at me like that, Mouse.What Stink doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”She picked up a skein of grey-brownwool and looped it around her thumb.Mouse batted the finger-knitting chainwith her paw.Over. Under. Over. Under. Back. Loopde-loop-de-loop. Judy tugged on the longchain of apple-green wool that dangledfrom her left hand. Her fingers flew. She,Judy Moody, was the fastest finger knitterin Frog Neck Lake, Virginia. The fastest15Copyright 2015 Individual author and/or Walker Books Ltd. All rights reserved.
Copyright 2015 Individual author and/or Walker Books Ltd. All rights reserved.
finger knitter in the east. Probably thefastest in the whole wide world!Finger knitting was the greatest – noknitting needles needed. She looped thewool over her fingers, one, two, three,four, back, over, under, through justlike Grandma Lou had taught her duringthe big blackout of Hurricane Elmer.Judy’s wardrobe was like a secret littleroom all to herself. It even had a window.A small, round window just like the kindthey had on ships. Sailing ships. Pirateships.The ship sailed across the blue ocean,bobbing on the waves under a sky full ofmarshmallow clouds. Judy and Mouse rockedback and forth as the ship’s hammock swung17Copyright 2015 Individual author and/or Walker Books Ltd. All rights reserved.
in the breeze. Until the ship hit a giant waveand Mouse overboard!Judy tossed her chain of knitting to Mouse.She felt a tug on the line. It was —18Copyright 2015 Individual author and/or Walker Books Ltd. All rights reserved.
“Stink!” Judy snapped out of her daydream. Her gum went flying. “You scaredthe bubblegum out of me!”“Where’d you get that gum?” askedStink.“Nowhere. It’s ABC gum.” She pickedit up and popped it back in. “How’d youfind me, anyway?”“I followed the trail of wool.”The long, colourful chain of fingerknitting snaked across the bottom of herwardrobe, climbed up and over piles ofbooks and towers of toys, wound aroundSock Mountain and crept out the door.“Well, bad idea. I’m in a mood.”“How was I supposed to know?”“Clues one, two and three: those19Copyright 2015 Individual author and/or Walker Books Ltd. All rights reserved.
doohickeys that hang onthe doorknob?”“Oh. I thought youwere going to say schoolphotos.”“That too.”“Somebody’s in a mood.”“Bingo!”“Can I help it if I don’t go aroundreading doorknobs?”“I have an idea,” said Judy. “Mum readme a book about Louisa May Alcott — ”“Louisa May Who?”“She’s only the most famous author ofthe most famous book in the world, LittleWomen.”“Cool. Is it about miniature people?20Copyright 2015 Individual author and/or Walker Books Ltd. All rights reserved.
And do they live in matchboxes and takebaths in thimbles and stuff? And do theyknow the Borrowers?”“N-O! Anyhow, it’s a known fact thatLouisa May had a lot of moods. Ask anyone. So she had this sausage pillow.”“Weird.”“A sausage pillow is a long skinnypillow. When it was standing up on endit meant she was happy and in a goodmood – Come on in. But when it was lyingdown on its side, hoo boy, look out – Donot disturb, Louisa May was in a mood.”Judy looked around and grabbed afuzzy pillow. “See this pillow? This will bemy mood pillow. It’ll be our signal. If thepillow’s sitting up, it means I’m in a good21Copyright 2015 Individual author and/or Walker Books Ltd. All rights reserved.
mood. Come on in. But if it’s lying down –Bad mood. Go away. Much better than adoorknob doohickey.”“But what if the pillow was standingup and the window was open and a hurricane came and super-high winds blewdown the pillow and knocked it on itsside? Or what if a giant monster biggerthan King Kong came and picked up ourhouse and shook it like a toothpick andthe pillow fell over?”“Fine.” Judy plucked a marker penfrom her pencil case. She set the pillow inher lap. On one side, she drew a happyface for good mood. On the other side, shedrew a frowny face for bad mood.“This will be my mood pillow. Happy22Copyright 2015 Individual author and/or Walker Books Ltd. All rights reserved.
face means Come on in.Frowny face meansGo away.” Judy leanedthe pillow against thewall – frowny faceout. “The pillow hasspoken, Stink.”Stink made a face. “I get it. I get it. AllI really wanted was to ask if I could useyour markers.”“In the pencil case, Stinkerbell.”“I’m making a T-shirt for BackwardsDay tomorrow.”Backwards Day! Backwards Day wasonly Judy’s favourite day of the wholeentire year, next to April Fools’ Day (herbirthday) and Wear Purple for Peace Day.23Copyright 2015 Individual author and/or Walker Books Ltd. All rights reserved.
Judy turned that mood pillow rightaround. The pillow smiled.She had an idea for Backwards Daytoo. A way-good idea. A not-bad-moodidea.Copyright 2015 Individual author and/or Walker Books Ltd. All rights reserved.
22 mood. Come on in. But if it’s lying down – Bad mood. Go away. Much better than a
