Judy Moody

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

A series of novels by Megan Mc Donald, aimed at kids around the age of 8-12 years old. They tell the story of Judy, a third-grader girl.

Judy's family includes her mother, her father and her brother Stink. Other kids in the neighborhood include Judy's friends Rocky and Frank.

The books to date are:

  • Judy Moody (2000)
  • Judy Moody Gets Famous (2001)
  • Judy Moody Saves the World (2002)
  • Judy Moody Predicts the Future (2003)
  • Judy Moody M.D.: The Doctor Is In! (2004)
  • Judy Moody Declares Independence (2005)
  • Judy Moody: Around the World in 8 1/2 Days (2006)
  • Judy Moody Goes to Collage (2008)
  • Judy Moody: Girl Detective (2010)

There's also a Spinoff series starring Judy's brother, Stink:

  • Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid (2005)
  • Stink and the Incredible Super-Galactic Jawbreaker (2006)
  • Stink and the World's Worst Super-Stinky Sneaker Contest (2008)
  • Stink and the Great Guinea Pig Express (2009)
  • Stink: Solar System Superhero (2010)

There is also a live-action movie Judy Moody and the Not-Bummer Summer that was released June 10th, 2011.


Tropes used in Judy Moody include:
  • Art Evolution: Compare the illustrations in the first book to the latest book.
    • Also, Judy was blonde originally. Then around 2006, she became a redhead.
  • Art Shift: The Stink spin-off books' illustrations are done using computer tools, while the Judy books are illustrated by hand.
  • Bratty Half-Pint: Stink.
  • Brick Joke: Judy lets her brother's pet toad free into the wild while attempting to 'save the world' in the third book. This is resolved in the fourth book.
  • Butt Monkey: Stink.
  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Amy Namey was introduced in Around the World in 8 1/2 Days and was set up to be a new major character in the books. After a brief appearance in Goes to Collage she's never heard from again.
  • Comic Book Time: A few people consider this an aversion, since all the books could easily take place in one year. However, the Christmas Special book The Holly Joliday takes place in the series' regular time. Girl Detective is stated as taking place the October after that book, however, Judy and the other characters are still in the same grades and the same ages. Therefore, Judy and the other characters never age or grow up.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Judy.
  • Dr. Jerk: Judy fits this trope well, because she's a Jerkass and she wants to be a doctor.
  • Halfway Plot Switch: A few books use this. Most notably is Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid which goes through two plots before settling on the main one.
  • Idiot Hair: Judy.
  • It Was a Dark and Stormy Night: The opening lines of Girl Detective.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite how Judy bullies Stink a lot, she often helps him out, most notably in Declares Independence where she chases Stink halfway across town after he fell asleep and got left behind on the school bus.
  • Karma Houdini: Judy gets a few of these. Most notably in one scene where she tricks Stink into eating pickle-flavored gum. Her father is nearby and makes no attempt to even scold Judy. Even lampshaded by Stink in that scene.

The film provides examples of: