Judy Moody and the Bucket List
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“Not exactly the castle I was hoping for,” Grandma Lou said, chuckling.
“What about the books for the library?” Judy asked. You’ll be able to cross that one off soon, right?” She looked the list up and down. “Hey! That one’s not even on your list.”
“Sure it is,” said Grandma Lou. “See where it says Make a difference? I didn’t want everything on my bucket list to be about me, me, me. So I thought helping kids to read is a good way to help others. It’s about opening your heart and thinking about somebody in need.”
Judy looked at her own list with new eyes. She had not/hadn’t thought about helping others. She had only thought of herself. Judy chewed on the end of her Grouchy pencil.
I want to make a difference, too. Judy thought about how much she loved to read. Suddenly, she felt sad for all those kids who didn’t have books to read because of the flood.
Maybe she could give some of her books to the library. Some of her fifty-six classic Nancy Drew mysteries. But a lot of those books were Mom’s from when she was a girl.
Lightbulb! She had an even better idea. A triple-trifecta, awesome-sauce-sticker idea. She, Judy Moody, would open her heart and her piggy bank.
Judy ran upstairs and came back with her piggy bank. Ka-ching! She shook it loudly so Grandma Lou could hear the rattle of all the money in there.
“Grandma Lou,” said Judy, “I want you to have this.”
“Isn’t that your Going-to-Antarctica money?”
“Yep! But I want it to help those kids who need books at the library. My poop-scooping money’s in here, and my allowance. Plus the dollar I got from Stink and some quarters I found in the couch cushions. Also nickels from my gumball machine and half my lucky penny jar.”
“That’s your life savings, Jelly Bean. I wouldn’t feel right taking this.”
“It’s okay. I can save up again. I know I can. I can poop scoop and not spend my allowance and trick Stink into giving me some. Who knows, I might even start a band and put out a tip jar.”
“Are you sure about this?”
“Don’t worry. I have tons of time before fourth grade to save for Antarctica.”
“I don’t know what to say, Judy. You sure have a big heart. This will really help with books for the library.” Grandma Lou touched her chin to sign Thank you and held up her thumb and index and pinky fingers to make the I love you sign to Judy.
Grandma Lou gave Judy a hug and a squeeze. “I think this calls for a cup of cocoa,” she said, heading for the kitchen. She folded her bucket list and tucked it inside her purse.
Suddenly it hit Judy.
Before she knew it, Grandma Lou would be D-O-N-E done with her bucket list. If she was done with her list, did that mean . . . ?
Judy could not/couldn’t think the thought.
She listened for the kettle. It wasn’t whistling yet. She had time. Judy glanced around to make sure there were no spying eyes in sight. Then she lifted the bucket list from out of Grandma Lou’s purse.
Judy took out a pen and added new things to Grandma Lou’s list:
There. That should take a good long while. Grandma Lou’s bucket list was now a rain-barrel list. A bathtub list! Judy wanted to make double-triple-extra sure that Grandma Lou would be around for a good long time.
She, Judy Moody, was in a mood. A good mood. A twirl-in-the-air cartwheel mood.
Judy closed her eyes and pictured what Izzy Azumi, Future Dog Owner, had shown her: H.H.F.F. Hand, hand, foot, foot. She remembered the secret Grandma Lou had shared with her: Let your mind go.
Judy Moody stretched her arms over her head. She drew in a deep breath. One, two, three . . . she took a running start and let her mind go.
Over she went — hand, hand, foot, foot.
She did it! No plunk. No plop. No pretzel. She, Judy Moody, had twirled through the air, whirled through the air, and landed on her own two feet.
Judy cartwheeled across the front yard. She cartwheeled along the side of the house. She cartwheeled past the old swing set, past the T.P. Club tent, down to the creek and back again.
Wheee! Her head was spinning. Her world was twirling. But there was no stopping her now.
She couldn’t wait to cross that cartwheel off her list.
She, Judy Moody, Inventor of the Porcupainless, had finally done a cartwheel, beaten contractions, ridden a hinny, and faced a fear. She had even made music and made a difference.
There was still more to do — Antarctica, the London Eye, her own newspaper. It was all ahead of her, but she was readier than ever.
She would/she’d march to the beat of her own drum, all the way to fourth grade.
Someday.
Ba-dum-pum. Pshhhh!
10. Megan shares a birthday — February 28 — with a famous princess, a race-car driver, a Rolling Stone, and a racehorse named Smarty Jones.
9. As a children’s librarian, Megan told stories in sign language. That’s where she learned the expression “same-same.”
8. One summer, Megan and her four sisters tried to read ALL the kids’ books on the bookmobile.
7. Megan still owns her original mood ring from the 1970s. She keeps it right next to her troll doll collection.
6. Who doesn’t love insects? Megan has written five books about bugs, one of which is about eating them!
5. Megan’s sister in Minnesota has a mailman named Jack Frost. No lie!
4. If ever there was a Crazy Socks Club, Megan could be a member. She has socks with sock monkeys, planets, gnomes, endangered animals, jellyfish, Popsicles, Girl Power, and comics. Ka-pow!
3. Megan is the proud owner of many Popsicle sticks with jokes on them, a sugar-packet collection featuring U.S. presidents, and what just might be the World’s Biggest Jawbreaker.
2. Her favorite TV show is Jeopardy! Her secret wish is that someday Judy Moody will be a Jeopardy! clue.
1. Guess who used to live near the real Mt. Trashmore? Yours truly. For real and absolute positive!
10. He has a twin brother, Paul. Paul was born first, fourteen minutes before Peter decided to arrive.
9. Peter is part owner of a children’s book and toy shop called the Blue Bunny in the Massachusetts town where he lives.
8. Peter has a son named Henry Rocket.
7. His mother is from England; his father is from Argentina.
6. He made his first animated film at age twelve.
5. He sometimes paints with tea instead of water — whatever’s handy!
4. He keeps a sketch pad and pen on his nightstand. That way, if an idea hits him in the middle of the night, he can jot it down immediately.
3. His favorite candy is a tie between peanut-butter cups and chocolate-covered raisins (same as Megan McDonald!).
2. One of his favorite books growing up was The Tall Book of Make-Believe by Jane Werner, illustrated by Garth Williams.
1. And the number-one thing you may not know about Peter H. Reynolds is: he shares a birthday with James Madison, Stink’s favorite president!
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or, if real, are used fictitiously.
Text copyright © 2016 by Megan McDonald
Illustrations copyright © 2016 by Peter H. Reynolds
Judy Moody font copyright © 2003 by Peter H. Reynolds
Judy Moody®. Judy Moody is a registered trademark of Candlewick Press, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in an information retrieval system in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, taping, and recording, without prior written permission from the publisher.
First electronic edition 2016
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 2015940257
The illustrations in this book were done in watercolor, tea, and ink.
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