Judy Moody Declares Independence

Children's Literature Judy Moody certainly feels her oats in this book. She and her family go on vacation to Boston and experience the excitement of learning about our history. While there she meets another girl her age from London, and is invited by the family to go and stay with them at their hotel for a few days. Her parents don't give her permission to go, so Judy gets into one of her "narks" which we know as a very bad mood. Obviously, much of our history is about freedom and liberty so when Judy thinks about it, she decides to declare her own freedom. She writes a declaration where she gives herself permission to take part in sleepovers, frees herself from homework, brushing her hair, her brother Stinky, her chores, and gives herself a raise in her allowance. Oh, if it were only that easy. Her choices do create difficulties both at home and at school. This is a delightful story and one that will be greatly enjoyed by girls. Judy is at that point of wanting to be treated as a grown-up and not a child. She is energetic, humorous, and very clever. What other young girl would think of having a "Boston Tea Party" in her own bathtub to prove a point? The author has done a brilliant job in writing about history in a thoroughly entertaining way. If only textbooks could be this interesting! I highly recommend this book.