Judy Moody and the Bad Luck Charm

Fun, Energetic, Charming, Exciting, Unique 

Judy Moody and the Bad Luck Charm by Megan McDonald

Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds 

Published by Candlewick Press Copyright 2012 

When Judy Moody receives a special penny from Grandma Lou, she becomes the luckiest girl in the world. The claw machine, bowling, spelling—she wins at everything!  With one rub of her lucky penny, she can do anything, until her penny has an unlucky accident. After agreeing to babysit Jessica Finch’s pet pig during the National Spelling Bee, Judy brings her new found bad luck along with her all the way to Washington D.C. 

Grade level: 3 

Lexile Measure: 470L

Description: Fiction

Suggested delivery: Independent read 

Electronic Resources:

The Judy Moody Website

The Judy Moody website offers interactive games and tons of information on Judy Moody. It includes a list of all Judy Moody books and excerpts from different chapters so students can preview a book before they start it to see if it sparks any interest. It also contains a helpful page with all of the characters and descriptions of who they are, as well as different words and sayings that Judy Moody often says in the books.

Video Interview

This is an interview with the author, Megan McDonald, that students can watch before they read any of her books. The interview includes the author’s background and explains how she got started writing the Judy Moody series. The website also contains a short written biography.

Teaching Strategies

Key vocabulary:

·         Punctuate – to mark or divide with punctuation marks

·         Dumbstruck – shocked or surprised

·         Jinx – something that brings bad luck

·         Emancipate – to set free from someone else’s power

·         Guilt – a feeling of responsibility for wrongdoing

·         Coincidence – two things that happen at the same time by accident but seem to have some connection

Before reading: Introduce the book and ask students to share times in their life when they had either good luck or bad luck. This will create interest and allow students to make meaningful connections before reading the story.   

During reading: Have students note specific parts in the story in which Judy experiences bad luck. They could also make predictions as they read about what will happen to her next.

After reading: Have students write a summary of the book and create a video using Blabberize. They will need to find a picture of Judy Moody or any other character from the book online to use and record themselves reading their summaries. 

Writing activity: Have students rewrite their favorite part of the book from another character’s point of view. Encourage them to use the words and phrases from the Judy Moody website that Judy often uses in the books. Explain to them that this will help their writing sound more authentic to the author's writing. This activity will help students demonstrate inferential comprehension by inferring other characters’ thoughts and motives.

McDonald, M., & Reynolds, P. (2012). Judy Moody and the Bad Luck Charm. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press.