As legions of young readers have happily learned there's nobody, absolutely nobody like Judy Moody. She's fun, feisty and, yes, at times incorrigible. She doesn't much care for school or spending too much time with her pesky kid brother, Stink (her aversions are not necessarily stated by order of importance to her).
What she does like at the moment is being in the Cradle of Liberty, Boston Massachusetts. She likes the bean city for several reasons - she's missing two days of school, she's no longer riding in the car next to Stink, and she doesn't have to brush her hair every day. The more Judy thinks about it the more this whole independence idea appeals to her.
With Mom and Dad leading the way, readers are treated to a tour of historic sites in Boston as well as concise explanations of what each one means. Of course, in Stink's opinion what they're seeing is about "a bunch of dead guys and some old stuff that isn't even there anymore."
However, Judy sees their trip quite differently. She sees it as an opportunity to declare her independence from Stink by always running ahead of him. She meets a new friend from England, Tori, and the two promise to be penpals.
Now, the one thing Judy may be missing is that along with her beloved independence comes responsibility - that's with a capital R. Wonder if that's something our favorite girl can learn.
Lighthearted illustrations by Peter H. Reynolds lend merriment to Judy's pursuit of freedom.
- Gail Cooke