Judy Moody and the Bad Luck Charm

Gr 2–4—Judy's luck seems to change when her Grandma Lou gives her a "way-old penny from the 1970s" that has a four-leaf clover inside a horseshoe on one side. Judy keeps it in her pocket and suddenly can't stop winning. She beats the unbeatable prize claw at the diner, she wins the bowling challenge at Jessica Finch's birthday party, and she gets a lucky break with her spelling word. Judy decides that it must be her lucky penny and is determined to use that luck to win a trip to Washington, DC, where she will represent her class in the Great Third Grade Spelling Bee. When she accidentally drops the penny in the toilet bowl, Judy's luck appears to take a turn for the worse. She gets a "way-hard word" and loses her class spelling bee. But, as luck has it, Judy ends up going to Washington anyway—as a babysitter for Jessica Finch's pet pig. This audio version is read by veteran and award winning narrator, Barbara Rosenblat does an outstanding job of reading the latest book (Candlewick, 2012) in the series by Megan McDonald. She does an outstanding job of giving distinct and likeable voices to each character, making this audio version a great listening adventure.—Amy Joslyn, Fairport Public Library, NY