Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Judy Moody Declares Independence Audio
Fiction
For ages 7 to 9
Unabridged audiobook (CD)
Performed/read by: Barbara Rosenblat
Brilliance Audio, 2012 ISBN: 978-1455849215
Judy Moody and her family are in Boston, and Judy is thrilled that she going to have two whole days away from school and from other onerous everyday things. Instead of dealing with homework and chores, she is in Boston following "in the footsteps of freedom." Of course, she still has to put up with Stink, but dealing with her little brother is still better then that spelling test that is going on right now in her classroom in Virginia. And she is really, genuinely, pretty interested in the the Boston Tea Party, freedom, independence, and-all-of-that-sort-of thing story.
With Stink loudly complaining, the family look at the sights, and when they come to the Boston Tea Party Ship Judy is delighted to meet her very first English girl. Her name is Tori and she speaks with a real English accent. She also collects sugar packets which Judy thinks is a fantastic idea, an idea she wishes she had had herself. The girls get along so well that they both feel dreadful when they have to say goodbye. In fact, Judy works herself into a perfectly awful mood, and she stays that way all the way back to Virginia.
Once she gets home, Judy decides that the time has come; she needs to write her own Declaration of Independence. She needs to assert her rights and demand certain Judy Moody freedoms. And so she writes her Declaration - complete with a large signature – and presents it to her family. Not surprisingly, her parents don't respond in a very positive fashion. They talk about her needing to be "more responsible." At first Judy is annoyed, but then she rises to the challenge. She'll show them just how responsible she can be. When that doesn't work Judy decides to take a different tack – she'll protest just like the patriots did!
There is no doubt that Judy Moody is the kind of heroine that any young person can identify with. In this highly entertaining audio book Megan McDonald perfectly combines telling her listeners about aspects of American Revolutionary history, and exploring the kinds of problems that children face on a daily basis; and she does so with her own special brand of humor that is delightfully funny and highly addictive. The biggest challenge listeners will face will be trying to hold themselves back from reading or listening to the rest of the books in this series in one sitting.
Barbara Rosenblat's narrative perfectly captures Judy Moody's quirky and independent personality, and readers will find Judy's way of speaking and thinking quite delightful.
