about the book
Amy Namey is looking for a big scoop but not the kind you find at the ice cream shop! She wants to be a reporter just like her mother, but finding a story is hard. She doesn’t want just a regular story, but one that will be a super exciting above-the-fold front-page story! But nothing juicy ever seems to happen in Frog Neck Lake!
So Amy walks up and down the street, observing everything that is going on and recording it in her notebook. At exactly 11:17 Mrs. Donovan’s dog barks. At exactly 11:22 Mrs. Donovan’s cat chases the dog! That was sort of exciting, but not newspaper worthy.
Finally Amy meets her pal Judy Moody dribbling a soccer ball down the side walk. After telling Judy about what she is doing, they go to Amy’s house and she shows Judy the newspaper she is putting together. It is called The Scoop, and Judy thinks it is quite exciting. Pretty soon the girls’ imaginations are running wild.
The two girls go looking for the big scoop, the story of the century—starting with an archaeological dig in Amy’s back yard. They hope to find artifacts from King Tut! If that doesn’t work, maybe they can check out Frog Neck Creek and look for the famed Great Virginia Sea Serpent, Taboo! Along the way, Amy’s mother gives her insightful writing tips and, although news-worthy stories are elusive, the fun-loving girls have great adventures.
In the end, the plucky young reporter works very hard writing up her very own stories…but will they be the big scoop?
about the author
Megan MacDonald writes a little differently than most authors. She starts each story on a napkin and works in her pajamas! She loves writing because she spends her days imagining.
She grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with a story-telling dad and four equally gabby older sisters. With a bit of a stutter, it was hard for Megan to get a word in edgewise, so her mom gave her a notebook to help her gather her thoughts.
She soon found lots of ideas for stories—the praying mantis she hatched in her sock drawer, the hermit crab that escaped to her shoe, and being left with a crazy aunt while everyone else went to the beach. These and other childhood memories became the basis for many of her books, including the Judy Moody series.
Megan has a BA in English and a Master’s degree in Library Science. She has published 60 books, not including her first story about being a pencil sharpener, which she wrote when she was 10 years old and which was published in the school newspaper!
She lives with her husband in Sebastopol, California, where she takes care of dogs and horses, and has 25 wild turkeys that roost on her roof.
Sources:
Author website
Author video interview: Reading Rockets
Also by Megan McDonald:
Mrs. Moody in the Birthday Jinx (Judy Moody and Friends, Book 6). Candlewick Press. September 2016.
Triple Pet Trouble (Judy Moody and Friends, Book 5). Candlewick Press. 2015.
Frank Pearl in the Awful Waffle Kerfuffle (Judy Moody and Friends, Book 4). Candlewick Press. 2014.
Rocky Zang in the Amazing Mr. Magic (Judy Moody and Friends, Book 2). Candlewick Press. 2014.
Jessica Finch in Pig Trouble (Judy Moody and Friends, Book 1). Candlewick Press. 2014.
Ant and Honey Bee : A Pair of Friends in Winter. Candlewick Press. 2013.
Ant and Honey Bee : A Pair of Friends Halloween. Candlewick Press. 2010.
It’s Picture Day Today! Richard Jackson Books. 2009.
Hen Hears Gossip. Greenwillow. 2008.
Saving the Liberty Bell. Atheneum. 2005.
When the Library Lights Go Out. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. 2005.
about the illustrator
Erwin Madrid was born in the Philippines but he grew up in San Jose, California. He is a fine artist, a children’s book illustrator, an animator, and a conceptual artist for feature films and video games.
Erwin earned a bachelor’s in illustration from the Academy of Art College in San Francisco in 2003. During his very last semester, he was hired by DreamWorks Animation to work on production illustrations for the animated feature film, Shrek 2. That led to working as a visual development artist for the rest of the Shrek movies. He also worked on the sequels Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, as well as the megahit, Megamind. His conceptual ideas have also appeared in video games such as Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.
But his most amazing work is the colorful and wildly imaginative illustrations he has done for children’s books. His artwork may at first appear quite traditional, but on close inspection it has a snappy, angular energy, full of fresh color and interesting details. His characters are lively and imaginative with simple expressive faces, and his playful landscapes use unusual perspective and viewpoints.
Erwin lives in the San Francisco Bay area in California, and he paints and travels whenever he has a chance. His other interests include cartoons, comedy, music, chess, football and pingpong.
Sources:
Illustrator website
Illustrator biography: Shannon Associates
Illustrator biography: Illustrator’s Lounge
Illustrator spotlight: Fishink
Also illustrated by Erwin Madrid:
Mrs. Moody in the Birthday Jinx (Judy Moody and Friends, Book 6) by Megan McDonald. Candlewick Press. September 2016.
Triple Pet Trouble (Judy Moody and Friends, Book 5) by Megan McDonald. Candlewick Press. 2015.
Volcano Blast (Disaster Strikes, Book 3) by Marlane Kennedy. Scholastic. 2015.
Blizzard Night (Disaster Strikes, Book 2) by Marlane Kennedy. Scholastic. 2015.
Frank Pearl in the Awful Waffle Kerfuffle (Judy Moody and Friends, Book 4) by Megan McDonald. Candlewick Press. 2014.
Rocky Zang in the Amazing Mr. Magic (Judy Moody and Friends, Book 2) by Megan McDonald. Candlewick Press. 2014.
Jessica Finch in Pig Trouble (Judy Moody and Friends, Book 1) by Megan McDonald. Candlewick Press. 2014.
Earthquake Shock (Disaster Strikes, Book 1) by Marlane Kennedy. Scholastic. 2014.
The Scary Places Map Book : Seven Terrifying Tours by B.G. Hennessy. Candlewick Press. 2012.
read more!
The Best Story by Eileen Spinelli
When a contest at the local library offers an exciting prize for the best story, a little girl tries to write one using her family’s suggestions. Brother wants action, father wants humor, auntie wants tears, and cousin wants romance. This hodge-podge doesn’t work. Mom suggests to the frustrated author-to-be that she write from her heart. In the end, the little girl realizes the story has to be her own!
Frank Pearl in the Awful Waffle Kerfuffle (Judy Moody and Friends, Book 4) by Megan McDonald
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When Nikki and Deja decide to start a newsletter about the happenings on their street and at Carver Elementary, they have a hard time distinguishing between newsworthy stories and plain, old gossip. During a slow week of news, Nikki and Deja find themselves in trouble.