32 pages • 1 hour read
Judy Moody Was in a Mood. Not a Good Mood. A Bad Mood.
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Summary
Background
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
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BetaSymbols & Motifs
The Band-Aids
Judy’s Band-Aids are a symbol of her unique identity and passions. Judy is the only character in the book who collects Band-Aids, and they connect to her interest in medicine and her desire to be a doctor when she grows up. Judy’s purchases of Band-Aids help her earn her Hedda-Gets-Betta doll, an exciting milestone, as Judy feels her doll is her first “patient.” When Hedda-Gets-Betta has chicken pox, Judy uses her Band-Aids to cover her patients’ sores and help her heal.
Judy’s Band-Aids and her interest in becoming a doctor separate her from her brother, Stink, and her friends, Rocky and Frank, who have other interests. However, Judy does not keep her interests to herself but uses them to make positive connections with others. For example, she shares her Band-Aid collection and passion for medicine in her Me Collage: “Judy explained about Elizabeth Blackwell, First Woman Doctor, and then gave a demonstration of her doctor skills. She put Rocky’s arm in a sling and wrapped bandages around Frank’s knee. She pulled out her pretend blood, and used Hedda-Get-Betta to show how to apply Band-Aids” (89). This sparks her classmates’ curiosity, and soon she is sharing her Band-Aids with all of them: “Before Judy knew it, everybody in the whole class was wearing Tattoo Band-Aids” (90). Judy’s Band-Aids and eagerness to share them show that she feels pride in her identity and passions and can use them to forge positive connections with others.
The Venus Flytrap
Judy Moody’s new “pet,” the Venus flytrap, is a motif for the novel’s theme of Learning to Manage Emotions. The Venus flytrap’s fluid appearance and behavior echo the protagonist. Much like Judy, her plant is ever-changing; sometimes, it is open and energetic, and other times, it is low and sluggish. The plant’s changing appearance and behavior reflect Judy’s emotional experiences throughout the story.
When Judy first brings home the Venus flytrap, its strength and vicious bite delight her, earning it the name “Jaws.” The plant is “hungry,” and she and Stink collaborate to feed it several dead bugs and even raw hamburger. However, the plant soon changes dramatically as it is full of bugs it needs to digest. Judy watches in horror as the plant keels over: “The mouth snap-trapped around it, hamburger oozing out of its teeth. In a blink, the whole arm drooped, collapsing in the dirt” (40). The plant’s sudden change from happy to sluggish is representative of Judy’s changing moods and reactivity.
However, like Judy, the Venus flytrap can experience good changes too, like it does when she brings it to Share and Tell. Judy is relieved when she takes the plant from her backpack, and it is lively again: “Judy could not believe her eyes! Its arm was no longer droopy. The stuck trap was now wide open, and her plant was looking hungry” (43). Judy’s interactions with her charismatic “pet” help her learn to manage her feelings while she takes care of an equally moody plant.
The “Me Collage”
Judy’s “Me Collage” is a motif for the theme of Navigating School and Relationships. Describing Judy’s changing collage is another way for the author to reveal Judy’s feelings. As Judy has new experiences at school and home, her Me Collage continually evolves, reflecting these changes. For example, Judy initially thinks that she will list Frank Pearl’s birthday party as the worst experience of her life. However, when she goes to the party, she is surprised to find herself enjoying Frank’s company. After he impresses her with his collections and offers her a gift for her pet plant, Judy’s feelings toward Frank change, and she begins to consider him a friend. She removes his party from her collage and instead lists missing out on the White House trip as the “worst thing.” Judy’s transformed relationship with Frank is clear when she mentions him as a friend in her class presentation of her collage.
She earnestly works on the collage at home, considering the meaning of each addition to her poster. By openly sharing her passions, such as her patient doll and her hero, Elizabeth Blackwell, Judy shows that she is proud of her interests and is eager to share them with her classmates: “Judy cut out a picture of Hedda from the ad in her Luna Girls magazine and pasted it in the doctor corner, right next to her drawing of Elizabeth Blackwell copied from an encyclopedia” (53). Judy’s commitment to perfecting her Me Collage and explaining her identity shows that she wants to do well in school, form genuine friendships with her classmates, and impress her teacher, Mr. Todd.
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