of a single thing famous enough for the Moody Hall of Fame.
Judy went back down to the kitchen. The letter magnets on the fridge should have said THE STINK HALL OF FAME.
“So? Where’s your stuff?” Stink asked. “Did you leave it upstairs or something?”
“Or something,” said Judy. She hadn’t even found the crummy old ribbon from the time she won the Viola Swamp Look-Alike Contest in first grade.
“Mom?” Judy asked. “Did you ever get your picture in the paper?”
“Sure,” said Mom. “Lots of times. For the high school glee club.”
“What’s
glee
?” asked Stink.
“
Glee
means being happy,” Mom told him, “or cheerful.”
“They put your picture in the paper just for being happy?” asked Judy.
“No.” Mom laughed. “Glee club is a singing group.” Judy did not think anybody would take
her
picture just for being happy. Or for singing songs about it.
“How about you, Dad?” asked Judy.
“They said my name on the radio once for having the right answer to a quiz-show question.”
“What was the question?” asked Stink.
“How many presidents were born in Virginia?”
“How many?” asked Stink and Judy.
“Eight.”
“Wow,” said Judy.
“Aren’t you going to ask me?” asked Stink.
“You never had your picture in the paper,” said Judy.
“Yes, I did, didn’t I, Mom?” Stink asked. “It’s in my baby scrapbook.”
“You’ve heard that story, Judy, about how we waited too long to leave for the hospital and your brother was born in the back of the Jeep.”
“I was even on TV! On the news!”
“Oh, yeah,” said Judy. “Thanks for reminding me.”
It wasn’t fair. Her own stinky brother got to be on the real live news. She, Judy Moody, was not even famous enough for the refrigerator.
Rocky was already waiting for them at the manhole.
“Hey, Rock,” said Stink, “did you ever get your picture in the paper?”
“Sure,” said Rocky. “Bunches of times.”
“You did?” asked Judy.
“No, not really,” said Rocky. “But they did hang my picture up in the library one time.”
“See?” Judy said to Stink. “Even my best friend is famous.”
“Why’d they hang your picture up in the library?” asked Stink.
“My mom took me to the library to see this magician guy, you know? He did this trick where he took my Superman ring and made it disappear. Then he pulled it out of his sleeve along with a bunch of scarves. They took a picture of it and I’m the kid in the front row with my eyes bugging out. Not exactly famous.”
“Still,” said Judy.
When Judy got to school, Mr. Todd said, “Let’s go over our spelling words.” Spelling, spelling, spelling. The whole wide world was hung up on spelling.
Judy leaned over and whispered to Frank. “Hey, Frank, ever had your picture in the paper?”
“It’s no big deal,” said Frank. “I was three years old.”
Adam stood up and spelled the word, “R-E-C-Y-C-L-E.”
“What was it for?” whispered Judy.
Hailey stood up and spelled the word, “I-C-I-C-L-E.”
“I won the Grandpa Grape Coloring Contest in the newspaper. You had to color this dancing grape cartoon guy. He used to be on grape juice. I couldn’t even stay in the lines.”
Randi stood up and spelled, “M-O-T-O-R- C-Y-C-L-E.”
Even Frank Pearl was famous. For scribbling on a dancing grape.
“Everybody I know is F-A-M-O-U-S,” Judy grumped.
“Judy,” said Mr. Todd, “were you hoping to get a white card today?”
A white card! Three white cards in one week meant you had to stay after school! She already had two. And it was only Wednesday.
“Why don’t you spell the bonus word aloud for us?” Mr. Todd said.
Bonus word
? thought Judy. She hadn’t been paying attention. She, Judy Moody, was in a pickle. Pickle? Was that the word? “Could I have the definition please?” she asked.
The whole class cracked up. “It’s something you eat,” said Rocky.
Judy stood up. “P-O-P-S-I-C-L-E.
Popsicle,
” she
Judy went back down to the kitchen. The letter magnets on the fridge should have said THE STINK HALL OF FAME.
“So? Where’s your stuff?” Stink asked. “Did you leave it upstairs or something?”
“Or something,” said Judy. She hadn’t even found the crummy old ribbon from the time she won the Viola Swamp Look-Alike Contest in first grade.
“Mom?” Judy asked. “Did you ever get your picture in the paper?”
“Sure,” said Mom. “Lots of times. For the high school glee club.”
“What’s
glee
?” asked Stink.
“
Glee
means being happy,” Mom told him, “or cheerful.”
“They put your picture in the paper just for being happy?” asked Judy.
“No.” Mom laughed. “Glee club is a singing group.” Judy did not think anybody would take
her
picture just for being happy. Or for singing songs about it.
“How about you, Dad?” asked Judy.
“They said my name on the radio once for having the right answer to a quiz-show question.”
“What was the question?” asked Stink.
“How many presidents were born in Virginia?”
“How many?” asked Stink and Judy.
“Eight.”
“Wow,” said Judy.
“Aren’t you going to ask me?” asked Stink.
“You never had your picture in the paper,” said Judy.
“Yes, I did, didn’t I, Mom?” Stink asked. “It’s in my baby scrapbook.”
“You’ve heard that story, Judy, about how we waited too long to leave for the hospital and your brother was born in the back of the Jeep.”
“I was even on TV! On the news!”
“Oh, yeah,” said Judy. “Thanks for reminding me.”
It wasn’t fair. Her own stinky brother got to be on the real live news. She, Judy Moody, was not even famous enough for the refrigerator.
Rocky was already waiting for them at the manhole.
“Hey, Rock,” said Stink, “did you ever get your picture in the paper?”
“Sure,” said Rocky. “Bunches of times.”
“You did?” asked Judy.
“No, not really,” said Rocky. “But they did hang my picture up in the library one time.”
“See?” Judy said to Stink. “Even my best friend is famous.”
“Why’d they hang your picture up in the library?” asked Stink.
“My mom took me to the library to see this magician guy, you know? He did this trick where he took my Superman ring and made it disappear. Then he pulled it out of his sleeve along with a bunch of scarves. They took a picture of it and I’m the kid in the front row with my eyes bugging out. Not exactly famous.”
“Still,” said Judy.
When Judy got to school, Mr. Todd said, “Let’s go over our spelling words.” Spelling, spelling, spelling. The whole wide world was hung up on spelling.
Judy leaned over and whispered to Frank. “Hey, Frank, ever had your picture in the paper?”
“It’s no big deal,” said Frank. “I was three years old.”
Adam stood up and spelled the word, “R-E-C-Y-C-L-E.”
“What was it for?” whispered Judy.
Hailey stood up and spelled the word, “I-C-I-C-L-E.”
“I won the Grandpa Grape Coloring Contest in the newspaper. You had to color this dancing grape cartoon guy. He used to be on grape juice. I couldn’t even stay in the lines.”
Randi stood up and spelled, “M-O-T-O-R- C-Y-C-L-E.”
Even Frank Pearl was famous. For scribbling on a dancing grape.
“Everybody I know is F-A-M-O-U-S,” Judy grumped.
“Judy,” said Mr. Todd, “were you hoping to get a white card today?”
A white card! Three white cards in one week meant you had to stay after school! She already had two. And it was only Wednesday.
“Why don’t you spell the bonus word aloud for us?” Mr. Todd said.
Bonus word
? thought Judy. She hadn’t been paying attention. She, Judy Moody, was in a pickle. Pickle? Was that the word? “Could I have the definition please?” she asked.
The whole class cracked up. “It’s something you eat,” said Rocky.
Judy stood up. “P-O-P-S-I-C-L-E.
Popsicle,
” she
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