Judy Moody and Friends: Stink and Webster Go to Mars

Judy Moody & Friends #15

by Megan McDonald, Erwin Madrid (Illustrator)

It’s all systems go for a bedtime voyage to the stars and to Mars! Stink and his best friend, Webster, let their imaginations fly at their first-ever sleepover.

Three, two, one . . . sleepover! Stink can’t wait for Webster to arrive and sleep over for the very first time. Big sister Judy is ready with all the important (1) You have to have a theme. (2) You have to have an activity. (3) You have to have snacks. (4) You cannot sleep! When Webster shows up in his outer-space pj’s, it doesn’t take long for a theme to emerge. Stink’s race-car bed doubles as a spaceship and an old keyboard is a control panel as the explorers suit up, buckle in, and blast off . . . Va-room! Playful illustrations and astronaut lingo capture their imaginary adventure from takeoff to spacewalking, while more creativity comes into play when they land and experiment with space-worthy snacks.

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Childrens, Humor, Friendship

64 pages, Hardcover

Published March 19, 2024

About the author

"Sometimes I think I am Judy Moody," says Megan McDonald, author of the Judy Moody series, the Stink series, and THE SISTERS CLUB. "I'm certainly moody, like she is. Judy has a strong voice and always speaks up for herself. I like that."

For Megan McDonald, being able to speak up for herself wasn't always easy. She grew up as the youngest of five sisters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her father, an ironworker, was known to his coworkers as "Little Johnny the Storyteller." Every evening at dinner the McDonalds would gather to talk and tell stories, but Megan McDonald was barely able to get a word in edgewise. "I'm told I began to stutter," she says, leading her mother to give her a notebook so she could start "writing things down."


Critically acclaimed, the Judy Moody books have won numerous awards, ranging from a PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Best Book of the Year to an International Reading Association Children's Choice. "Judy has taken on a life of her own," the author notes, with nearly 3 million Judy Moody books in print. Interestingly, the feisty third-grader is highly popular with boys and girls, making for a strong base of fans who are among Megan McDonald's strongest incentives to keep writing, along with "too many ideas and a little chocolate." And now -- by popular demand -- Judy Moody's little brother, Stink, gets his chance to star in his own adventures! Beginning with STINK: THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING KID, three more stories, and his own encyclopedia, STINK-O-PEDIA, Stink's special style comes through loud and strong -- enhanced by a series of comic strips, drawn by Stink himself, which are sprinkled throughout the first book. About the need for a book all about Stink, Megan McDonald says, "Once, while I was visiting a class full of Judy Moody readers, the kids, many with spiked hair à la Judy's little brother, chanted, 'Stink! Stink! Stink! Stink! Stink!' as I entered the room. In that moment, I knew that Stink had to have a book all his own."


More recently, Megan McDonald has recalled some of her own childhood with the warmth, humor -- and squabbles -- of three spunky sisters in THE SISTERS CLUB.


Megan McDonald and her husband live in Sebastopol, California, with two dogs, two adopted horses, and fifteen wild turkeys that like to hang out on their back porch.

Reviews

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stink and his friend Webster have a sleepover at Stink’s house. Big sister Judy explains the rules of sleepovers: you eat junk food, have a theme and do not sleep! The boys ask then why call it a sleepover if you don’t sleep? She doesn’t know. They decide to make believe flying to Mars. After an exciting adventure, they have a snack and conk out!

This gets four stars for being at a grade three reading level and fun to read! I have found a real lack of such books!

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early readers can join Stink (Judy Moody’s little brother) and his best friend Webster as they have their first sleepover, imagine their way to Mars and survive the Alien Coop Cax Incident. Stink and Webster show great imagination as they use things in Stink’s room to create a space ship, space suits, volcanos and more. Mixed in with all the pretending are some actual facts about Mars but it is might be missed among all the fun! Large font, plenty of white space and colored illustrations make this an approachable read for grades 1-4.

[Jenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

This early reader book follows Stink, Judy Moody's little brother, on his sleep over with his friend Webster. Judy tells Stink all the rules of sleep overs so when Webster arrives they can have a great time. Both boys in their space pajamas decide to use their imaginations to explore space and travel to Mars. The boys have fun even after being scared by alien Judy when she arrives with cupcakes. This is a great addition to the world of Judy Moody and a must purchase for libraries with a following. This book was provided by the publisher for professional review by SWON Libraries.

[Children's Literature Centre at FSU · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute beginner chapter book that focuses on friendship. Stink and Webster are like two peas in a pod and this book takes you through their adventure through their first sleepover.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Stink a lot. This was a good addition to the younger-geared Judy Moody and Friends series. Stink has his friend Webster over for their first ever sleep over, and it becomes space-themed.

[Cody N · Rating 5 out of 5]

From Cody: I loved when Judy looked like an alien and came with a tray of cupcakes and fell backwards and offered Stink and Webster hair cupcakes or floor cupcakes.