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Judy Moody & Friends #3
Judy Moody and Friends: Amy Namey in Ace Reporter
Read all about it! Amy Namey is chasing a news story in this Judy Moody® story for newly independent readers.
Amy Namey, Ace Reporter, is on the hunt for a good news story. But not a lot happens in the town of Frog Neck Lake. So what’s a budding reporter to do? Team up with Judy Moody! With Judy along to sniff out a story, anything can happen. Like maybe a close encounter with the famed Great Virginia Sea Serpent, Taboo! Are Amy and Judy about to stumble upon the scoop of the century?
Amy Namey, Ace Reporter, is on the hunt for a good news story. But not a lot happens in the town of Frog Neck Lake. So what’s a budding reporter to do? Team up with Judy Moody! With Judy along to sniff out a story, anything can happen. Like maybe a close encounter with the famed Great Virginia Sea Serpent, Taboo! Are Amy and Judy about to stumble upon the scoop of the century?
64 pages, Hardcover
First published September 9, 2014
About the author
Megan McDonald
321 books751 followers"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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 13, 2019
3.5 star
July 25, 2017
1. Categories/Genres: Easy Reader/series
2. Copyright date: 2014
3. Estimate of age level of interest: grades K-3
4. Estimate of reading level: 2.6
5. Brief description: Amy is a blossoming journalist, following in her mother's footsteps. Amy works with Judy Moody on the hunt for her big scoop. Vibrant illustrations show the girls in action. This book is part of the "Judy Moody and Friends" series.
6. Identify at least 2 characteristics of this genre and subgenre and discuss how they appear in your book:
-Series' reading levels are usually low, "allowing readers to practice their reading skills while they enjoy reading" (Chance, p. 36). This book is for early fluent readers and is structured to support their needs.
-In series, many things stay the same. The reading level (2.2-2.9), length, and covers remain consistent throughout this series. So do the characters, who don't grow or age.
7. In what ways and how well does the book as a whole serve its intended audience?
Early fluent readers: The three chapters here introduce students to the chapter book format. There are more pages with more text on each page (some have no pictures at all). There are longer sentences, richer vocabulary, variation in sentence patterns, and more descriptive language. It also introduces newspaper concepts, like the term "above the fold."
8. Awards: None
9. Citations for published reviews from professional sources:
Horn Book Guide, 04/01/15
School Library Journal, 11/01/14
2. Copyright date: 2014
3. Estimate of age level of interest: grades K-3
4. Estimate of reading level: 2.6
5. Brief description: Amy is a blossoming journalist, following in her mother's footsteps. Amy works with Judy Moody on the hunt for her big scoop. Vibrant illustrations show the girls in action. This book is part of the "Judy Moody and Friends" series.
6. Identify at least 2 characteristics of this genre and subgenre and discuss how they appear in your book:
-Series' reading levels are usually low, "allowing readers to practice their reading skills while they enjoy reading" (Chance, p. 36). This book is for early fluent readers and is structured to support their needs.
-In series, many things stay the same. The reading level (2.2-2.9), length, and covers remain consistent throughout this series. So do the characters, who don't grow or age.
7. In what ways and how well does the book as a whole serve its intended audience?
Early fluent readers: The three chapters here introduce students to the chapter book format. There are more pages with more text on each page (some have no pictures at all). There are longer sentences, richer vocabulary, variation in sentence patterns, and more descriptive language. It also introduces newspaper concepts, like the term "above the fold."
8. Awards: None
9. Citations for published reviews from professional sources:
Horn Book Guide, 04/01/15
School Library Journal, 11/01/14
Want to Read
November 5, 2020Amy Namey in Ace Reporter by Megan McDonald is a great mystery novel for first or second graders. The story starts off with a young girl that wants to be a reporter and finds a big and breaking news story to go on the front page of her newspaper that she is starting. She didn’t find it in the first few days that she was looking for one, but maybe after a few days she did find one. Throughout the book, Amy kept her eyes peeled for the breaking story thinking that each and every thing she heard or saw could be the breaking story on the front page. One day she finally went down to the river and was waiting quietly to see if anything big would happen. Keep the book to see if she finds a breaking news story.
I would use this story for my higher reading group(s) to do small group reading or independent reading at first then once they finished I would ask them their thoughts on the book. After that I would ask them questions about how they felt throughout the book and mention how Amy never gave up even though it may have been easy because she was not finding the story she wanted for her front page. I would also have a discussion about what it would be like to be a reporter for a newspaper and maybe what story they would want to report on.
I would use this story for my higher reading group(s) to do small group reading or independent reading at first then once they finished I would ask them their thoughts on the book. After that I would ask them questions about how they felt throughout the book and mention how Amy never gave up even though it may have been easy because she was not finding the story she wanted for her front page. I would also have a discussion about what it would be like to be a reporter for a newspaper and maybe what story they would want to report on.
April 7, 2018
This book is part of the "Judy Moody and Friends" series. I picked up several of them at the library because of the big colour illustrations and because there are a variety of characters but they're still linked from being in the same group of friends. This one has Amy wanting to be a journalist like her mum and asking Judy for help hunting for her big scoop.
May 11, 2018
2.5 stars
Read this to some 2nd graders. They enjoyed it.
Read this to some 2nd graders. They enjoyed it.
May 3, 2019
5/2/19 Read with Julia
Read
January 27, 2021AR 2.9
February 6, 2021
In the book I think it is a tree branch not a sea monster.
August 13, 2023
Desde que era niña me han gustado los libros de Judy Moody
November 28, 2023
Hockessin Library 5&6 Year Old Book Group - November 2023
February 4, 2025
This one was okay. Amy Namey wants to come up with a big story for the top fold of her newspaper. She and Judy Moody try to discover something rare. Nice illustrations.
January 30, 2017
This one is hilarious! Love it!
April 22, 2015
This was a really cute book because of the illustrations! They seem to be computer generated. This book could be used to inspire children to write their own stories and share them with others. I would recommend this book for grades 2-4 also depending on the reading level. I have labeled this book as a transitional book.
The text characteristics include:
medium sized print
multi-syllbic words arranged in longer sentences and paragraphs
variety of fonts and text patterns
wide range of sentence patterns
story has episodes
has a problem and solution (Amy Namey wants to write a newspaper article for her newspaper but she didn't have an exciting story)
Wide range of punctuation
dialogue
wide range of punctuation
point of view
Classroom use:
Read Aloud: chapter book with pictures
Independent Read: 1st-4th Grade Beginner/Chapter Books
Interest: appeals to children who like to create their own stories
Literary elements: book could be used in teaching plot and conflict. The plot takes Amy Namey through her search for finding the perfect story for her newspaper. The conflict in the story is trying to find a good story to put in the newspaper.
The text characteristics include:
medium sized print
multi-syllbic words arranged in longer sentences and paragraphs
variety of fonts and text patterns
wide range of sentence patterns
story has episodes
has a problem and solution (Amy Namey wants to write a newspaper article for her newspaper but she didn't have an exciting story)
Wide range of punctuation
dialogue
wide range of punctuation
point of view
Classroom use:
Read Aloud: chapter book with pictures
Independent Read: 1st-4th Grade Beginner/Chapter Books
Interest: appeals to children who like to create their own stories
Literary elements: book could be used in teaching plot and conflict. The plot takes Amy Namey through her search for finding the perfect story for her newspaper. The conflict in the story is trying to find a good story to put in the newspaper.
April 17, 2015
This is one of the books in the Judy Moody and Friends series. It is a kid-friendly novella that has all the elements of a full-sized adult novel.
Soft cover with glossy pages. Lots of easy-to-read-sized text and adorable illustrations of the two main characters, third graders Amy Namey and Judy Moody.
Amy is writing her own newspaper, wanting to follow in her Mom's footsteps as a reporter. All she needs is The Big Scoop, a story worthy of that special place on the first page above the fold. The girls' imaginations run wild as they have a few adventures while seeking The Scoop.
This is a perfect book for elementary girls. Kudos to Megan McDonald for her story and two thumbs up to illustrator Erwin Madrid forthe wonderful expressions he placed on the girls' faces throughout the book.
Soft cover with glossy pages. Lots of easy-to-read-sized text and adorable illustrations of the two main characters, third graders Amy Namey and Judy Moody.
Amy is writing her own newspaper, wanting to follow in her Mom's footsteps as a reporter. All she needs is The Big Scoop, a story worthy of that special place on the first page above the fold. The girls' imaginations run wild as they have a few adventures while seeking The Scoop.
This is a perfect book for elementary girls. Kudos to Megan McDonald for her story and two thumbs up to illustrator Erwin Madrid forthe wonderful expressions he placed on the girls' faces throughout the book.
February 27, 2016
In Ace Reporter, Amy Namey wishes to be like her journalist mom, so she takes Judy out with her to look for a story. The two girls are surprised when they uncover what they believe to be a sea serpent. In second grade, I and some of my classmates formed a group called The Bigfoot Club, so I can attest to the fact that kids in the target age range for this book are very much open to the power of suggestion and love to imagine that they have uncovered mythical creatures. Though I don't think as many kids aspire to be journalists as children's books suggest, this particular book is still appealing because of its focus on imagination.
March 24, 2015
They thought they found a sea serpent, but Judy just dropped her stick and took a picture of it and told their mom it was a sea serpent. She said, "Are you sure it is not a stick." Then they said, "Yeah, we felt it splash."
October 6, 2014
Chapter book that transitioning readers will enjoy.
June 28, 2015
Wonderful new series by Megan McDonald. My kids will eat this up. Enjoyable characters, just the right reading level. Fun story.
July 19, 2015
Great children book. Fun and easy to read.
Read
August 11, 2016A great story about writing and friendship and adventures.
October 21, 2016
This so far was my favorite of our new series. I love how they go out and look for old things so she can write for her newspaper. She wrote the article so well!
April 6, 2017
Judy Moody’s friend, Amy Namey, is on the hunt for a big scoop – of news, that is. Amy wants to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a top reporter so she’s investigating around her sleepy neighborhood where nothing seems to happen. She and Judy team up and find … a whole bunch of Stink’s old stuff. Not to be deterred, Amy and Judy explore Frog Neck Creek looking for a sea monster and they think they might have found just that. Primary readers ready to tackle beginning chapter books will enjoy the scoop in this engaging, easy read filled with Erwin Madrid’s colorful digital illustrations.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews