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Judy Moody & Friends #11

Searching for Stinkodon

Surprises are in store as Stink excavates his backyard in search of a relic from an extinct beast — and Judy lends him a little sleight of hand.

Mega-chomp! Stink wants to make the find of the century. He’s on a dig, dig, digging quest in his backyard to find a tooth from a saber-toothed cat, otherwise known as a Smilodon. Why not? Two kids in Michigan found a mastodon bone in a backyard stream, and a girl in Great Britain found a pterosaur bone. It could happen! But Judy thinks the chances of finding a saber-toothed anything in the Moody backyard are one in a gazillion million. Will Stink make a discovery before their whole backyard caves in? Just right for newly independent readers, this latest story from Megan McDonald is sure to leave Moody fans with smiles as wide as a Smilodon’s.

64 pages, Hardcover

Published April 9, 2019

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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.

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5 stars
28 (36%)
4 stars
25 (32%)
3 stars
18 (23%)
2 stars
3 (3%)
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3 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Profile Image for Lorie.
807 reviews11 followers
June 21, 2019
Stink wants to find a Smilodon (saber-tooth cat) fossil in his back yard so he can become famous and be on the cover of Science Kid magazine. His digging obsessively becomes his only priority so Judy enlists a friend to help trick him into thinking he has found something so he will stop. Will their trick work, or will Stink really find something important?

This beginning chapter book is appropriate for newly proficient readers who are still working on improving reading comprehension and speed. With Stink being a familiar character to early grade school children, this reader series (Judy Moody and Friends) will be a popular choice for the intended audience. The story is humorous and even though it is for the younger readers it still offers challenges in the complexity of the language used and the length of the story. There is no phonic help for challenging words or supplemental materials included. I would recommend this book for purchase by any school or public library.

This book was provided by the publisher for professional review by SWON Libraries.
Profile Image for Anthony.
7,617 reviews34 followers
June 4, 2019
After reading about two kids in Michigan who found a mastodon bone, and a girl in Great Britain who found a pterosaur bone, Stink starts on a quest to find a tooth from a saber-tooth cat, also known as a Smilodon, by digging up his back yard. Judy and one of Stink's best friends, Sophie of the Elves take drastic action to get Stink to stop digging.
44 reviews
July 4, 2019
Stink is looking to make a huge discovery right in his own backyard but Judy is doubtful. This book is great for newly independent readers but the story fell a little flat for my girls (6+8). A little too predictable but still a great read for your adventurers.
Profile Image for Emily Masters.
579 reviews17 followers
April 29, 2019
Genuinely funny- but I don’t think “human centipede” means the same thing to me as it does to young readers lololol
Profile Image for Sean Kottke.
1,964 reviews30 followers
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July 16, 2019
On page 30, this book makes reference to kids making a Human Centipede (capitalized). Wholly irresponsible of the author and editor to let that go to press in a book for the children's market.
Profile Image for Simona.
1 review
August 17, 2025
The words do not show up on kindle.

When buying on kindle only pictures show up, no words. Very disappointing. I tried twice to download it and each time the text never shows up.
Profile Image for Rebecca R..
125 reviews
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February 5, 2020
Early Juvenile Fiction Book - 2019

Searching for Stinkodon by Megan McDonald is an early Juvenile fiction chapter book that tells the story of Judy Moody and her friends as they look for fossils in her backyard. The idea is instigated by Judy’s younger brother Stink, as he wants to try to find a fossil of any prehistoric creature, have it named after him and become famous. Stink becomes so obsessed with the idea that all he does is dig in the backyard for days on end. Judy and her friend Sophie decide to take action to try to prevent possible disaster if Stink digs too deep. I chose this book because it has enlarged wording for 1st or 2nd graders who are beginning to read more, and longer books. There are also pictures to still help keep some interest and help the child imagine what is happening. The book also fits into the family theme as it portrays a brother and sister, with positive sibling relationships.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews