“To help get us started,” said Mr. Todd, “I’m going to turn this over to our third-grade newspaper reporter, Amy Namey.”
Amy took the microphone. “This is Amy Namey, Ace Reporter, coming to you live from the Party Room of the Starlight Lanes Bowling Alley. It’s a showdown between the Virginia Dare Bookworms and the Braintree Bloodsucking Fake-Mustache Defenders. Five students from each school make up the teams that will battle for the Book Quiz Wizard’s Cup.
“On the Bookworms’ side, we have a fantasy fan, a spelling whiz, a speed-reader, a human encyclopedia, and an animal expert.
“On the Braintree team, we have a sports fan, a science champ, a graphic novel maniac, and a biography brainiac.And last but not least is a Harry-Potter-reading fourth-grader! But the question of the day is, which team will get to take home the light-up Book Quiz Wizard’s Cup to display proudly at their school?”
Amy held up a shiny trophy with a gold cup perched atop a stack of books on a marble base. She pressed a button and the books lit up in blinking rainbow colors. Everybody oohed and aahed.
“Thank you, Amy,” said Mr. Todd.
“Ready to rumble?” asked Ms. de la Cruz.
The Fake-Mustache Defenders huddled and did a secret handshake. The Bookworms put their heads together and chanted their motto: “We are the Bookworms. We eat books. We are not endangered!”
A hush fell over the room. The timer was set. The clock began to tick. The official Book Quiz Blowout had begun.
The Fake-Mustache Defenders won the coin toss. They got to go first.
“In the book by Andrea Beaty,” said Mr. Todd, “young scientist Ada Twist tries to figure out the source of a bad smell. Where does she write down her scientific thoughts?”
Mighty Fantaskey buzzed in. “The Great Thinking Hall.”
“Correct,” said Mr. Todd.
“For the Bookworms,” said Ms. de la Cruz. “What book by author Liz Kessler begins with the line, ‘Can you keep a secret?’”
Sophie buzzed in. “The Tail of Emily Windsnap.”
“Correct. Ten points.”
“Okay, Fake-Mustache Defenders. From Charlotte’s Web, by E. B. White, please name one of the words that Charlotte the spider spins in her web.”
Mighty buzzed in again. “Terrific. Radiant. Some pig.”
“That’s three words,” said Mr. Todd. “But you are correct on all counts. Ten points.”
“Bookworms. In Muggie Maggie, by Beverly Cleary, what earns Maggie the nickname Muggie?”
Bzzz. “Judy Moody?”
“She doesn’t want to learn to write in cursive.”
“That is correct. Ten points.”
The questions went back and forth, back and forth for several rounds. No one got a single question wrong until the Bookworms could not remember that Posada was the Mexican artist in Funny Bones by Duncan Tonatiuh. Then the Fake-Mustache Defenders forgot why Stuart Little left home in the book by E. B. White. Phew! After that, Stink said the giant peach landed on the Eiffel Tower, instead of the Empire State Building, in James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl.
“Next question,” said Mr. Todd. “In Lola Levine Is Not Mean!, by Monica Brown, what is the name of Lola Levine’s soccer team?”
The boy to the left of Mighty buzzed in. “Orange Crush!” he cried.
“I’m sorry,” said Mr. Todd. “The correct answer is the Orange Smoothies.”
The audience groaned. Judy’s palms began to sweat. Her fake freckles itched. She took a deep breath to calm herself down.
“In Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo,” said Ms. de la Cruz, “what is Opal’s dog afraid of?”
Every single Bookworm buzzed in. “Jessica Finch?”
“Thunderstorms,” said Jessica.
“Another correct answer for the Bookworms. Add ten points.”
“Woo-hoo,” yelled Webster from the crowd. Rocky called, “Go, Bookworms!”
The score was tied! The air in the room crackled with electricity.
The Fake-Mustache Defenders knew that a pen was called a frindle in a book by Andrew Clements about a boy who invents a new word. Ten more points.
“In the Lowriders graphic novels by Cathy Camper, three friends — Lupe, El Chavo Flapjack, and Elirio Malaria — love working on cars. What kind of creatures are they?”
Frank buzzed in. “An impala, an octopus, and a mosquito!”
Before they knew it, it was halftime, and the score was eighty to eighty. The two teams were well matched.
“What a game!” said Amy Namey. “The Bookworms and the Bloodsucking Fake-Mustache Defenders are neck and neck. Will the Bookworms take a bite out of the Bloodsuckers? Or will the Bloodsuckers sink their fangs into the Bookworms on their way to the finish and take home the trophy?”
In the second half, the questions got harder. Judy’s mouth felt as dry as the desert in The Three Little Javelinas. She took a gulp of water. She rubbed the lucky penny in her pocket. She clicked the heels of her lucky high-tops together.
“In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl,” said Mr. Todd, “what happens to Violet Beauregarde when she chews gum against Willy Wonka’s wishes?”
Bzzz. “She turns into a giant blueberry,” said a Fake-Mustache Defender.
The audience cracked up.
“In Grace Lin’s novel Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, who helps Minli on her journey to find the Old Man of the Moon?”
“A talking goldfish,” said Sophie.
“In a book by Monica Brown, what famous soccer player is the first man in the history of the sport to score one thousand goals?”
“Pelé, king of soccer,” said one of the Fake-Mustache Defenders.
“In his picture-book autobiography, what instrument did New Orleans jazz musician Troy Andrews find in the street when he was a boy?”
Bzzz. Stink buzzed in. “A trombone. He’s Trombone Shorty.”
The rapid-fire questions came one after another. The two teams were still tied, at 140 to 140, with only one question to go for each team!
“Bloodsucking Fake-Mustache Defenders,” said Mr. Todd. “For ten points, and possibly the game, what is the name of the museum where Claudia Kincaid and her little brother, Jamie, have a sleepover?”
One of the Fake-Mustache Defenders buzzed in. The Bookworms held their breath. The place was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and not the bowling kind of pin. “The Metropolitan Museum of Art.”
“That is correct,” said Mr. Todd.
The Braintree Academy fans went wild. The Fake-Mustache Defenders screamed like they had just seen Pelé score a goal. The Virginia Dare fans gasped. The Bookworms groaned. If the Bookworms got their last question wrong, the Fake-Mustache Defenders would take home the trophy.
Judy could hear her heart pounding in her ears.
“Okay, Bookworms,” said Ms. de la Cruz. “For the tie, here is your next question. In a novel by Chris Grabenstein, Kyle Keeley and his cohorts get locked in the unusual library of what famous genius, whose name is part of the book’s title?”
Judy tried to ring in first, but Stink beat her to the buzzer. Oh, no! This was the one question he messed up every time. She felt her stomach twist into a knot. She closed her eyes. Don’t say Mr. Monticello, she silently pleaded. She, Judy Moody, was in a sour-ball mood.
“His name . . .” Stink started.
“Twenty seconds,” said Ms. de la Cruz, checking the timer.
“Mr. . . .” Stink stopped. He bit his lip, glancing over at Judy, but she wasn’t looking at him. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her face was all pinched, like she had just eaten a lemon.
“Five seconds,” said Ms. de la Cruz. “We need an answer.”
A lemon! Stink practically popped with relief. “Mr. Lemoncello!” he said.
“Cor-rect!” said Mr. Todd. The crowd erupted in noisy applause.
Judy’s eyes popped open in surprise! “Go, Stinkworm!” she cried. “You did it!”
Tie game! The
score was even steven — 150 to 150. The Bookworms shrieked and jumped up and down.
The audience went wild. The Bloodsucking Fake-Mustache Defenders sat still, barely blinking.
Amy Namey, Ace Reporter, stepped up to the microphone. “The game is in a dead heat. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a real edge-of-your-seat nail-biter. Now the match will go into a tie-breaking round. We’re moments away from having a winner!”
Mr. Todd and Ms. de la Cruz explained the rules of the Bonus Round. Each team was to choose one player to come up to the microphone with their buzzers. The first player to buzz in with a correct answer would win the game for their team.
The Fake-Mustache Defenders chose Mighty Fantaskey. The Bookworms chose . . . Judy Moody, Super Book Quiz Whiz!
The pressure was on. She, Judy Moody, did not want to let the team down.
Then it happened.
Mr. Todd asked the question: “How many staircases are there at Hogwarts, the school featured in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books?”
NO! Not Harry Potter!
Owl, Dumbledore, magic wand, Hogwarts, cat, reading, map, Bubblehead, broomstick! Judy did backflips through her brain. Cartwheels in her cranium. It was like her brain was speed-reading through the Harry Potter books, looking for an answer. Any answer.
It was no use. Judy had no idea what the answer was, but she dove for the buzzer anyway. Mighty Fantaskey beat her to it.
Oh, Scabbers! The Bookworms were going to lose now, and it would be all Judy’s fault.
“One hundred thirty-two,” Mighty said without a blink or a pause.
“Sorry,” said Mr. Todd. “Incorrect.”
WHAT?
Mighty the Fantastic Fourth-Grader had missed!
Half the crowd shouted “Ooh!” and “No-o!” Ms. de la Cruz quieted them down.
Mr. Todd turned to Judy. “Judy? Ten seconds. Do you have an answer?”
Judy froze. Numbers spun through her brain. 117! 256! 39! Her mind was a muggle.
“Time,” said Mr. Todd. The Virginia Dare audience groaned. “The correct answer is one hundred forty-two.”
The audience leaned forward on the edges of their seats.
“For the win,” said Ms. de la Cruz. “Next question.”
There was still a chance. Judy Moody, Super Book Quiz Whiz, to the rescue.
Yipes. Judy got a case of the bookworm squirms. The bookworm shivers. The bookworm jitters. Shake it off! Fake a cough! Judy told herself.
She closed her eyes. She pictured the light-up Book Quiz Wizard’s Cup in its place of honor — the glass case in the Virginia Dare School library.
Then it happened. Ms. de la Cruz flipped to the next card. She looked at Judy and seemed like she was trying not to laugh as she asked the question: “What is Pippi Longstocking’s full name?”
Pippi! Judy knew all things Pippi! Without missing a beat, she buzzed in. “Pippi . . . uh . . . Pippi . . .” Her mind went blank. She gulped. Brain freeze! Tap-tap-tap. She tapped her nose. She closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, and then she spoke clearly into the microphone. “Pippilotta Delicatessa Windowshade Mackrelmint Ephraim’s Daughter Longstocking.”
“That is correct!” said Ms. de la Cruz.
“Woo-hoo!” The Bookworms jumped and whooped and hollered and high-fived one another. “We did it!”
“Congratulations, Bookworms!” said Mr. Todd.
The crowd erupted in noisy applause. Rocky whistled and Webster whooped. Mom and Dad hurried over to Judy and Stink. “Great job, kids.” There were hugs all around.
When the excitement died down, the Bookworms shook hands with the Bloodsucking Fake-Mustache Defenders.
“Great game!” both teams agreed.
“We can hardly wait till next year,” said a Fake-Mustache Defender.
“We’re coming back, better than ever,” said another. “Get ready.”
“There’s a new kid in town, and her name is Mighty Fantaskey!” said Mighty.
A-ma-zing! The Bookworms had read their way to the finish. She, Judy Moody, could hardly believe they had won the first ever Book Quiz Blowout. Uber-rare!
Mr. Todd presented the Bookworms with the light-up Book Quiz Wizard’s Cup. It would soon take a place of honor in the glass case in the Virginia Dare School library. The whole school would be proud of the Bookworms.
Willa, the librarian from Virginia Dare, passed out backpacks to the kids on both teams. Each backpack had a book inside. Judy peeked inside and found her very own copy of Charlotte’s Web.
“Hey, look,” said Jessica Finch, showing Judy the inside front page. “It’s signed by a pig!”
“That’s Wilbur’s autograph,” said Judy, cracking up. Judy hugged the book to her. With or without a trophy, Judy was in a joyful-on-top-of-spaghetti mood. Because of the Book Quiz Blowout, she had discovered piles of new books. Aisles of new books.
Books.
She, Judy Moody, Bookworm, loved to read.
Webster’s dad, Mr. Gomez, tapped on the microphone. “We thank you all for coming and celebrating reading with us today. We hope both teams and their families and friends will stay for our Bowling Bash. I’m happy to announce that all proceeds today will be donated to Virginia Dare Elementary School and Braintree Academy, to help buy new books for their libraries.”
Willa the librarian and a man from Braintree Academy stepped up to the front. Mr. Gomez presented them with a giant check that was taller than Stink. It took two people just to hold it.
Judy could not believe her eyes. “Rare!” said Judy. “That’s the biggest check I’ve ever seen!”
“One million dollars!” yelled Stink, jumping up and down.
Judy counted zeros. “It’s one thousand dollars, Stink. Each school gets five hundred dollars.”
“Oops,” said Stink. “Still. That’s a lot of new books for the library!”
Judy pictured all the new books that would go to the library, with bright, shiny-clean covers and crackling spines. She imagined filling her backpack with brand-spanking-new, never-before-been-read books.
At last, Webster, the Bookworm mascot, yelled, “Taco time!” The Bookworms sat down with the Fake-Mustache Defenders. Everybody yakked excitedly about the game while they ate teeny-tiny silver-dollar tacos. “And don’t forget ice-cream tacos for dessert!” Webster told them.
Let the Book Quiz Bowling Bash begin!
Webster cranked up the music. The regular lights in the bowling alley went out. Sparkly disco lights came on. They flashed and twinkled across the ceiling like stars in the sky. The lanes pulsed with eerie neon colors. The bowling pins glowed zombie-green.
Glow-in-the-dark bowling! This was as spooky-exciting as reading about Pippi Longstocking bowling with ghosts in her attic. Cosmic!
Webster rolled the first ball. All the pins went tumbling down. Strike!
Mighty Fantaskey showed Judy Moody her glow-in-the-dark shoelaces. One of the Fake-Mustache Defenders bowled a spare.
Stink was happy when he didn’t bowl a gutter ball! He was as jazzed as Trombone Shorty when he played the trombone.
The Bookworms could have bowled all day. The Bookworms could have bowled till midnight. Too bad midnight was way past their bedtime.
Judy felt like Lola Levine when the Orange Smoothies won a soccer game. She felt like Ada Twist, Scientist, when she made a way-important discovery.
Judy one-two-three hopped and kicked up her heels in a Pippi-Longstocking dance. Tiddly-pom and piddly-dee!
She, Judy Moody, Super Book Quiz Whiz, felt like the star of her own book — Tales of a Third Grade Something.
Special thanks to the Felida Elementary 2015 Battle of the Books champs of Vancouver, WA. The Blood Sucking Mustache Defenders inspired Braintree Academy’s team name.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either
products of the author’s imagination or, if real, are used fictitiously.
Text copyright © 2019 by Megan McDonald
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br /> Illustrations copyright © 2019 by Peter H. Reynolds
Judy Moody font copyright © 2003 by Peter H. Reynolds
Judy Moody®. Judy Moody is a registered trademark of Candlewick Press, Inc.
Portions of this text were previously published in Judy Moody & Stink and the Grand-Slam
Book-Bowl Jam, copyright © 2016 by Megan McDonald.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, or
stored in an information retrieval system in any form or by any means, graphic,
electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, taping, and recording,
without prior written permission from the publisher.
First electronic edition 2019
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 2019938996
The illustrations were done in watercolor, tea, and ink.
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Judy Moody, Book Quiz Whiz Page 4