Megan McDonald - Judy Moody, M.D.: The Doctor Is In!

If only she was sick. Being sick was the greatest. You got to stay home and drink pop for breakfast and eat toast cut in special strips and watch TV in your room. You got to read Cherry Ames, Student Nurse, mysteries all day. And you got to eat yummy cherry cough drops. Hey! Maybe Cherry Ames was named after a cough drop! Judy took out her moms old Cherry Ames book and popped a cough drop in her mouth anyway.

Get up, Lazybones! said Stink, knocking on her door. Cant, said Judy. Too much rain. What? Never mind. Just go to school without me. Mom, Judys skipping school! Stink yelled.

Mom came into Judys room. Judy, honey. Whats wrong? Im sick. Of rain, she whispered to Mouse. Sick? Whats wrong? What hurts? asked Mom. My head, for one thing.

From all that noisy rain. You have a headache? Yes. And a sore throat. And a fever. And a stiff neck. Thats from sleeping with the dictionary under your pillow, said Stink.

To ace your spelling test. Is not. Is too! See, look. My tongues all red. Judy stuck out her Cherry-Ames-cough-drop tongue at Stink. Mom felt Judys head.

You dont seem to have a fever. Faker, said Stink. Come back in five minutes, said Judy. Ill have a fever by then. Faker, faker, faker, said Stink. If only she had measles.

Or chicken pox. Or... MUMPS! Mumps gave you a headache. Mumps gave you a stiff neck and a sore throat. Mumps made your cheeks stick out like Humpty Dumpty. Judy pushed the cough drop into her cheek and made it stick out, Humpty-Dumpty style.

Mumps! said Dr. Judy. I think I have the mumps! For real! Mumps! said Stink. No way. You got a shot for that. A no-mumps shot.

We both did. Didnt we, Mom? Yes, said Mom. Stinks right. Maybe one mump got through. Sounds like somebody doesnt want to go to school today, said Mom. All day. All day.

Lets take your temperature, said Mom. She took the thermometer out of the case. Cat hair? said Mom. Is this cat hair on the thermometer? Shes always making Mouse stick out her tongue and taking the cats temperature, said Stink. Mom shook her head and went to wash off the thermometer. When she came back, she took Judys temperature.

Its 98.6, said Mom. Normal! Faker, fakey, not-sick, big fat faker, said Stink. At least my temperatures normal, said Judy. Even if my brother isnt. Better get dressed, said Mom. Dont want to be late.

Stink? Youre a rat fink. Stink Rat-Fink Moody. Thats what Ill call you from now on. Well, youll have to call me it at school cause you dont get to stay home. Judy stuck out her cherry-red, no-mumps tongue at Stink. She was down in the dumps.

She had a bad case of the grumps. The no-mumps Moody Monday blues. She, Judy Moody, felt like Mumpty Dumpty! Mumpty Dumpty without a temperature, that is.

Todd had made a new bulletin board: Our Amazing Body: From Head to Toe. It had a tall poster of bones with long scientific names. On the front board he taped a chart that showed rodent bones. It looked like the insides of Peanut, the dwarf guinea pig in Class 3T. And... sitting behind Mr. Todds desk in Mr.

Todds chair, using Mr. Todds pencil, was a glow-in-the-dark skeleton! Class 3T had turned into a bone museum! Bones were not drippy. Bones were not noisy. Bones were not boring. Bones were dry and quiet and very, very interesting! Things were sure looking up for a no-mumps Monday. Judy handed Mr.

Todd her late slip. Sorry Im late, she said. I almost had the mumps. Well, Im glad youre healthy, and here now. Were starting a new unit on the Human Body from head to toe. Were going to get to jump rope, said Jessica Finch.

And measure our heart rates. And play Twister, said Rocky. To learn about muscles. And sing a song about bones, said Alison S. I cant believe you started the human body without me! said Judy. A person can miss a lot in seven minutes.

Dont worry. I think youll catch up, said Mr. Todd. Mr. Todd taught them a funny song that went, Da foot bones connected to da ankle bone.... And Class 3T got to turn out the lights and use the glow-in-the-dark skeleton named Bonita to count how many bones were in a human. And Class 3T got to turn out the lights and use the glow-in-the-dark skeleton named Bonita to count how many bones were in a human.

Two hundred and six! Well be learning a lot of new words in this unit. The scientific names for bones and body parts come from Latin. So they may sound a little funny. Like maxilla is your jaw? asked Judy, looking at the bulletin board. And so is mandible, said Jessica. Jessica Finch had already learned to spell microbes (a fancy word for germs, as in cooties!) and medulla (a fancy word for brain stuff).

Can you spell headache? Judy asked. Frank Pearl cracked up at that one. Then Mr. Todd passed out owl pellets. They got to poke them with a pencil to find bones. Rodent bones.

Judy and Frank stared at their fuzzy gray lump. Double bluck! Just think. This is owl spit-up! said Frank. Its still interesting, said Judy. Real bones are in there. You poke it, said Frank.