Megan McDonald - Judy Moody Predicts the Future

She ripped open the paper wrapper. A ring! A silver ring with an oogley center. A mood ring! And a little piece of cardboard. WHAT MOOD ARE YOU IN? it asked. Judy slid the ring onto her finger. She pressed her thumb to the oogley center.

She squeezed her eyes tight. One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand. She hoped the ring was purple. Purple was the best. Purple was Joyful, On Top of the World. At last, she dared to look. Oh no! She couldnt believe her eyes.

The ring was black. She knew what black meant, even without the directions. Black said Grouchy, Impossible. Black was for a bad, mad mood! Maybe I counted wrong, thought Judy. She closed her eyes and pressed the ring again. She thought only good thoughts this time. Happy thoughts.

She thought about the time she and Rocky and Frank put a fake hand in the toilet to play a trick on Stink. She thought about the time she got a picture of her elbow in the newspaper. She thought about the time Class 3T collected enough bottles to plant trees in the rain forest. She thought of purple things. Socks and rocks and Popsicles. Judy Moody opened her eyes.

She flunked! The ring was still black. Could the mood ring be wrong? Judy did not think rings could lie. Especially rings with directions. Judy froze her thumb on an ice cube and pressed the rings center. Black. She ran her thumb under hot water and pressed it again.

Black, black, blacker than black. Not one teeny bit purple. I guess Im in a bad mood and dont even know it, thought Judy. What could I be mad about? Judy Moody went looking for a bad mood. She found her dad outside, planting fall flower bulbs. Dad, she said, will you take me to Fur & Fangs? Judy hated when her dad was too busy to take her to the pet store.

She could already feel the bad mood coming on. Sure, said Dad. Just let me rinse my hands. Really? asked Judy. Really. But you look really busy.

And I have homework. Its okay, said Dad. Im about finished. Ill just wash my hands and well go. But what about my homework? Do it after dinner, said Dad. Never mind, said Judy.

Huh? asked her dad. Judy Moody went looking for an even better bad mood. It really bugged her when her mom told her to brush her hair. So Judy took out her ponytails on purpose. Her hair stuck out in T. rex spikes.

Her bangs fell over her eyes. She found her mom reading in the pink chair. Hi, Mom. Her mom smiled at her. Hi, honey. Arent you going to say anything? Judy asked.

Like what? Like, Go brush your hair. Get your hair out of your eyes. Your hair looks like a T. rex. Anything. Its from the ponytails, honey. Itll be fine after you wash it tonight.

But what if somebody came to our house and knocked on the door right this very second? Judy asked. Like who? Rocky? asked Mom. No, like the president of the United States, Judy said. Tell the president youll be right down. Then run upstairs and brush your hair. It was no use.

Judy Moody had to find Stink. If anybody could put her in a bad mood, Stink could. The baddest. Upstairs, Judy barged right into Stinks room without knocking. Stink! Wheres all my doctor stuff? What doctor stuff? I dont have any. But you always have my doctor stuff.

You told me to stop taking everything. Do you have to listen to everything I say? asked Judy. Judy glared at her ring. This mood ring lies. She yanked it off and threw it into the trash. Stink fished the ring out of the trash.

A mood ring? Cool! He tried on the ring. It turned black. Bat-wing black. See? said Judy. Worthless! Stink pressed his thumb to the oogley center. The ring turned green! Green as a turtles neck.

Green as a toads belly. Judy could not believe her eyes. Let me see that, she said. It was green all right. Stink, you can give me back my mood ring now. You threw it in the trash, Stink told her, waving his mood-ring hand in front of her.

Its mine now. Yuck! Green looks like pond scum. Does not! Green means jealous. Green means green with envy. Green means you wish you were me. Why would I wish that? You dont have a mood ring, said Stink.

Cmon, Stinker. I went through seven bowls of cereal for that ring. I gave up going to Fur & Fangs for that ring. I froze and burned myself for that ring. Its still mine, said Stink.

The burnt-toast kind of bad mood. The kind that turns your mood ring b-l-a-c-k. If only she could convince Stink that she had magic powers. A person with magic powers should own a mood ring. What good was a mood ring in the hands of someone with un-magic powers? Where was that Stink-a-Roo anyway? Probably down in the living room, reading the encyclopedia. Judy ran downstairs.

Stink was lying on the floor with encyclopedias all around him, wiggling his loose tooth.