09 Project P.E.N.C.I.L

Project P.E.N.C.I.L. The next morning, and the next one after that, Judy woke up feeling like a sloth moth. She could hardly make herself get out of bed. Saving the world was not going so well. She hadn't done anything really important. Like heal the world with her own Crazy Strip. So far, she had only saved four banana peels, a lunch bag, and a toad.

On Friday morning, Judy ate her no-garbage breakfast in silence. She packed her no-garbage lunch by herself. She didn't say a word when Stink stuck Crazy Strips all over his arms, elbows, knees, and chin. "These Crazy Strips itch," said Stink, peeling off the one on his elbow. Judy couldn't stand it one more minute. "If those were my Crazy Strips," said Judy, "I'd be happy to itch. I would not scratch once. And I would never not ever peel it off. Not even in the bathtub." In school, Judy did not raise her hand once. She did not pass a note to Frank. She did nothing but chew her Grouchy pencil all through Spelling.

She, Judy Moody, was in a pencil-snapping mood. When it was time for Science, Mr. Todd took off his watch and said, "I want everybody to sit still for sixty seconds. I'll time you." When the minute was up, Mr. Todd said, "In that minute, one hundred acres of trees in the rain forest were just destroyed. That's seventy football fields." "No way!" went through the class. "We all depend on the rain forest," said Mr. Todd. "For things we eat and wear and use every single day. Think about it. Even your wooden pencil and rubber eraser could be from the rain forest. Ninety-eight percent of the cedar wood used for pencils comes from rain forest trees." Judy stopped chewing on her Grouchy pencil.

She stared at it. The grouchy face looked even grouchier. This pencil used to be a tree. A rain forest tree! She, Judy Moody, would never, ever use a pencil again. Not even a Grouchy pencil. "If we help save the rain forest, we help save the planet," said Mr. Todd. Suddenly, Judy had a plan. A perfect Savethe- World plan. All she had to do was skip recess.

When all the kids hurried outside to the playground, Judy sneaked back to the classroom. This was her big chance. Inside each desk was a pencil holder. Judy raced around the room and took the pencils from each desk. Then she hid them inside the flower vase. As soon as recess was over, it was time for Math. "Take out your workbooks," said Mr. Todd. "Let's get those pencils working." Uh-oh! Judy thought. "Hey, my pencil's gone!" "Mine too!" "Mine was right here!" "Mr. Todd! Mr. Todd! Somebody stole our pencils!" The whole class was in an uproar. "Okay, is somebody playing a joke?" asked Mr. Todd. Nobody answered. "Do any of you

know anything about the missing pencils?" Judy kept her head down and pretended to work out math problems. Brad looked at Judy. She was the only one NOT complaining about her missing pencil. And she was doing math problems with a p-e-n. "Pencil thief!" Brad yelled, pointing at her. "Judy Moody stole our pencils!"