04 Madame M for Moody

Madame M for Moody Judy and Stink came in out of the rain. They ate Fig Newtons and sipped hot chocolate with fancy straws. "You really are psychic," said Stink. "Told you," said Judy. She chomped on her cookie. "I thought it was just another one of your tricks," said Stink. "Uh-huh." Chomp, chomp. "Toady came back. And you knew. You predicted it." "Uh-huh."

"At first I didn't believe you," said Stink. "But then I saw the little black stripe." Judy's Fig almost fell out of her Newton. "What little black stripe?" "The little black stripe over Toady's right eye. No other toads have it. Just Toady. That's how I knew it was him." "Let me see that toad," said Judy. Stink took Toady out of the yogurt container. Dr. Judy Moody examined the toad like she was giving a checkup. Stink was right. He did have a little black stripe, just like Toady. Could it be? She, Judy Moody, predicted that Toady came back, and . . . he did? "You can have your mood ring back," said Stink. "Huh?"

"Your mood ring?" said Stink. "You were right. It really does belong to a person with superduper special powers. Here. Take it." Stink wiggled the ring, but it was stuck. "S is for Stuck!" said Stink. He held out his hand. "I can't get it off! Ack!! My finger! It's green!" "Stink, it's okay." "But you predicted my finger would turn green and fall off. Look! Now it is green! Hurry up. Before my finger falls off." "S is for Soap," said Judy. Judy took Stink over to the sink and soaped up his finger. She twirled the ring. She twisted the ring. She pulled the ring. She yanked the ring. POP!

"Mine at last," said Madame M-for-Moody Judy. On Monday morning, Judy Moody woke up early. What might have been a blucky old math-test Monday did not seem blucky one bit. She did not put on her tiger-striped pajamas for school. She did not put on her I ATE A

SHARK T-shirt. She put on her best-mood-ever clothes — purple striped pants, a not-itchy fuzzy green sweater with a star, and Screamin' Mimi's ice-cream-cone socks. And her mood ring. Light blue! Light blue was the next best thing to purple. Light blue meant Happy, Glad. She was glad to have her ring back. She was happy with the world. "Purr-fect!" she said to Mouse. Mouse rubbed up against her leg. On the bus, she told good-mood jokes. "Why did the third grader eat so many corn flakes?"

Judy asked her friend Rocky. "I don't know. Because all the snowflakes were melted?" asked Rocky. "No!" said Judy. "To get a mood ring!" Judy cracked herself up. She told jokes all the way to school. Stink plugged his ears. Rocky just shuffled his deck of magic cards. "You're not laughing at my jokes," Judy complained. "Um, I'm worried about Mr. Todd's math test," said Rocky. "Fractions!" Normally Judy would have worried too. Not today. Her mood ring had just turned bluegreen for Relaxed, Calm. "Okay, class," said Mr. Todd. "A new week. I