Megan McDonald
Encyclopedia
Megan Jo McDonald is an American children's literature
author; her most popular works is the series of books which concern a third grade girl named Judy Moody (written for grades 2–4). McDonald has also written many picture books for younger children and continues to write. Her most recent work was the "Julie Albright" series of books for the American Girl Doll of the same name.
, Pennsylvania to John and Mary Louise McDonald. The youngest of five girls, she was (having been her inspiration for The Sister's Club) awarded a B.A. from Oberlin College
in 1981 and an M.L.S. from University of Pittsburgh
in 1985.
McDonald began her career as a children's librarian, working at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
, Minneapolis Public Library
and Adams Memorial Library in Latrobe
, Pennsylvania. Her first book, Is This a House for Hermit Crab?, came as a result of patrons asking her where to find a story she had told at a library.
McDonald is married to Richard Haynes and lives in Sebastopol
, California.
.
Character list:
Judy Moody books:
Stink books:
Film:
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
author; her most popular works is the series of books which concern a third grade girl named Judy Moody (written for grades 2–4). McDonald has also written many picture books for younger children and continues to write. Her most recent work was the "Julie Albright" series of books for the American Girl Doll of the same name.
Life and career
McDonald was born February 28, 1959, in PittsburghPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, Pennsylvania to John and Mary Louise McDonald. The youngest of five girls, she was (having been her inspiration for The Sister's Club) awarded a B.A. from Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
in 1981 and an M.L.S. from University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
in 1985.
McDonald began her career as a children's librarian, working at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is the public library system in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its main branch is located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and it has 19 branch locations throughout the city...
, Minneapolis Public Library
Minneapolis Public Library
The Minneapolis Public Library and Information Center was a library system serving the residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States. It was founded as the publicly traded Minneapolis Athenæum in 1860 and became a free public library in 1885 founded by T. B. Walker...
and Adams Memorial Library in Latrobe
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States, approximately southeast of Pittsburgh.The city population was 7,634 as of the 2000 census . It is located near the Pennsylvania's scenic Chestnut Ridge. Latrobe was incorporated as a borough in 1854, and as a city in 1999...
, Pennsylvania. Her first book, Is This a House for Hermit Crab?, came as a result of patrons asking her where to find a story she had told at a library.
McDonald is married to Richard Haynes and lives in Sebastopol
Sebastopol, California
Sebastopol is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, approximately north of San Francisco. The population was 7,379 at the 2010 census, but its businesses also serve surrounding rural portions of Sonoma County, totaling about 50,000 people...
, California.
Judy Moody and Stink
The Judy Moody series follows the humorous adventures of a third-grader, Judy Moody. A spin-off series follows her younger brother, nicknamed Stink. All of the books are illustrated by Peter H. ReynoldsPeter H. Reynolds
Peter Hamilton Reynolds is an author and illustrator of children's books and is the Founder of the educational media company FableVision.Reynolds was born in 1961 in Canada with his identical twin brother, Paul who serves as FableVision's CEO, as well as a selectman in the town of Dedham,...
.
Character list:
- Judy Moody
- Stink Moody (younger brother)
- Aunt Opal (aunt)
- Rocky (friend)
- Frank Pearl (friend)
- Jessica Finch (friend)
- Mouse (pet cat)
- Amy Namey (friend)
- Mr. Todd (school teacher)
- Jaws (pet Venus Fly Trap)
- Toady (pet toad)
- Chloe (college student who helps Judy with her studies)
Judy Moody books:
- Judy Moody (Candlewick PressCandlewick PressCandlewick Press, established in 1991 and located in Somerville, Massachusetts, is the American division of the British publisher Walker Books Ltd....
, 2000) - Judy Moody Gets Famous! (Candlewick Press, 2001)
- Judy Moody Saves the World! (Candlewick Press, 2002)
- Judy Moody Predicts the Future (Candlewick Press, 2003)
- Judy Moody, M.D. The Doctor Is In (Candlewick Press, 2004)
- Judy Moody Declares Independence (Candlewick Press, 2005)
- Judy Moody Around the World in 8½ Days (Candlewick Press, 2006)
- Judy Moody Goes to College (Candlewick Press, 2008)
- Judy Moody & Stink: The Holly Joliday (Candlewick Press, 2008)
- Judy Moody's Double Rare Way Not Boring Book of Fun Stuff to Do (Candlewick Press)
- Judy Moody's Way Wacky Uber Awesome Book of MORE Fun Stuff to Do (Candlewick Press, 2010)
- Judy Moody and Stink: The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure Hunt (Candlewick Press, 2009)
- Judy Moody: Girl Detective (Candlewick Press, 2010)
Stink books:
- Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid (Candlewick Press, 2005)
- Stink and the Incredible Super-Galactic Jawbreaker (Candlewick Press, 2006)
- Stink and the World's Worst Super-Stinky Sneakers (Candlewick Press, 2007)
- Stink and the Great Guinea Pig Express (Candlewick Press, 2008)
- Judy Moody & Stink: The Holly Joliday (Candlewick Press, 2008)
- Stink: Solar System Superhero (Candlewick Press, 2009)
Film:
- Judy Moody and the Not Bummer SummerJudy Moody and the Not Bummer SummerJudy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer is a 2011 comedy film based on Megan McDonald's Judy Moody book series, released on June 10, 2011. It stars Jordana Beatty as a third grader named Judy Moody who sets out to have the most thrilling summer of her life...
(2011)
Picture books
- Is This a House for Hermit Crab?, illustrated by S. D. Schindler (Orchard BooksOrchard booksOrchard Books is a publisher of children's books active in the US and UK.Orchard Books was founded in 1986 by Grolier, an encyclopedia publisher, as a children's publisher. Grolier was acquired by Hachette two years later...
, 1990) - The Potato Man, illustrated by Ted LewinTed lewinTed Lewin is an author/illustrator of children's books. Lewin and his wife Betsy Reilly drew on their travels to exotic places such as the Amazon River, Botswana, Egypt, Lapland, the Sahara Desert, and India when collaborating on their many books...
(Orchard Books, 1991) - The Great Pumpkin Switch, illustrated by Ted Lewin (Orchard Books, 1992)
- Whoo-oo Is It?, illustrated by S. D. Schindler (Orchard Books, 1992)
- Insects Are My Life, illustrated by Paul Brett Johnson (Orchard Books, 1995)
- My House Has Stars, illustrated by Peter CatalanottoPeter CatalanottoPeter Catalanotto is an American book illustrator.-Background:Peter Catalanotto was born in March 1959 in Brooklyn, NY, and grew up in East Northport, Long Island, New York. Educated at the Pratt Institute, Peter's career as an illustrator began in the 1980s, painting jackets for young adult...
(Orchard Books, 1996) - Tundra Mouse: A Storyknife Tale, illustrated by S. D. Schindler (Orchard Books, 1997)
- The Bone Keeper, illustrated by G. Brian Karas (DK Ink, 1999)
- The Night Iguana Left Home, illustrated by Ponder Goembel (DK Ink, 1999)
- Reptiles Are My Life, illustrated by Paul Brett Johnson (Orchard Books, 2001)
- Baya, Baya Lulla-by-a, illustrated by Vera Rosenbery (Atheneum, 2003)
- Penguin and Little Blue Illustrated by Katherine Tillotson (Atheneum, 2003)
- Ant and Honey Bee: What a Pair!, illustrated by G. Brian Karas (Candlewick, 2005)
- Saving the Liberty Bell, illustrated by Marsha Gray Carrington (Atheneum, 2005)
- When the Library Lights Go Out, illustrated by Katherine Tillotson, (Atheneum, 2005)
Early readers
- Beezy, illustrated by Nancy Poydar (Orchard Books, 1997)
- Beezy at Bat, ill. Nancy Poydar (Orchard Books, 1998)
- Beezy Magic, ill. Nancy Poydar (Orchard Books, 1998)
- Beezy and Funny Bone, ill. Nancy Poydar (Orchard Books, 2000)
- Lucky Star (Random House, 2000)
- Shining Star (Random House, 2003)
- Daisy Jane, Best-Ever Flower Girl! (Random House, 2007)
Novels
- The Bridge to NowhereThe Bridge to Nowhere (novel)The Bridge to Nowhere is a young adult novel by the American writer Megan McDonald.Based on an actual incident in 1964, its protagonist is Hallie, a Pittsburgh seventh-grader coping with, among other things, with the mental depression of her laid off father, an iron worker...
(Orchard, 1993) - Shadows in the Glasshouse (Pleasant Company, 2000)
- The Sisters Club (American Girl, 2003)
- All the Stars in the Sky: The Santa Fe Trail Diary of Florie Mack Ryder (Dear AmericaDear AmericaDear America is a series of historical fiction novels for older girls published by Scholastic in 1996. The series was cancelled in 2004 with its final release, Hear My Sorrow. However, it was relaunched in the fall of 2010. Each book is written in the form of a diary of a young woman's life during...
series, Scholastic, 2003)
American Girls titles
- Meet Julie
- Julie Tells Her Story
- Happy New Year, Julie!
- Julie and the Eagles
- Julie's Journey
- Changes for Julie
- Pen Pals (American Girl Magazine)
Awards
- 1991: Children's Choice Book, International Reading Association/Children's Book Council (CBC), for Is This a House for Hermit Crab?
- 1991: Reading Rainbow book selection, Is This a House for Hermit Crab?
- 1993: Judy Blume Contemporary Fiction Award, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, for The Bridge to Nowhere
- 1993: Carolyn W. Field Award, Pennsylvania Library Association, for The Great Pumpkin Switch
- 2003: Garden State Children's Book Award for Younger Fiction, for Judy Moody