Meet Megan McDonald!
An Exclusive Video Interview with the Author of the Judy Moody and Stink Series
by Traci Swain
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“I think [Judy Moody and Stink are characters] that kids can really connect with because they’re certainly not perfect! They have a lot of flaws and ups and downs and disappointments.…But through cooperation and the joy of friendship, [Judy] always brings all of her friends along into her enthusiasm and overcomes those obstacles.…I hope that [Judy Moody and Stink] will make kids laugh, but also really instill in them the love of reading—like I have.” —Megan McDonald
Judy Moody may have been Megan McDonald’s first literary star—but did you know that, as the youngest sibling herself, Megan has always had a special connection to the “pesky” little brother, Stink?!
And it turns out many of her readers had a special connection to him as well! In fact, one time when Megan was giving a book talk at a school, she was shocked to discover the whole front row dressed up in baggy shirts and spiky hair. When she asked what was going on, they began chanting, “Stink! Stink! Stink!”
That’s just one of the many fabulous behind-the-scenes stories that Megan shares this week in her Scholastic Book Clubs–exclusive author interview video. To discover even more—including the inspiration behind Judy Moody’s special lingo, and what Megan thinks Judy and Stink would be doing as adults—watch the video above.
Do you know a teacher, reader, or friend who would enjoy this exclusive interview with Megan McDonald? Please share it with them on Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #ScholasticBookClubs!
About Megan McDonald
Megan McDonald is the author of the award-winning Judy Moody and Stink series. She is also the author of three Sisters Club stories, two books about Ant and Honey Bee, and many other books for children. “Sometimes I think I am Judy Moody,” Megan says. “I’m certainly moody, like she is. Judy has a strong voice and always speaks up for herself. I like that.” Being able to speak up for herself wasn’t always easy. Megan grew up as the youngest of five sisters in a house full of books in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her father, an ironworker, built bridges across the city and was known to his coworkers as “Little Johnny the Storyteller.” Every evening at dinnertime, the McDonald family would gather around the kitchen table, talking and telling stories. But with four older sisters, Megan remembers barely being able to get a word in edgewise. “I’m told I began to stutter,” she says. “That’s when my mother gave me a notebook so that I could write down everything I wanted to say!” Megan McDonald lives in California with her husband, the writer Richard Haynes.
Photo by Michele McDonald
JUDY MOODY. Text copyright © 2000 by Megan McDonald. Illustrations copyright © 2000 by Peter H. Reynolds. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.
STINK: THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING KID. Text copyright © 2005 by Megan McDonald. Illustrations copyright © 2005 by Peter H. Reynolds. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.
This Book Is Available from Scholastic Book Clubs
This Book Is Available from Scholastic Book Clubs
