.
.
Megan McDonald
illustrated by
Erwin Madrid
based on the characters
created by Peter H. Reynolds
.
For my brother, Edward,
and sister-in-law, Pitchie
E. M.
For the original Rocky Zang
M. M.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places,
and incidents are either products
of the author’s imagination or, if real, are used fictitiously.
Text copyright © 2014 by Megan McDonald
Illustrations copyright © 2014 by Peter H. Reynolds
Judy Moody font copyright © 2003 by Peter H. Reynolds
Judy Moody®. Judy Moody is a registered trademark of Candlewick Press, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted,
or stored in an information retrieval system in any form or by any means,
graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, taping, and recording,
without prior written permission from the publisher.
First electronic edition 2014
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 2012947727
ISBN 978-0-7636-5716-1 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0-7636-7028-3 (paperback)
ISBN 978-0-7636-6714-6 (electronic)
This book was typeset in ITC Stone Informal.
The illustrations were created digitally.
Candlewick Press
99 Dover Street
Somerville, Massachusetts 02144
visit us at www.candlewick.com
CONTENTS
CHA
p
TER
1
The Amazing Mind Reader 7
CHA
p
TER
2
The Best Backyard Magic Show Ever 25
CHA
p
TER
3
The Disappearing Dollar 49
.
7
CHA
p
TER
1
The Amazing Mind Reader
Abracadabra! Kalamazoo!
Rocky had a magic wand. Rocky
had a black top hat. Rocky had a
long, dark cape. Meet the Amazing
Mr. Magic!
Rocky could make a hankie change
colors. Rocky could make a flower
appear out of thin air. Rocky could
make his very own thumb fly across
the room.
.
8
The Amazing Mr. Magic was almost
ready for the Best Backyard Magic
Show Ever. The last thing he needed
was one really good card trick. The
Vanishing Ace? The Floating Joker?
Aha! The Amazing Mind Reader!
Just then, his across-the-street best
friend, Judy Moody, rode her bike
down the sidewalk. Alla kazam! He
could practice the trick on her.
“Hey, Judy. Pick a card,” said
Rocky. “Any card. But don’t tell me
what it is!”
“Okay,” said Judy. “Now what?”
“Now put the card back.”
Judy put the card back.
“Now I’m going to mix the cards all
up. Then I’ll read your mind and pull
your card from the deck. Prepare to be
amazed.”
.
Rocky shuffled the cards.
Rocky closed his eyes. Rocky said,
“Hocus pocus, Jiminy bebop.”
asked.
“Shh. The Amazing Mr. Magic
needs quiet to read your mind.” Rocky
pulled a card from the middle of the deck.
“Was it the ace of spades?”
“Nope. The queen of hearts,” said
Judy.
“Rats,” said Rocky. “Try again?”
.
“Okay.” Judy picked another card
and put it back.
Rocky shuffled the deck.
Rocky closed his eyes.
He said the magic words.
Rocky pulled out a card.
“The jack of diamonds?” asked
Rocky.
“Nope. The two of clubs.”
“Double rats,” said Rocky.
.
He tried one more time. “The nine
of hearts?” asked Rocky.
“Close. The six of spades,” said Judy.
15
“I guess I stink at card tricks.”
“I know a card trick that works
every time,” said Judy.
“Does it have magic words?”
“Sure.”
“And you’ll amaze me?”
“Double sure.”
“And you’ll read my mind?”
“This trick has it all,” said Judy.
“What’s it called?”
“Let’s call it . . . Red Riding Hood
and the Wolf. You be Red Riding
Hood and I’ll be the wolf.”
“Why can’t I be the wolf?” asked
Rocky.
“Fine. You be the wolf,” said Judy.
“I’ll be Red Riding Hood. So, first Red
Riding Hood goes like this. . . .”
.
Judy tossed all fifty-two cards up
into the air. Fifty-two cards came
raining down helter-skelter.
17
“Next, the wolf picks them up,”
said Judy.
“Are you cuckoo? I’m not picking
up all those cards.”
“Please?” Judy asked.
“No way.”
.
18
“Okay, but if you don’t pick them up,
how will you do any more card tricks?”
One by one by one, Rocky picked
up all fifty-two cards. Judy cracked up.
“That’s not a card trick,” said Rocky.
“That’s a card prank. A real card trick
has magic words.”
“I said please,” said Judy. “Please is
a magic word.”
“A real card trick should astound
and amaze you,” said Rocky.
“It amazed me that you picked up
all fifty-two cards,”
said Judy.
“You didn’t even read my mind,”
said Rocky.
“Your mind was saying you did not
want to pick up all those cards. Am I
right?”
Rocky stared at Judy.
.
“See? It worked. I got you to pick up
all fifty-two cards. That’s the trick.”
“Hmmm. . . . You know, every good
magician needs an assistant,” Rocky
said, smiling.
Judy grinned.
Rocky could not wait to play the
new card trick on somebody. Anybody.
Judy’s little brother, Stink, was karate-
kicking in the Moodys’ front yard.
“Hey, Stink,” Judy said. “Want Rocky
to show you a card trick?”
.
23
“Sure,” said Stink.
“It’s called Billy Goat Gruff and the
Troll,” said Rocky. “I’ll be Billy Goat
Gruff. You be the troll.”
25
CHA
p
TER
2
The Best Backyard Magic Show Ever
Rocky had on his black top hat.
Rocky had on his long, dark cape.
Rocky got out his magic wand.
Magic show time!
Rocky looked around. The backyard
was empty except for Judy Moody.
“Where is everybody?” Rocky
asked Judy.
“Frank had swim practice,” said
Judy. “And Amy and Jessica Finch are
washing pets at the humane society.”
.
26
“Who ever heard of a magic show
without people to watch it?” Rocky
asked. “Run and get Stink.”
Judy ran across the street. Rocky
waited.
In no time, Judy plopped Stink onto
the picnic bench in Rocky’s backyard.
“I’m the only one here?” Stink asked.
“Weird.”
.
“The Best Backyard Magic Show Ever
will now begin,” Rocky said in a loud
voice.
“I’m not picking up cards again,”
said Stink. “JSYK. Just So You Know.”
“No card tricks. I promise,” said
Rocky. “I’m the Amazing Mr. Magic,
and this is my assistant.”
“Stella the Spectacular,” said Judy.
.
“My first trick is called the Thrill-a-
fying Top Hat.” Rocky pointed to the
empty table covered with an old sheet.
Rocky took off his hat. Rocky set his
hat on the table. He waved his magic
wand over the hat.
“I will close my eyes and Judy
—
I
mean, Stella the Spectacular
—
will
pour water into my hat. Then, when
she puts the hat back on me
—
ta-da!
—
I will not get wet.”
Rocky closed his eyes. He waited
for Stella the Spectacular to pour the
glass of water
—
not in his hat but
behind his hat. Way super tricky!
He heard Stella the Spectacular
begin to pour the water.
“Hey!” yelled Stink. “She’s not
pouring the water in the hat.”
.
K
e
r
-
s
p
l
a
s
h
!
“Am so,” said Judy.
“Are not,” said Stink.
“Am too,” said Judy.
Rocky did not hear water being
poured. He opened his eyes. He stared
straight ahead at Stink.
“And now, without further ado,”
he said, “Stella the Spectacular will
place the hat on my head. And I, the
Amazing Mr. Magic, will not get wet.
Not one single drop of water.”
Stink cracked up. Judy shrugged. In
one swoop, she put the hat on Rocky’s
head.
Water rushed and gushed out of
the hat. Water drenched Rocky’s hair.
Water dripped down Rocky’s face.
Stink fell on the ground laughing.
.
34
Rocky glared at his assistant.
“Why didn’t you pour the water
where I told you to pour the water?”
Rocky asked between clenched teeth.
“Eagle-Eyed Stink was watching
me like a hawk! I had to pour it into
the hat.”
Rocky wiped his face on his cape.
“The show must go on,” said
Rocky. “For my next trick, the
Amazing Mr. Magic will change
this jar of peanut butter into a
jar of jelly. I call it the Supersonic
Switcheroo.”
Rocky put the peanut-butter jar on
the table. He placed a shoe box over
the jar. He placed a red silk cloth
over the shoe box.
Judy lifted the old sheet and hid
under the table.
.
“Abracadabra.” Rocky tapped the
red silk cloth with his magic wand.
“Alla-ka-peanut-butter. Jelli-ka-zam!”
Rocky heard rustle-bustle noises
under the table.
“Judy’s under the table!” yelled
Stink.
37
Rocky heard crinkle-wrinkle noises.
He smiled weakly at Stink.
At last, Judy gave him the secret
signal of three knocks from under the
table. Mr. Magic yanked off the cloth
and lifted up the shoe box.
.
V
o
i
l
à
!
Rocky gaped at the not-jelly jar.
Stink laughed and pointed. “That’s
not jelly. It’s ketchup!”
Rocky poked his head under the
table. “You were supposed to swap the
jar of peanut butter with the jar of jelly.”
“I know!” said Judy.
“And YOU were
supposed to bring
a jar of jelly, NOT
a bottle of ketchup,
Mr. Magic.”
Rocky smacked
his hand to his
forehead and
groaned.
.
40
“This is the worst magic show ever!”
said Stink. “The Supersonic
Flub-a-roo!”
“Quiet in the peanut gallery,” said
Judy.
“I’m going home,” said Stink. “Unless
you can pull a rabbit out of
that hat or something.”
“Or something,” said Judy.
“You can’t leave yet,” said Rocky.
“Those were just practice tricks. I will
now perform the Houdini-est of all
magic tricks. Mr. Magic will, before your
very eyes, pull a rabbit out of this empty
hat.”
Stink sat back down. “For real?”
“For real,” said Rocky. “See? The hat
is empty.” Rocky held the hat out in
front of him.
.
42
Judy ducked back under the table.
Rocky heard something go squish.
Mr. Magic said the magic words.
“Izzy-wizzy fuzzy-wuzzy. Abiyoyo.
Alla kazam kazoo.” Kazoo was the