Read Judy Moody Declares Independence for Free Online Page A

hundred years, Stink rattled the doorknob. “Open up!”
    “Go away, Stink,” Judy told him.
    “Open up, honey.” That did not sound like Stink. That sounded like Mom. Nice Mom, not Will-You-Ever-Learn Mom.
    “We just want to talk to you, Judy.” That sounded like Dad. Kind Dad, not You-Are-in-Big-Trouble Dad.
    “Am I in big trouble?” Judy asked the door. “Because if I am, then I declare UN-independence. I promise I will NOT make my bed or do my homework or be nice to Stink. And I will definitely not rescue him anymore. EVER!”
    “Judy, open the door so we can talk about this,” said Dad.
    Judy opened the door. Mom rushed to hug her. Dad ruffled Judy’s hair and kissed the top of her head.
    “Stink told us what happened,” said Dad. “That was a very brave thing you did.”
    “It was?”
    “I’m sorry, honey,” said Mom. “It gave me quite a scare when you two didn’t come right home, so I didn’t even stop to listen. You had a hard choice to make, and you really used some good, independent thinking.”
    “I did?”
    “You sure did,” said Dad.

    “I was scared, too,” said Judy. “I thought a big meany dog might bite me or a garbage truck might run me over or I’d fall and break my head or something. I just kept thinking about Sybil Ludington and how she was scared, too.”
    “We’re very proud of you, Sybil,” Dad said. “I mean Judy.”
    “Proud enough to give me more allowance and stuff?”
    “Dad and I will talk things over,” said Mom. “Maybe you
are
ready for a little more independence.”
    She, Judy Moodington, was not in big-or-little-
T
trouble. And she showed independent thinking. Just like Sybil Ludington.
    Star-spangled bananas!

After all the excitement, Judy was feeling much too independent to do homework. She got out her Judy Moody Declaration of Independence. This was going straight into her scrapbook.
    Judy climbed up to her top bunk. She spread out all the stuff from her trip to Boston. In her scrapbook, she pasted, taped, glue-sticked, or Band-Aided all her souvenirs from Boston.

    Last but not least, she turned the page and pasted sugar packets with Ben Franklin sayings onto the page. And she made up a new one:

    The next day, the story of the not-so-midnight ride of Judy Moody was all over Virginia Dare School.
    Listen, my children, and you shall hear
    How Judy Moody rode like Sybil and
       Paul Revere.
    Every time Stink told the story, it got a little wilder. Some heard she was chased by wild wolves. Some heard she was kidnapped by a garbage truck. Some heard she fell and broke her leg but kept on riding.
    Stink even made Judy a gold medal with a blue ribbon.
    After dinner that night, Judy climbed up to the top bunk to paste the ribbon into her scrapbook.
    The scrapbook was not there! As in G-O-N-E, gone!
    She looked under her reading pillow. She looked under lumps of covers and heaps of stuffed animals. She looked under Mouse.
    Judy looked all around her room. The scrapbook was missing. The scrapbook was stolen! By Number One Scrapbook Thief, right here in the Moody house.
    “Stink!” Judy ran into his room. “I did not say you could take my scrapbook. Give it!”
    “I didn’t take your scrapbook,” said Stink.
    “After I saved your life and everything!” said Judy. “Robber! Stealer! Scrapbook-napper!”
    “Am not! I swear on Toady’s life I didn’t take it.”
    “If you didn’t take it, and I didn’t lose it, that leaves Mouse. And Mouse can’t read!”
    “Maybe Mom and Dad took it,” Stink said. “Let’s go ask.”
    “Let’s go
spy,
” said Judy.
    Judy and Stink tiptoed down the stairs without too many creaks. They slid across the floor without too many squeaks. They slunk past the living room, past the kitchen, to Mom’s office.
    “Stink, you hold the flashlight. I’ll look around.” She pawed through the trash. She searched on top of the file cabinet and in the bookshelves.
    “Uh-oh!” Stink said. “Check it out!” A