Pupils challenged to create their own book character inspired by Judy Moody

The National Literacy Trust and Walker Books have today launched their brand new Judy Moody short story competition for pupils in Key Stage 2.

The Judy Moody series by Megan McDonald was originally published in 2000 and has been popular with children ever since, with over 19 million copies in print worldwide. The first six books in the series are now being re-launched by Walker Books with brand new cover art and illustrations.

The competition, which runs until Monday 30 June 2018, will encourage pupils to explore the world of Judy Moody and use her as inspiration for creating their own character in their short story. Entrants will be asked to create their own Judy Moody-style character, and write a 500-word short story about the best thing, the worst thing or the funniest thing that’s ever happened to the character.

To help pupils come up with their characters, the National Literacy Trust and Walker Books have created a free teaching resource for use in the classroom, packed full of activities to help children get creative and come up with an original character. Schools taking part will also receive free Judy Moody bookmarks and posters to help promote the competition to their pupils.

The pupil who writes the best short story will win original artwork from illustrator Peter H. Reynolds, £50 of book vouchers and a set of the first six Judy Moody books. The winning pupil’s school will also get £300 worth of Walker titles, and 10 runners-up will also receive a set of the first six Judy Moody books.

Jonathan Douglas, Director of the National Literacy Trust, said: “This competition is a brilliant opportunity for your pupils to develop their creativity and writing skills, and write for a real purpose and audience. We want children to use the fun, feisty and hugely popular character of Judy Moody to come up with their own unique character and storyline – we can’t wait to see the amazing stories everyone comes up with!”

Jane Winterbotham, Publishing Director at Walker Books, said: “We’re always thrilled to work with the National Literacy Trust, particularly on such an iconic character like Judy Moody! We hope children will be inspired to engage their imaginations and come up with some entertaining scenarios. We can’t wait to read them!”

The deadline for entries is Saturday 30 June, 5pm. Visit https://literacytrust.org.uk/judy-moody/ for more information.