If you are a children’s librarian, or a school librarian, or anyone who works with upper elementary aged kids, you are probably familiar with Judy Moody. Judy Moody is one of the less annoying protagonists that appear in series books targeted to girls. She isn’t concerned with looks or popularity, she wants to be a doctor, and her concerns go beyond the superficial. I find her annoying anyway. She rolls her eyes and says “boring” a lot, and she’s not very nice to her younger brother, who she’s nicknamed Stink.
But Stink is now coming into his own. He has his own series of books, with witty cartoons (supposedly drawn by him) and fun stories that even manage to sneak in a little learning. These books are aimed at kids who are a little younger, and my kids, who are 4 and 6, will sit and listen to me read a Stink book for over an hour. I can’t say I like everything about the books, but they are enjoyable and funny without having nearly as much name calling or gross humor as some other books aimed at kids this age.
What’s really interesting to me, though, is that the Stink Moody website has zoomed in on one particular book (that I haven’t read) and created a whole event kit around the theme. The book is Stink and the Midnight Zombie Walk and the event is… wait for it… Reading Is Undead. The kit even ties in last summer’s movie, Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer, which, in addition to Stink’s extensive hunt for the elusive Bigfoot (which resulted in some pretty fun movie tie-in books that we do own, due to the Monster Kid’s obsession with Bigfoot and other cryptids) also has a fairly memorable zombie scene. Now, the Monster Kid is not allowed to watch zombie movies, and we try to tone the whole zombie thing down here, but there it is- another kid his age who gets into monsters, at probably the most age appropriate and non-gory way possible (yes, you may laugh at me now).
I think Stink and his friends could appeal to both girls and boys, especially because of the Judy Moody connection (the series is very popular) but, given how many books are already in the series and how many themes they address, I think it’s crazy fun that Candlewick Press is promoting reading, and the Stink Moody books, with cryptids and zombies. There are so many ways to get kids to read using this promotion, I encourage you to check it out, as well as the other Stink Moody books and resources, available here.
Anne Rutherford
June 22, 2012 at 12:11 am
Thank you for spreading the word about this great promo. In taking a look at the site, I agree with your point about how great it is they are using Zombie-licious activities that can appeal to kids who don’t even realize how much fun they can have reading this kind of book. The “Vomiteria” line-up brought me back to Halloween parties of my youth!
I’m a professional storyteller who loves loves loves the horror genre and fed on it as a child, always looking for ways to make it palatable to a general audience. I especially loved the “Write Your Own Zombie Tale” template – could be a Zombie, could be a Princess, could be a Tomato – but why not a Zombie Princess Tomato?
Thanks for another great post. Now, off to have a little snack – heh, heh heh.
Kirsten
June 22, 2012 at 6:49 am
Isn’t it neat? The Stink Moody books are favorites here. They’re close enough to home that kids relate, and silly enough to get you giggling. And unlike some other series for kids this age (ahem, Junie B. Jones) they can be enjoyable for kids without baby talk or obnoxious protagonists. The kids still sing the “James Madison” song from the first book (which focuses on President’s Day). One thing I like about this particular idea is that it works both ways- you get the chance to capture zombie-loving first graders with the series (which probably will eventually lead them to the Judy Moody books- which I have to admit are pretty good, even if I’m not a fan)and to get Stink Moody fans to open their minds to trying out some of the other scary stories available to this age group.
Storytelling Arts of Indiana holds an annual Halloween event, with the first half dedicated to stories targeted to kids. There are always a lot of school-age (and even younger) kids there, so it’s definitely possible to represent the horror genre to a general audience. I’ve never had a kid complain upon hearing “Tailypo”. If you ever tell a story about a zombie princess tomato, let me know how it goes!
Anne Rutherford
June 23, 2012 at 2:42 pm
Absolutely! Good for ST Arts of Indiana for the Halloween event – yes, I think in general adults underestimate children’s capacity to navigate (healthily) a good horror/ghost story. 2 years ago I told a Victorian ghost tale by A.M. Burrage at the Ghost Story Concert at NW Folklife in Seattle. (Wonderful story about hide & seek in an old house where one of the players is a ghost!) I adapted the setting & dialogue from an English adult house party to a bunch of kids at a sleep-over, but otherwise stuck straight to Burrage’s plot, which is a chiller with a lovely twist at the end. A fellow emailed me afterwards that of all the stories on the program the one his 6-year-old could not stop talking about was ‘that SMEE story” and “the ghost, Brenda Ford.” Gives me hope! 🙂