Stink and the incredible super-galactic jawbreaker

Gr 2-4-Megan McDonald shifts the focus from the title character in her popular Judy Moody series of books to Judy's seven-year-old brother, Stink, in this novel (Candlewick, 2006). Stink purchases a gigantic jawbreaker that he thoroughly enjoys through its diminishing size and exotic flavors, but realizes that it didn't fulfill its promise because his jaw is still intact. He writes a letter of complaint to the company and is astounded when he receives ten pounds of jawbreakers as compensation. His success encourages him to write similar letters to three other companies, and he receives goodies from them all. After his parents forbid him to write any more letters, his attention turns to an upcoming pajama day at school. Pajama problems and the realization that he missed his best friend's birthday party due to his letter writing obsession make the dress down event a disaster. Stinks father comes to the rescue with an idea that repairs a friendship and teaches Stink an important lesson. Nancy Cartwright assumes a distinct, childlike voice for each youngster. This engaging, versatile beginning chapter book will have a multitude of uses in the classroom, such as motivating students at the beginning of a letter writing unit or during a lesson on idioms (since Stink learns about idioms at school and uses them throughout the book).-Carol Y. Barker, Wheelerville School, Caroga Lake, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Every day, Stink ate a little more and a little more of his jawbreaker. He ate it in bed first thing in the morning before he brushed his teeth. He ate it at recess in between playing H-O-R-S-E with his super-duper best friend, Webster. He ate it on the bus and all the way home from school. He gave a lick to Mouse the cat. He gave a lick to Toady the toad. He even tried giving a lick to Jaws the Venus flytrap. Stink's jawbreaker went from super-galactic to just plain galactic. From golf-ball size to Super-Ball size. "Are you still eating that thing?" asked Judy. Stink stuck out his tongue. "Well, you look like a skink," said Judy. She pointed to his blue tongue. Shloop! went Stink. Stink ate his not-super-galactic jawbreaker for one whole week. He ate it when it tasted like chalk. He ate it when it tasted like grapefruit. He ate it through the fiery core to the sweet, sugary center. He ate it down to a marble. A teeny-tiny pea. Then, in one single bite, one not-jaw-breaking crunch, it was G-O-N-E, gone. Stink was down in the dumps. He moped around the house for one whole day and a night. He stomped up the stairs. He stomped down. He drew comics. Ka-POW! He did not play with Toady once. He did not do his homework. He went outside and bounced Judy's basketball 117 times. "Somebody got up on the WRONG side of the bed," said Judy. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were in a MOOD." "I can have moods too, you know." Stink kept counting. "One hundred eighteen, one hundred nineteen . . ." "Is it because your jawbreaker's all gone?" asked Judy. "It's because that jawbreaker lied. They should call it World's Biggest UN-jawbreaker. I ate and ate that thing for one whole week, and it did not break my jaw. Not once. It didn't even make my mouth one teeny-weeny bit bigger. ________ STINK AND THE INCREDIBLE SUPER-GALACTIC JAWBREAKER by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. Text copyright (c) 2006 by Megan McDonald. Published by Candlewick Press, Inc., Cambridge, MA Excerpted from Stink and the Incredible Super-Galactic Jawbreaker by Megan Mcdonald All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.