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What Happens in Part 6
Judy is not giving up — but nothing is working. One after another, she cooks up new schemes to get famous: bold stunts, record-breaking attempts, wild ideas to make people notice her. And one after another, they flop. No newspaper comes calling. No crowd gathers to cheer. With every failed try, Judy grows more discouraged and more grumpy, until she begins to wonder if she is simply doomed to be ordinary forever. This is Judy’s lowest point — the moment in the story when the hero has tried everything she can think of and run smack into a wall. But low points in stories are important places. They are often exactly where a character is about to stumble — by accident — onto something far better than the thing they were chasing all along.
What We Will Learn
Focus
What It Means
Running Gag & Repetition
A comic string of failed schemes
The Low Point
When the hero hits a wall
Theme (Noticed vs. Good)
Being seen is not the same as doing good
Chapter Summary
Pages
Key Events
pp. 76–90
Judy keeps inventing bold schemes and stunts to get famous, but every single one flops; discouraged and grumpy, she hits her lowest point — the moment right before a story usually turns
💭 Before You Read · Warm-Up (not scored)
There are no wrong answers here — just think, guess, and talk:
Judy’s schemes keep failing and she feels discouraged. What helps a person keep going after lots of failures?
Judy wants to be noticed. Is being ‘noticed’ the same as doing something good? How are they different?
Predict: this is Judy’s low point. In stories, what often happens right after a hero hits rock bottom?
Copyright Notice
This is an independent study guide created by Garden Heights Academy to support reading comprehension and literary analysis. It contains original analysis questions and does not reproduce any text from the novel. Judy Moody Gets Famous! is a work by Megan McDonald. This guide is not affiliated with, authorized by, or endorsed by the author or any associated rights holder.
Part 1
Vocabulary
Study 10 key words from pages 76–90, then answer each question.
🧠Knowledge Bank · Words of Trying & Flopping
Culture · World RecordsPeople have always wanted to be the most at something, which is why thick books of world records exist. Their pages hold the person with the longest fingernails, the tallest tower ever built from playing cards, and the largest collection of rubber ducks anyone has counted. Chasing a record can be great fun, and some people train for years to earn a page. Others simply attempt a wild stunt so that somebody will look. Wanting to be noticed is ordinary and human, but it can also lead to silly or risky choices, as Judy discovers. The most lasting record of all is not counted in numbers; it is counted in kindness.
schemen.p.77
A clever (sometimes sneaky) plan
“Judy dreamed up scheme after scheme.”
stuntn.p.79
A daring or showy act done to get attention
“Her latest stunt failed like all the rest.”
attemptn.p.80
A try at doing something
“Each attempt to get famous flopped.”
discouragedadj.p.84
Having lost hope or confidence
“Judy felt discouraged after so many failures.”
ridiculousadj.p.81
Very silly; deserving to be laughed at
“Some of her ideas were downright ridiculous.”
collectionn.p.78
A group of similar things gathered together
“She tried building a record-breaking collection.”
persistv.p.82
To keep going despite difficulty
“Judy persisted even when nothing worked.”
outrageousadj.p.81
Shockingly bold or over-the-top
“Her stunts got more and more outrageous.”
gloomyadj.p.85
Sad and without hope
“A gloomy mood settled over Judy.”
ordinaryadj.p.86
Normal; not special
“Judy feared she would stay ordinary forever.”
1A ‘scheme’ is —Pages 76–90
2A ‘stunt’ is —Pages 76–90
3Fill in each blank with the correct word.Pages 76–90
Word choices:discouragedpersistcheerfulquit- some words will not be used
As failures pile up, Judy feels
Yet she chooses to ___ and keep trying .
4An ‘attempt’ is —Pages 76–90
5To be ‘eager’ is to be keen and excited.Pages 76–90
6A ‘collection’ is —Pages 76–90
7Fill in each blank with the correct word.Pages 76–90
Word choices:ridiculousoutrageoussensiblecalm- some words will not be used
Some of Judy’s schemes are truly
Others are just plain .
8‘Gloomy’ means —Pages 76–90
9Something ‘ordinary’ is —Pages 76–90
10To ‘succeed’ is to fail badly.Pages 76–90
Part 2
Comprehension
How well do you understand pages 76–90?
🧠Knowledge Bank · The Low Point Before the Turn
Reading Skill · Story StructureMany stories follow a shape. Things build up, then reach a low point where the hero feels stuck and everything seems to go wrong. This dark moment is not the end — it usually comes right before a big change. Knowing this shape helps you predict what might happen next. When Judy hits her lowest, saddest moment, a wise reader senses a turn is coming very soon. Ask yourself, ‘What has to change now, and how might things get better?’ Noticing the low point and guessing what follows keeps you thinking ahead and pulls you deeper into the story.
1What does Judy keep doing in this chapter?Pages 76–90
2How do all her new attempts turn out?Pages 76–90
3How does Judy feel as the failures pile up?Pages 76–90
4Judy starts to fear she will never be famous.Pages 76–90
5Write the numbers 1–5 in the boxes to show the correct order across Part 6. Number 1 = what happens first.Pages 76–90
Every new attempt turns out ridiculous.
Judy tries scheme after scheme to get famous.
Still, Judy stubbornly refuses to give up.
Judy begins to fear she will never be famous.
As failures pile up, Judy feels discouraged.
6Judy keeps trying even though she keeps failing.Pages 76–90
7What kinds of things does Judy try?Pages 76–90
8Even discouraged, what does Judy still do?Pages 76–90
9One of Judy’s schemes finally works in this chapter.Pages 76–90
10What is the quiet lesson forming through it all?Pages 76–90
Part 3
Literary Elements
Understanding HOW and WHY Megan McDonald tells the story across pages 76–90.
🧠Knowledge Bank · McDonald’s Word-Craft: The Rule of Three (and More)
Language · Comic-Repetition SpotlightWriters often repeat things on purpose, because repetition is catchy and fun. A favorite trick is the rule of three: listing or trying things in threes, like three wishes or three tries. Three feels just right — enough to build up, not so many that we get bored. Megan McDonald uses repeated words and repeated attempts to make us laugh and to show how hard Judy is trying. When you notice the same word or pattern coming back, the author is tapping a beat for you to feel. Repetition gives writing its rhythm.
📚 Literary Devices in This Part · definitions & examples
Repetition is the deliberate repeating of an action or pattern; Judy’s many flops build a comic rhythm. The low point is the moment a hero feels most stuck, usually just before the story turns. Together they prepare us to welcome a new, better direction — and to feel the coming change all the more.
1The run of Judy’s failed schemes, one after another, is a comic use of —Pages 76–90
2Repetition is repeating something for effect, here for comedy.Pages 76–90
3Fill in each blank with the correct word.Pages 76–90
Word choices:repetitionplotmoodsetting- some words will not be used
The run of failed schemes, over and over, is comic
The chain of Judy’s attempts forms the story’s .
4The string of Judy’s attempts across the book forms the —Pages 76–90
5The plot is the sequence of events in a story.Pages 76–90
6Fill in each blank with the correct word.Pages 76–90
Word choices:plotrepetitionmoodtheme- some words will not be used
The sequence of Judy’s schemes is the
Failing again and again for laughs is .
7Judy’s schemes failing again and again is a comic use of —Pages 76–90
8The events that build across the chapter make up the —Pages 76–90
9Fill in each blank with the correct word.Pages 76–90
Word choices:repetitionplotmoodsetting- some words will not be used
Failing over and over for laughs is
The chain of events is the .
10The repetition of failed schemes mainly makes the chapter feel —Pages 76–90
Part 4
Think Deeper
Four deeper challenges — no single-word recall. Read, weigh the evidence, and reason it through.
🧠Knowledge Bank · Rock Bottom
Psychology · SetbacksEveryone has days when nothing works and hiding sounds like the best plan. That lowest point is sometimes called rock bottom. Judy reaches hers once every scheme has flopped and she is out of ideas. Here is the secret: when you cannot sink any further, the only direction left is upward. Researchers who study admiration find something useful for a moment like this — people are remembered far longer for what they quietly gave than for any stunt they pulled. So a bad day is information, not a verdict. Very often the biggest change in a person’s life grows straight out of the hardest moment.
1Claim: “No matter how hard Judy chases fame, every scheme fails.” — choose the two details that best prove it.Claim & Evidence
2Shows Judy’s failure to force fame, or just a detail of her attempts? Tap each item to send it left or right.Sort into two
◄ Failure to force fameJust a detail ►
3Match each cause to its result. For each cause, pick its result.Cause & Effect
Judy chases fame directly→
She tries stunts and records→
No newspaper comes calling→
Forcing fame fails→
4Fill both blanks to complete the reasoning.Build the Argument
Judy’s failed schemes show that , which means that .
Part 5
Standardized Test
Key Details & Inference — SAT & TOEFL-style practice
🎯 You already have the skills from the sections above — this is just a fun way to meet real SAT & TOEFL-style questions. Read the passage (the highlighted words are tested below), then answer the questions below. Tap an answer to select it, then tap it again to confirm — you can change your choice until you confirm.
People have always loved to be ‘the most’ at something, which is why record-breaking has become a worldwide pastime. Famous record books overflow with astonishing feats: the tallest tower ever built from playing cards, the longest line of dominoes ever toppled, the largest collection of rubber ducks or ballpoint pens. Some records take enormous skill and years of practice; others are gloriously silly, set by ordinary people doing something wonderfully odd. Chasing a record can be a great deal of fun, and it can push a person to work hard and aim high. But there is a quiet catch. A record set only to get noticed — to grab attention for its own sake — brings a burst of fame that fades fast, and rarely leaves the world any better. The feats people truly cherish and remember tend to be the ones that also helped someone: a scientist’s breakthrough, a brave rescue, a kind invention. In the end, being the ‘most’ at something matters far less than doing something that matters — a lesson worth more than any trophy or headline.
Original passage written for Garden Heights — not a quotation from the novel.
1The passage suggests that record-breaking is mostly a —SAT · Inference
2Which is given as an example of a record?TOEFL · Factual Information
3A “collection” is —SAT · Words in Context
4According to the passage, some records take skill while others are —TOEFL · Factual Information
5Chasing a record can be “fun” and can also —TOEFL · Factual Information
6A record set only to be “noticed” tends to bring fame that —SAT · Inference
7To leave the world “better” means to make it —SAT · Words in Context
8Which feats does the passage say people truly cherish?TOEFL · Factual Information
9Doing something that “matters” means doing something that —SAT · Words in Context
10This TOEFL task lists six sentences; choose the THREE that best capture the passage’s main ideas. The other three do not belong — they state minor details or ideas the passage does not present.TOEFL · Prose Summary
Part 6 · Optional
Creative Writing
A bonus challenge to practice your English. Take your time and have fun with it.
About This Section
This writing task is optional and is not part of your auto-graded score. The feedback below checks only the basics — length, spelling, and grammar — not whether your ideas are right or wrong. It is meant for classroom discussion and creative practice, so feel free to use your imagination!
Writing Task — Part 6 “Bouncing Back”
Judy fails again and again but does not fully give up. Write about a time you kept trying after failing, or something you found hard before you got better at it. What kept you going? Or write advice for someone who feels discouraged. Write at least 40 words.
You can start with: “When something keeps going wrong, the thing that helps me keep going is…”
0 / 40 words minimum
🗣 Teach It · Just for Fun (optional)
No right or wrong — close the screen and tell someone nearby why all of Judy’s schemes keep failing. Can’t find anyone? Tell yourself out loud. The moment you teach it, you truly understand it.
Part 6 Complete!
You finished pages 76–90 of Judy Moody Gets Famous!.
Here are your auto-graded results:
-
points out of 100
Your Writing
Your writing was checked automatically for length, spelling, grammar, and whether you included the key parts of the scene. Scroll back to Part 5 anytime to read your feedback and improve your work.
Independent study guide by Garden Heights Academy. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the author or any rights holders. Contains original analysis only; no text from the novel is reproduced.
