Judy Moody Gets Famous! Part 7 Study Guide

What Happens in Part 7

Everything changes at the hospital. There, Judy meets Laura, a young girl who is recovering from heart surgery. Laura shows Judy the hospital’s play dolls — and they are in a sorry state. Most are missing an arm or a leg, their hair is gone, and they look worn and unloved. Laura is sad that the sick children have only such shabby dolls to play with. And here, something quietly wonderful happens inside Judy. She is not thinking about newspapers or fame now. She simply feels sympathy for Laura and the other children, and she wants to help. So Judy hatches one last plan — but this one is different from all the rest. She secretly gathers up the broken dolls to take home and mend. For the first time, Judy is acting not to be noticed, but out of pure kindness.

What We Will Learn

Focus	What It Means
Turning Point	The moment Judy’s heart changes
Empathy & Character Growth	Feeling for others, not chasing fame
Theme (Kindness)	Helping quietly, expecting nothing back

Chapter Summary

Pages	Key Events
pp. 91–105	At the hospital Judy meets Laura, recovering from heart surgery, and sees the children’s broken, unloved dolls; moved by sympathy — not fame — Judy secretly gathers the dolls to take home and mend

💭 Before You Read · Warm-Up (not scored)

There are no wrong answers here — just think, guess, and talk:

For the first time, Judy wants to help without being noticed. What is different about doing something kind in secret?
Judy feels sympathy for Laura and the other children. How does really feeling for someone change what we do?
Predict: Judy is quietly fixing the dolls just to help. Do you think this ‘plan’ will turn out differently from all her fame schemes? How?

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 91–105, then answer each question.

🧠Knowledge Bank · Words of Care & Healing

Medicine · Hospital CareA hospital is where doctors and nurses care for people who are sick or hurt. Some patients need an operation, performed by a specially trained doctor called a surgeon who repairs a problem inside the body. Heart surgery is serious work, and afterward a child needs weeks of rest before feeling strong again. That is why small comforts matter so much on a children’s ward: a bright room, a visitor who stays a while, and something soft to hold can genuinely help a frightened patient feel braver. Real doll hospitals exist too — workshops where cracked, faded, much-loved toys are cleaned, mended, and sent home whole.

A table covered with new toys, colored pencils, board games and books, gathered together as a donation for a children's hospital — Photograph taken in December 2016 of toys and art materials collected as a donation for a local children’s hospital. The *Knowledge Bank* explains that a hospital is where doctors and nurses care for people who are sick or hurt, that some patients need an operation performed by a surgeon, and that heart surgery is followed by a long recovery. Toys like these are why children’s wards look the way they do: a patient who feels calm and cared for often mends faster. Nothing here was repaired by hand; these are new donations.
Toys collected for a local children’s hospital, December 2016; photograph by the U.S. Air Force. Source: Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

hospitaln.p.91

A place where sick or hurt people are cared for

“Judy met Laura at the hospital.”

recoverv.p.92

To get well again after illness or injury

“Laura was recovering from an operation.”

surgeryn.p.92

A medical operation to repair the body

“Laura had just had heart surgery.”

sympathyn.p.97

A feeling of care for another’s trouble

“Judy felt deep sympathy for the sick children.”

kindnessn.p.103

The quality of being caring and helpful

“She acted out of pure kindness.”

shabbyadj.p.95

Worn out and in poor condition

“The dolls were shabby and falling apart.”

comfortn.p.99

A feeling of ease that soothes sadness or pain

“A good toy can bring a sick child comfort.”

generousadj.p.103

Willing to give and help others

“Judy’s secret plan was a generous one.”

secretlyadv.p.102

In a hidden way, without others knowing

“She secretly gathered up the broken dolls.”

patientn.p.92

A person being cared for by doctors

“Laura was a brave young patient.”

🧠Knowledge Bank question

1According to the Knowledge Bank, a doctor trained to perform operations is called a ___.Pages 91–105

2‘Surgery’ is —Pages 91–105

3Fill in each blank with the correct word.Pages 91–105

Word choices:sympathycomfortenvyanger- some words will not be used

Seeing the sick children fills Judy with

She wants to bring them a little .

4‘Kindness’ is —Pages 91–105

5To be ‘gentle’ is to be soft and kind.Pages 91–105

6Something ‘shabby’ is —Pages 91–105

7Fill in each blank with the correct word.Pages 91–105

Word choices:secretlyrecoverloudlyforget- some words will not be used

Judy plans her good deed

so the sick children can more easily .

8Someone ‘generous’ is —Pages 91–105

9A ‘patient’ is —Pages 91–105

10To ‘heal’ is to make something worse.Pages 91–105

Part 2

Comprehension

How well do you understand pages 91–105?

🧠Knowledge Bank · Watching a Character Change

Reading Skill · Character ChangeCharacters, like real people, can change across a story. The Judy at the end is not quite the Judy from the start. To track a change, notice how a character acts early on, then watch for moments that shift her thinking. Ask, ‘What is different now, and why?’ Judy begins by chasing fame for herself and slowly learns to think of others. Following this change is one of the best parts of reading, because it shows how people grow. A character who learns something is a character who feels wonderfully real.

🧠Knowledge Bank question

1The Knowledge Bank says that to track a change in a character you should ___.Pages 91–105

2Who does Judy meet there?Pages 91–105

3What does Laura show Judy?Pages 91–105

4The hospital’s dolls are shabby and worn out.Pages 91–105

5Write the numbers 1–5 in the boxes to show the correct order across Part 7. Number 1 = what happens first.Pages 91–105

Judy meets Laura, a sick girl there.
Judy visits the children’s hospital.
Judy feels a wave of sympathy, forgetting about fame.
Laura shows Judy the hospital’s shabby old dolls.
Judy secretly decides to give her doll collection to the sick kids.

6Judy feels sympathy for the sick children.Pages 91–105

7What does Judy feel, seeing all this?Pages 91–105

8Is Judy thinking about fame in this chapter?Pages 91–105

9Judy secretly decides to donate her doll collection.Pages 91–105

10How is this ‘plan’ different from her others?Pages 91–105

Part 3

Literary Elements

Understanding HOW and WHY Megan McDonald tells the story across pages 91–105.

🧠Knowledge Bank · McDonald’s Word-Craft: The Quiet Turn

Language · Character-Growth SpotlightThe turning point is the moment a story changes direction. It is the hinge the whole book swings on. Megan McDonald does not make Judy’s turn loud or flashy; it happens in a quiet, tender moment of caring for others. This gentle shift is more powerful than any big speech, because it feels honest. After the turning point, nothing is quite the same. As you read, try to spot the exact moment things begin to change for the better. Finding the turning point helps you understand what a story is really trying to teach.

Visual AidThe same girl, before and after

Diagram for the Knowledge Bank on character growth. Card 1 is how the character behaves early on, card 3 is how she behaves later, and the small card between them marks the turning point the Knowledge Bank calls the hinge the whole book swings on. Notice how small the middle card is: the Knowledge Bank says the turn is quiet and tender, not loud or flashy.

The turning point in a character, as described in the Knowledge Bank. Drawn for Garden Heights Academy.

📚 Literary Devices in This Part · definitions & examples

The turning point is the moment a story’s direction changes — here, from chasing fame to helping others. Character growth is how a character changes inside over a story; Judy grows from self-focused to caring. It is powered by empathy (also called sympathy) — feeling with another person’s trouble.

🧠Knowledge Bank question

1According to the Knowledge Bank, the turning point of a story is ___.Pages 91–105

2A turning point is the moment a story changes direction.Pages 91–105

3Fill in each blank with the correct word.Pages 91–105

Word choices:turning pointcharacter growthplotsetting- some words will not be used

The hospital visit that changes everything is the

Judy shifting from selfish to kind shows her .

4Judy changing from fame-chasing to kind is her —Pages 91–105

5Character growth is when a character changes for the better.Pages 91–105

6Fill in each blank with the correct word.Pages 91–105

Word choices:character growthturning pointplotmood- some words will not be used

Judy becoming kinder is her

The scene where the story pivots is the .

7The moment Judy’s story pivots from selfish to selfless is the —Pages 91–105

8Judy learning to think of others is her —Pages 91–105

9Fill in each blank with the correct word.Pages 91–105

Word choices:turning pointcharacter growthplotsetting- some words will not be used

The scene that changes the story’s course is the

Judy becoming a better person shows her .

10The turning point mainly makes Judy’s character feel —Pages 91–105

Part 4

Think Deeper

Four deeper challenges — no single-word recall. Read, weigh the evidence, and reason it through.

🧠Knowledge Bank · The Moment Everything Turns

Psychology · KindnessThe biggest change in Judy’s heart does not come from winning or showing off. It comes from a small, quiet act of kindness. When she stops thinking only about herself and starts helping others, something inside her turns. Kindness has a special power: it makes both the giver and the receiver feel good. You do not need a crowd or a camera to be kind — you just need to notice someone who could use a little help. The gentlest deeds often make the biggest difference. A kind heart is worth more than any fame.

1Claim: “At the hospital Judy notices someone else’s needs instead of her own fame.” — choose the two details that best prove it.Claim & Evidence

2Shows Judy turning outward to others, or just a detail of the scene? Tap each item to sort it — tap again to switch sides. You can keep tapping to change your answer.Sort into two

◄ Turning outward to othersJust a detail ►

3Match each cause to its result. For each cause, pick its result.Cause & Effect

Judy goes to the hospital→

Laura shows her the play dolls→

The dolls are neglected→

Judy thinks of others→

🧠Knowledge Bank question

4Fill both blanks to complete the reasoning.Build the Argument

The Knowledge Bank says the biggest change in Judy’s heart comes from , and it happens when she .

Part 5

Standardized Test

Key Details & Inference — SAT & TOEFL-style practice

Comfort as Medicine in the Hospital

A hospital is a place built entirely around one goal: helping sick and injured people get well. Inside work many kinds of carers — doctors, nurses, and specialists — and among the most skilled are surgeons, doctors trained to perform operations that repair the body from the inside. Some of the most delicate operations of all are on the heart, the tireless muscle that pumps blood to every corner of the body. Because the heart is so vital, heart surgery must be done with extraordinary care, and afterward the patient needs plenty of time to recover before returning to normal life. Healing, doctors have learned, is not only about medicine. A patient who feels calm, cheerful, and cared for often gets better faster than one who is frightened and lonely. That is why hospitals for children work so hard to make their wards friendly places, with bright colors, kind visitors, and toys to hold, because comfort itself is a kind of medicine.

Original passage written for Garden Heights — not a quotation from the novel.

1What is a hospital built around?TOEFL · Factual Information

2A “surgeon” is a doctor trained to —TOEFL · Factual Information

3In the passage, surgery is ___.SAT · Words in Context

4The passage suggests that comfort can act like a kind of —SAT · Inference

5In the passage, to recover is to ___.SAT · Words in Context

6What have doctors learned about healing?TOEFL · Factual Information

7Why do children’s wards use bright colors, kind visitors, and toys?SAT · Inference

8The passage mainly argues that a soft toy in a sick child’s arms can —SAT · Rhetorical Purpose

9In the passage, comfort is ___.SAT · Words in Context

10How does this passage connect to Judy’s plan?TOEFL · Rhetorical Purpose

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 7 “A Small Kindness”

Judy quietly decides to help sick children she barely knows. Write about a small kindness — one you did, one someone did for you, or one you could do for someone who is having a hard time. Why do small kind acts matter so much? Write at least 40 words.

You can start with: “One small kindness that mattered was…”

0 / 40 words minimum

🗣 Teach It · Just for Fun (optional)

No right or wrong — close the screen and tell someone nearby who Laura is and what Judy quietly decides to do with the dolls. Can’t find anyone? Tell yourself out loud. The moment you teach it, you truly understand it.

Part 7 Complete!

You finished pages 91–105 of Judy Moody Gets Famous!.

Here are your auto-graded results:

-

points out of 100

Teach it to someone

The best last step is to teach it. In your own words, explain what happened — retell a favorite scene, teach a character’s big choice, or sum up the main idea for a parent, friend, or classmate. When you can teach it clearly, you truly own it.

Move on to Part 8 →

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.