Judy Moody, M.D. Read Free Page A

promise,” said Judy. Stink went over to his closet. He pulled down a dusty box from the shelf. A box with all his baby stuff.
    “Hurry up. I can’t stand it!” said Judy. Stink opened the box and took out a baby-food jar. There was something in the jar. Something that looked like a shriveled-up, shrunken dead worm.
    “Yee-uck. What is it? A petrified worm? Or one-hundred-year-old burnt spaghetti?”
    “No, Einstein. It’s my bellybutton!”
    “Your bellybutton?”
    “You know. That thing that falls off your bellybutton when you’re born.”
    “For real and true?”
    “Yes, for real. When Mom brought me home from the hospital —”
    “But you were born in a Jeep!”
    “You know what I mean. When I came home, I had a thing on my bellybutton. You have to wait for it to fall off. Mom said you wanted to keep it.”
    “Me? So, then, really it’s mine?”
    “NO! It’s
my
body part. I used to be an outie. Now I’m an innie.” Stink lifted up his shirt. “See?”
    “RARE!” said Judy. “I can’t wait for my class”— Stink gave her a starey, glarey look —“to NOT know about this. Ever.”
    Stink put the jar with his wormy old burnt-spaghetti bellybutton on the desk. “You know what’s so great about this bellybutton?”
    “What?” asked Judy.
    “That you don’t have one!” said Stink. He laughed himself silly. “But if you give me a million dollars, I’ll let you take my bellybutton to school.”
    “How about five dollars?”
    “A million dollars or you’ll never, not ever, touch my bellybutton!” said Stink.

Wednesday. Wednesday was her Sharing Day! Judy was going to have the best share ever. She couldn’t wait two weeks until her Human Body project was due. She, Judy Moody, would Show and Tell about Stink’s bellybutton. To-day. All she had to do was steal it.
    Judy waited for Stink to go downstairs for breakfast. She tiptoed into his room, took down the box of baby stuff, grabbed Stink’s bellybutton jar, and hid it in the secret inside pocket of her backpack.
    As soon as the bell rang, Mr. Todd asked Class 3T to form a Sharing Circle. It was Rocky’s day to share, too. And Jessica Finch. Jessica said she’d brought an especially special share. But Judy just knew her bellybutton had to be the specialest!
    Rocky went first. His share was a Lego. Judy thought one Lego was boring, until Rocky conducted an experiment on it. He put it in a petri dish and poured some stuff on it. The Lego turned black-as-dirt from all the germs on it.
    “Eee-yew!” said Jessica Finch. “Germs!” Germs made her squirm.
    “There’s a fungus among us,” said Frank.
    “I had lice before,” said Bradley. “In my hair!”
    “Me too!” said Alison S.
    “Ick,” said Dylan, backing away from the circle.
    “Millions of bacteria are on us all the time,” said Rocky. “On our heads, up our noses, between our toes.”
    “That’s right,” said Mr. Todd. “Each one of us is our own ecosystem. We carry around millions of critters too tiny to see.”
    “Like a human rain forest?” asked Judy.
    “Exactly,” said Mr. Todd. “Now do you see why I’m always after all of you to wash your hands?”
    “I have something that’s not germs,” Jessica said. “My guinea pig, Chester, was a boy, but he turned out to be a girl and had babies.” Jessica Finch held up a picture. “Nutmeg, Jasmine, Coco, and Cindy, short for Cinnamon. The Spice Girls!”

    “Aww!” everybody said. “Cute!” Judy took a look. All she could see were hairballs. Bellybuttons were way more scientific than hairballs!
    “Judy, did you bring anything to share?” asked Mr. Todd.
    “Yes,” said Judy. She held the baby-food jar behind her back. “See, when you’re a baby and you first come out, there’s a thingy attached to your bellybutton. Then it falls off and your mom and dad find out if you’re an innie or an outie.”
    “I’m an innie!” said Frank.
    “Ooh. I’m a way-outie!” said Bradley, showing off his