And now for the latest Judy Moody book, number eight in the popular series about that pun-loving third grader with PMS. Your readers who don't know Judy yet will dive for the rest of the series, with its good-natured wordplay, riddles, and an ear for how real third graders talk. They'll also take a shine to her little brother, Stink, who has his own series, too, starting with Stink!: The Incredible Shrinking Kid. And they'll find lots of "Way-Not-Boring Fun Stuff to Do" at www.judymoody.com and www.stinkmoody.com.

Substitute teacher Mrs. Grossman hands out candy to all of her students for good behavior, except to Judy, who is in one of her famous moods. Instead, she hands Judy a note to take home to her parents because of her inattentiveness in math. The result? Mom and Dad get her a tutor. Judy is in a snit at the notion of being a "tutor tot," as she calls it, until she realizes where she'll be going for her math sessions: to college.

Chloe Canfield, a college student at Colonial College, is called C-Squared by her friends because of her name and the fact that she's so into math. "Math is everywhere. Math is a fact of life," she announces to the initially skeptical Judy. All it takes is one trip to the campus hangout, the Coffee Catz, where the two play the Game of Life, for Judy to change her attitude. Judy finds it crucial, being at college. Crucial? You know-good, awesome, or as Judy usually puts it, rare. Chloe is the bomb, especially when she invites Judy to spend a whole Saturday on campus. Pretty soon, Judy is dressing like a co-ed, decorating her bedroom like a dorm room, and even doing yoga. And, in a satisfying last chapter, the whole third grade class accompanies Judy on a field trip to Chloe's school.

Not only does Chloe get Judy in the math groove, she teaches her to talk college, a whole new lingo. (For your 411, Judy Moody includes a two-page listing of college slang at the back of her book. It's so money.) Kids can write up can compile their own dictionary of slang-what's in, what's hot. Even third graders have their own lingo.

Here's an idea. In 2007, Claudia Andreski, principal of McKinley School in Westfield, NJ, took 400 students to Kean University, where they had a reading rally day celebration. If you think Judy Moody was jazzed at going to college, imagine the inspiration it gave the kids at McKinley School. If we want our children to do better in school and to continue on to college, what a wonderful endeavor this would be to motivate them in a concrete and unforgettable way. Teachers and parents, bring your kids to college and let them see firsthand how cool it would be to go there.

THEMES: BROTHERS AND SISTERS. ENGLISH LANGUAGE. HUMOROUS FICTION. MATHEMATICS. SCHOOLS. SLANG. SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS. TEACHERS. TUTORS AND TUTORING. UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES. VOCABULARY.