Judy Moody Gets Famous!

The story’s turning point comes when Judy visits the hospital with Frank and meets Laura, whose quiet resilience and remarkable story inspire Judy to shift her focus from fame to kindness. As the story reaches its resolution, Judy demonstrates personal growth, and her motivation for gaining recognition transforms from purely wanting recognition to seeking Success through Kindness. Judy goes from being self-centered and motivated only by her own desire for fame to discovering the joy and fulfillment of helping others. The catalyst for this change is ironically Frank’s broken finger from the failed human centipede experiment, which leads Judy and Stink to take a trip to the hospital. Meeting Laura puts things into perspective for Judy and gives her something more meaningful to strive toward. The encounter with Laura is a grounding moment that shifts Judy’s thinking away from spectacle and toward substance.

Judy finds that fixing the dolls goes well beyond playing doctor because she is helping people who need it. Judy’s love of science and medicine starts to finally find its footing and give her a real sense of purpose in her life, which replaces the desire for a general sense of fame. This journey is a representation of the formation of identity that occurs in childhood. As children like Judy go through elementary school, they discover their strengths and work on their flaws while learning the importance of self-acceptance and celebrating personal successes. For Judy, this means embracing her creativity and interest in biology not as a means to stand out but as a way to contribute. Her quest for fame was also a way to cultivate a sense of belonging, but leaning into her true skills offers a more gratifying, lasting kind of growth. 

After meeting Laura and hearing how boring it is for her at the hospital, Judy gets to work fixing the dolls. She turns the dolls into hospital patients with smiles on their faces, who are clean and in good repair. By making a doll that resembles Laura, Judy demonstrates empathy and growing maturity as she thinks of others before herself. The choice to give the Laura-inspired doll a visible scar and a heart also reinforces the novel’s discussion of personal growth and awareness. By crafting a doll in Laura’s likeness, Judy makes transformation tangible—she turns admiration and empathy into action. The process not only helps her honor someone else’s story but also reveals her own capacity for care, creativity, and meaningful connection. 

Judy finds fulfillment in helping the children at the hospital, but she also finds the act of bandaging, making casts, and fixing things fun and self-healing. Judy learns to put her own skills and interests toward her success rather than attempting to gain fame through some illegitimate means. The result is that Judy’s Persistence and the Art of Standing Up shines through as she stands proudly in her doctor outfit on the novel’s final page. Judy is still Judy, complete with her famous moods, but she is now more focused on meaningful accomplishments than she was before. This change will set Judy up for a bright future as she takes after her hero, Elizabeth Blackwell. By channeling her energy into service rather than self-promotion, Judy grows into a more empowered and authentic version of herself.

The greatest moment of change and personal growth occurs when Judy does not expect recognition for what she does for the hospital, sending the dolls back anonymously. She is happy knowing that she did something good simply for the sake of making someone else happy. This is why Judy compares herself to Superman. In this moment, Judy redefines fame—not as visibility, but as impact. 

Key illustrations in the story’s final chapters include the moment in which Jessica and Judy play together, and the final scene in which Judy stands proudly in her doctor uniform. Judy becomes the “Phantom Doll Doctor,” an alliterated title that adds a layer of mystery and intrigue to her new mission. It also shows that Judy has discovered a way to be both heroic and humble, choosing action over acknowledgment, though her family recognizes her efforts and places her article on the Moody Hall of Fame.