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“Wait,” said Judy. “Before anyone puts the ring on, I’m going to make a prediction.”

Judy looked at the chart that came with the mood ring. Amber meant Nervous, Tense. Rocky was nervous about the math test.

“Madame M predicts the ring will turn amber on Rocky,” said Judy. Rocky slid the ring onto his finger. It turned black.

“Madame M is W-R-O-N-G!” said Rocky.

“Just wait!” Judy said. “The mood ring doesn’t lie.” Everybody crowded around Rocky to watch. Slowly, it did turn amber, just like Judy said!

“How did you know?” asked Rocky.

“Madame M knows all,” said Judy. “I predict it will be light blue on Frank. I can feel it,” said Judy.

“Is blue sad?” asked Frank. “Because I don’t feel sad. And I don’t want to think of sad things. Like the time I didn’t have a club for my Me Collage and the time I was a human centipede and somebody broke my finger.”

“Boo-hoo. Dark blue is Unhappy, Sad. C’mon, just try the ring on!”

Frank slipped the ring onto his finger.

Judy crossed her fingers and whispered to herself, “Light blue, light blue, light blue.” Not a minute later the ring turned light blue.

“Same-same!” said Judy. “Light blue is Happy, Glad. That’s the color it turned on me, too.”

“Ooh-ooh! Frank got the same color as Judy!”

“Frank Pearl and Judy are in love!” everybody teased.

“Frank Pearl’s getting married. To Judy Moody! And he already has the ring!” Frank turned bright red. He practically threw the ring at Jessica Finch.

“I hope it’s pink on me,” said Jessica.

“There is no pink,” said Judy. “But there’s GREEN,” she said loudly to the ring.

Before Jessica could try the ring on, the bell rang and recess was over.

In Science, Mr. Todd was talking about weather and the world’s temperature rising. Judy sharpened her pencil with her mood-ring hand. She threw trash in the trash can with her mood-ring hand. She passed a note to Frank with her mood-ring hand.

Judy did not see Mr. Todd’s temperature rising!

“I wish I had a mood ring,” whispered Jessica Finch.

“You have to eat a lot of cereal,” Judy whispered back, a little too loudly.

“Judy, is there a problem?” asked Mr. Todd.

“No,” said Judy, sitting on her hands.

As soon as Mr. Todd turned back to the board, Judy played with her ring to make Jessica jealous. She twisted the ring. She twirled the ring. She spun the ring on her finger. It flew off, hit Mr. Todd’s desk, and landed at Mr. Todd’s feet.

Mr. Todd bent over and picked it up. “Judy,” he said, “I’m afraid I’ll have to keep the ring for you until the end of the day.”

Judy turned one, two, three shades of red. Even Madame M had not predicted the mood ring would get her into trouble.

Mr. Todd slipped the ring onto the top of his index finger. He opened his desk drawer. As he put it away, Judy thought she caught a glimpse of color.

Could it be? No. Wait. Maybe. It was! YES! Judy was 3/4 sure. She was 9/10 sure. Mr. Todd might have the ring, but she, Judy Moody, had seen red. Red as in Red Hots. Red as in ruby slippers.

RARE squared!

That night, Judy met Frank at the library to study for the spelling test.

“Hey! You got your mood ring back from Mr. Todd,” said Frank when Judy arrived.

“Yes!” said Judy, holding up her hand to admire it. She would never, ever, not ever take her mood ring off again until it turned positively purple. Except at school, of course. Mr. Todd said no more mood rings at school. While she was at school, she would be sure to keep it safe. Hidden in her extra-special baby-tooth box.

“Speaking of Mr. Todd, have you seen the spelling words?” asked Frank. “They are hard, as in D-I-F-F-I-C-U-L-T!”

Judy looked at the list. “Woodbine! What in the world’s a woodbine?”

“Who knows?” asked Frank.

Frank went to get the big dictionary. He came back carrying it like it weighed a hundred pounds. They opened it on the table.

“‘Wood-bine,’ Judy read out loud. “‘A vine that wraps around trees.’”

“‘Also called Virginia creeper,’” read Frank.

“RARE!” said Judy.

“Creepy!” said Frank.

“I’m tired of studying,” said Judy.

“Tired?! We only learned one word!” said Frank.

“Let’s