Judy Moody goes to her third-grade class feeling totally ordinary. She sits up front next to her friend, Frank, who points out that their classmate, Jessica, is wearing a crown. Judy acts like she hates it, but she feels envious. She asks Jessica why she’s wearing a costume, and Jessica explains that she won it at the N.V. (North Virginia) Spelling Bee. Judy hears “N.V.” and thinks Jessica means “envy.” Jessica calls herself the Queen Bee and corrects Judy for calling her tiara a crown. Jessica shows Judy the newspaper, which covers the spelling bee and confirms that Jessica is famous.

At home, Judy starts reading the dictionary and spelling out foods in her refrigerator but finds it tedious. Over dinner, Judy gets frustrated by the exceptions to rules in spelling and gives up. She wonders what else she can do to become famous. When she scowls at her food, her dad asks if she’s in one of her “famous moods.”