Junie B. Jones
Books that Make you Laugh
The first Junie B. Jones book was published in July 1992. Since that time, Barbara Park has written a total of twenty-seven Junie B. books and sold more than 43 million copies!
Ms. Park is considered one of today’s funniest children's authors. Her Junie B. Jones early chapter books are consistently on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists.Despite the best-seller status, this series is actually controverisal! Junie B. is a bit of a smart aleck, she doesn't use proper grammar, and she has a temper. In the spirit of Pippi Longstocking or Ramona Quimby, Junie B. is a fiesty girl who finds herself in many humorous misadventures.
The books follow Junie B. through her kindergarten and first grade school years. Appropriately, the target audience for these books are 4-8 year old readers, especially girls, but many boys love the crazy antics of Junie B.
The Junie B. Jones series are early chapter books, great for motivating reluctant learners to read because of their silly but very realistic humor.
Junie B. Jones Online
Find Junie B. printables or online games. Read an interview with the author Barbara Park. Or find out more about the controversy over Junie B. through these links.
- Official Junie B. Jones Website
At Random House publishers, there is an excellent website devoted to Junie B. There are activities and a letter from Junie B. You can also find information about Barbara Park, the author of the series. - Is Junie B. Jones Talking Trash?
A great article from The New York Times about the Junie B. Jones series. Read the reasoning behind some people's objections to this fun-loving series. - Reading is Fundamental
An interview with Barbara Park. - Theatreworks USA
Theatreworks USA has created a Junie B. Jones stage performance! At this website, you can find a nice PDF with reproducible activities to go along with your Junie B. reading.
Boxed Sets -- Junie B. in Kindergarten - books one through sixteen
These sixteen titles, packaged in four boxed sets, follow Junie B.'s hilarious adventures through her kindergarten year.
My Own Opinions on Junie B.
I am currently homeschooling my daughter. I also have experience teaching in public schools. So what do I think of Junie B. Jones? Are these books worth buying? Are they worth reading?
Well, I'll admit, no, Junie B. books are not quality literature. They do not qualify as living books. Instead, they are fun, silly, simple books for developing readers to breeze through just for fun.
Consider them the Twinkies of your reading diet. A Twinkie every now and then is okay. An entire diet of them would not be good. Junie B. Jones novels are not the meat of your child's reading diet. They are an occasional treat or dessert. But used as such, they do have a place in a home library. Hodgepodge Mom agrees with me.
Don't worry. Your child will outgrow the silly humor and crazy grammar quickly enough. But at the stage between five and eight years old, Junie B. can be a lot of fluffy fun. And isn't childhood just the time for such things?
