Junie B. Jones

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Junie B. Jones
AuthorBarbara Park
IllustratorDenise Brunkus
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SubjectChildren's literature
GenreComic novel
PublisherRandom House

Junie B. Jones is a children's book series written by Barbara Park and illustrated by Denise Brunkus. Published by Random House from 1992 to 2013, the story centers around "almost six-year-old" Junie B. Jones and her adventures in kindergarten and first grade.[1]

Books[]

Main article: Bibliography of Barbara Park § Junie B. Jones

Since the original book was published by Random House in 1992, a total of 28 Junie B. Jones books have been published. 27 are stories that take place in the Junie B. Jones series, and one is an activity book entitled Junie B. Jones Journal. The series has been translated into Spanish, Italian and French.

Characters[]

Junie B. Jones: The series' titular main protagonist; a young girl with a free spirited personality.

Family[]

Mother: Junie B.'s mother.

Daddy: Junie B.'s father.

Ollie: Junie B.'s baby brother. He is born in the book Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business. Junie B. often dislikes her brother because she feels he gets more attention than her.

Grampa Miller: Junie B.'s grandfather.

Grandma Miller: Junie B.'s grandmother.

Philip Johnny Bob: Junie B.'s stuffed elephant.

Tickle: Junie B.'s dog.

Aunt Flo: Junie B.'s aunt. She is only mentioned in Junie B. Jones is (Almost) a Flower Girl.

Friends[]

Lucille: Junie B.'s rich and spoiled kindergarten best friend.

Grace: Junie B.'s athletic kindergarten best friend. She is placed in a different first grade class than Junie B., leading to them drifting apart.

Ricardo: Junie B.'s one-sided "boyfriend" in kindergarten.

William: A very shy and soft-spoken boy in Junie B.'s kindergarten class.

Paulie Allan Puffer: A boy from Junie B's kindergarten class who often shares nonsense his older brother told him.

Herb: Junie B.'s best friend in first grade.

José: Another one of Junie B.'s best friends in first grade. José is Latino. He is bilingual as he speaks both English and Spanish.

Lennie: Another one of Junie B.'s best friends in first grade. He is quiet and almost always agrees with Junie B.

Sheldon: A friend of Junie B. in first grade.

Shirley: Another friend of Junie B. in first grade.

Roger: A boy who was in Junie B.'s kindergarten class and first grade class.

Rivals[]

May: A girl who often tattles on Junie B.

Jim: A boy in Junie B.'s kindergarten class. Jim often picks on Junie B. in order to hide his crush on her.

Bobbi Jean Piper: Grace's best friend in first grade.

Camille and Chenille: Two twins who become best friends with Lucille in first grade.

Teachers And School Staff[]

Mrs.: Junie B.'s kindergarten teacher. She doesn't remember the teacher's last name, so she just calls her Mrs.

Mr. Scary: Junie B.'s first grade teacher.

Principal: The principal at Junie B.'s school.

Gus Vallony: The school janitor.

Mrs. Gladys Gutzman: The school cafeteria lady.

Mrs. Weller: The school nurse.

Mr. Woo: Junie B.'s bus driver.

Grouchy Typing Lady: The secretary of the school.

Mr. Toot: The music teacher.

Mrs. Hall: The art teacher.

Reception[]

The Junie B. Jones series came in at #71 on the American Library Association's list of the Top 100 Banned or Challenged Books from 2000 to 2009.[2] Reasons cited are "poor social values taught by the books, and Junie B. Jones not being considered a good role model due to her mouthiness, bad spelling, and grammar".[3]

While Barbara Park appreciated being on banned lists with writers she respected (like Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison), she stopped reading information about her books because the comments were "too hurtful".[4] She once wrote "Some people believe that the value of a children's book can be measured only in terms of the moral lessons it tries to impose or the perfect role models it offers. Personally, I happen to think that a book is of extraordinary value if it gives the reader nothing more than a smile or two. In fact, I happen to think that's huge."[5]

Adaptations[]

Theatrical plays[]

  • Junie B. Jones, theatrical adaptation by Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich, Theatreworks USA[6][7]
  • Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business, theatrical adaptation by Joan Cushing
  • Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus Tour, Random House,[8] tour by Momentum Worldwide
  • 2008 Tour - Caitlin Thurnauer as Junie B. Jones, Jay Paranada as Mr. Woo; tour managed by Michael Barth
  • Junie B. Jones: Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, theatrical adaptation by Allison Gregory; Childsplay. Music composed by Rob Witmer.
  • Junie B. Jones: First Grader: Shipwrecked, theatrical adaptation by Allison Gregory; Childsplay
  • Junie B Jones and a Little Monkey Business, theatrical adaptation performed at B Street Theatre
  • Junie B Jones the Musical

Video games[]

  • Junie B. Jones Top-Secret Personal Beeswax educational video game for the LeapFrog Leapster Learning System.

Film[]

When asked regarding the topic of a feature-length film adaptation based on the books, Barbara Park stated in an interview that "Junie B has been pretty successful already living in the readers' imaginations, so I am happy with that."[9]

References[]

  1. ^ Fox, Margalit (2013-11-18). "Barbara Park, Author of Junie B. Jones Series, Dies at 66". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
  2. ^ "Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009". American Library Association. 2013-03-26. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  3. ^ Goodnow, Cecelia (2005). "Junie B. well-loved despite complaints". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2019-06-15.
  4. ^ Grossman, Anna Jane (July 26, 2007). "Is Junie B. Jones Talking Trash?". The New York Times. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
  5. ^ Minzesheimer, Bob (November 17, 2013). "'Junie B. Jones' author Barbara Park dies at 66". USA Today. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
  6. ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence (2005-11-12). Irrepressible, Bespectacled Girl Tackles First Grade. The New York Times.
  7. ^ Welcome to TheatreworksUSA
  8. ^ Official Junie B. Jones site.
  9. ^ http://www.randomhouse.com/kids//junieb/author/author.html

External links[]

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