junie b. jones- The Sass Queen
My childhood heart is beaming while reading my series, Junie B. Jones. This series has a special place in my life, as the first and full book I ever completed on my own, reading out loud to my own private school room. My childhood bedroom was painted with clouds as I read Junie B. and her wild adventures; though reading this series is much different as an adult. Junie B. Jones is my nightmare as a future educator; hyped up, sassy and opinionated. Junie B. has a loud personality, verbally and physically and the books makes this clear as day. In a conversation between Junie B. Jones and a fellow classmate in first grade Junie declares
“Now mind your own beeswax, you snoopy pooper, May.”
The star of the show is obviously Junie B. Jones while all others are merely helpers, including her teachers “Mrs.” And “Mr. Scary”. This book makes my heart warm for the words used, in such a form that a child would, as if the writer is narrating as a 6 year old. That being said, some of the writing would make me nervous if readers were aged out of the grade aimed for, most of the writing is easily put and easy to read, ideal for younger readers, much too immature level wise for older readers.
“His name is Principle.
Principal is a baldy.
He talked to us.”
Younger readers, mostly populated near first grade, are ideal. Mostly young feminine individuals would probably enjoy this reading, as Junie B. Jones isn’t known for her sports teams and adventures. The assumption that is related to the characters in this book, is creating the image of children pretty well.
“I held my foot way high in the air.
‘See how shiny they are? Before I put them on, I licked them.’”
Barbara Park paints the imagery of impatient children, eager to participate, share and overshare. Even though this series may not be ideal for advanced readers, it may be a fun book to read out loud to a future classroom. The character build and voices would be very inviting for a group reading, creating a fun environment for reading out loud.
One Reply to “junie b. jones- The Sass Queen”
I LOVED some of your descriptions of Junie B. Jones! I never read those books as a kid, but just reading this made me wish that I did. From the info you gave, I feel like I was Junie; very energetic and opinionated. I am now very interested in this series and want to add it to my future class library list!