Barbara Park

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Barbara Park (b. 1947) grew up in Mount Holly, New Jersey and is a children's books author. Her first book, Operation: Dump the Chump, was published in 1979. [1]

She is the daughter of a merchant and a secretary. From 1965 to 1967, she attended Rider College, later finishing her B.S. in 1969 at the University of Alabama. She married Richard A. Park in 1969. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona and has two sons, Steven and David, who are now both out of college.

Park is well-known for her series of books for beginning readers starring the character Junie B. Jones.

Humor permeates Barbara Park's books for children. The author says that having two sons has influenced her writing and kept her tuned into situations that are humorous to children. She feels that by preserving and nurturing the child in her own personality she maintains her creativity.

In her book, Don't Make Me Smile, Charlie has to deal with his parents' divorce. While divorce is a serious subject, the book is filled with humor, creating a balance between sadness and laughter. The main character is portrayed as an exasperating and funny kid who is likeable to the reader as he gradually accepts all the changes in his life.

Barbara Park's character specialty is the underdog in life: The child who is neither popular nor in control of his circumstances. This type of character is a great vehicle for humor. In Skinnybones, Park's most popular book, main character Alex Frankovitch is a bad baseball player but his Little League exploits make readers laugh. Skinnybones has won many children's book awards chosen by children. In 1988, Park wrote a sequel to it called Almost Starring Skinnybones.

She also wrote a book called Buddies, about a group of girls at camp who have to get rid of an outsider.

She has a golden retriever named Maggie.