Junie B. Jones

Junie B. Jones is a fictional children's book series written by Barbara Park and illustrated by Denise Brunkus. Published by Random House from 1992-2013, the stories begin with Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus, in which Junie B. is an "almost six year old" starting her first day of kindergarten. The B stands for Beatrice, and she doesn't like that name.

Characters

Juniper "Junie B." Jones: The series' title character and main protagonist, Junie B., lives with her parents Robert and Susan, and her baby brother Ollie. Her birthday is in the month of June. She also has a dog named Tickle. She is 5 years old in the first kindergarten adventures, and six years old in the first grade stories. Junie B. is friendly and has a bright personality.[1] In kindergarten, her two best friends are Lucille and Grace. In the first grade, her best friends are Herb, José, and Lennie. Junie B. has two rivals: Jim in kindergarten and May in first grade. In kindergarten, her classroom is Room Nine, and in First Grade, Room One. Junie B.'s favorite foods are spaghetti and meatballs, lemon pie, and ice cream. She has many catchphrases, such as "Wowie wow wow!", "Yeah, only", and "Hello! How are you today?". She is afraid of roosters because she thinks "they can peck your head into a nub", ponies because she thinks "they can stomple you to the ground and kill you", and clowns because she thinks "they are not normal people". She is shown to have reddish-brown hair and blue-green eyes. In the kindergarten series she was shown with short hair and a bow, she wears a pink sweater, purple skirt, white socks and signature black Mary Jane shoes. In the first grade series she had longer, messier hair, wore pants, and the bow was dropped, being replaced by her purple glasses. In Junie B. Jones is A Beauty Shop Guy, she is shown that she wants to be a "beauty shop guy" herself.

It is unknown which state the Jones family is from, but it is possible that they live in a warm area due to there never appearing to be any snow and Junie B. sweating with her jacket on in "Junie B. Jones is Not a Crook." Also, Ollie was born in December (since he was 10 months old in October), but there is a scene in "A Little Monkey Business" where Junie B. and Ricardo are outside, and neither of them are wearing winter clothes. Some fans say that Junie B. is from Arizona like Barbara Park, but this has never been confirmed.

Robert "Bob" Jones: Junie B. and Ollie's loving father, whom Junie B. calls "Daddy." He takes Junie B. to the beauty shop with him in Junie B. Jones is a Beauty Shop Guy, where she causes a disaster. In Junie B., First Grader: One Man Band, he teaches Junie B. to juggle. Robert is said to be playful and silly around his daughter. In Junie B. Jones is a Beauty Shop Guy, Junie B. says "he has other names too. Some people call him Bob, and other people call him Bobby. Plus today Mother called him Ace."

Philip Johnny Bob: Junie B.'s beloved stuffed elephant. She brings him on trips with her, as seen in Junie B. Jones is a Party Animal and Aloha-ha-ha!. Junie B. seems to feel a lot safer when he is around, as shown in Junie B. Jones has a Monster Under her Bed and BOO! And I MEAN It!. In "Aloha-ha-ha!", Junie B.'s mother brings her a new Hawaiian Barbie doll which Junie B. names Delores. Philip Johnny Bob is shown to dislike Delores because of her "pointy, hard hands" poking him in the backpack while on the trip to Hawaii. Delores is only mentioned in this book.

Susan Jones: Junie B.'s and Ollie's protective but caring mother, whom Junie B. calls "Mother." Since Junie B. loves ice cream, Susan made a rule at the grocery store that Junie B. can't shout "I WANT ICE CREAM!" and not to call her a "big meanie" when she won't buy it. It's possible that Susan's maiden name was Susan B. Miller, and that Frank and Helen Miller are Susan's parents. She is shown to have short, blonde hair and wears make-up. In Top Secret Personal Beeswax, Junie B. says "sometimes Daddy calls her Buttercup. That is ridiculous, I think." In Junie B.'s Essential Survival Guide to School she is said to have been at a school called Brainerd Elementary in 1st grade between 1983 and 1984 on her old report card, which she did not do so well on. Junie B. sees the report card and says "Mother was a bad kid."

Oliver "Ollie" Jones: Junie B.'s baby brother. He is born in the book Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business. He is said to be ten months old in the month of October, so he is probably born in December. Junie B. dislikes her brother, and they have somewhat of a sibling rivalry. However, she does show that she cares for him sometimes, like in Junie B., First Grader: Toothless Wonder where Junie B. concludes that Ollie's first tooth was the baby tooth Junie B. lost, and she smiles at him. Ollie's first word was "moo" which was revealed in Junie B., First Grader: BOO...and I MEAN It! which was the reason he was dressed up in a cow suit. In Junie B. Jones and That Meanie Jim's Birthday he is shown to have a hard time to get to sleep .

Frank Miller: Junie B.'s grandfather, or as she calls him, Grampa Miller. Grampa Miller, along with his wife, Helen Miller, babysits for her and her brother while their parents are at work. Junie B. calls Grampa Miller her "favoritest babysitter 'cause he doesn't even follow the 'structions!" In Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business, he is shown to be a smoker and smokes a cigar indoors. Junie B. enjoys helping him fix the upstairs toilet and "touching the big ball that floats on top."

Helen Miller: Junie B.'s grandmother, Grandma Miller. Grandma Miller also babysits for Junie B. and her brother on occasion. Junie B. often calls her grandmother by her first name, Helen, much to Helen's annoyance. Grandma Miller has a pet canary bird named Twitter.

Tickle: Junie B.'s dog of unknown breed. He has short yellowish fur. He has been around since before Junie B. was born. Junie B. practices hairstyling by cutting his fur in "Junie B. Jones is a Beauty Shop Guy". Also, she once fed him sugary cereal, causing him to throw up on a rug. Susan will not allow him on Junie B.'s bed, as revealed in "Junie B. Jones Has a Monster Under Her Bed." He appears less often in the first grade books, implying that he may have died after Top Secret Personal Beeswax.

Friends

Lucille: Junie B.'s rich, beautiful, but rather spoiled best friend in kindergarten. She has a grandmother who pampers her and always gives her what she wants except dogs, since Nana is allergic to them. Although Lucille is in Junie B.'s first grade class, she and Junie B are still good friends, but she gives 2 twins a turn to be her best friend in the beginning of the first grade and befriends the African-American twins, Camille and Chenille (who both resemble Grace somewhat). Junie B. says that she doesn't like Lucille very much in the first grade series, although they somewhat get along during an egg hunt. She also didn't like her in Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth. In the kindergarten books, she is shown to have brown hair, although in the first grade books, she is shown to have blond hair. She likes to wear lacy socks with bows on them. She also has an older brother.

Grace (That Grace): Junie B.'s athletic, African-American best friend in kindergarten. Like Junie B., she has a baby brother. Grace is a very fast runner and wears pink high-top sneakers. In contrast with Junie B., Grace is very well-behaved, and she speaks with proper grammar. She sits with Junie B. every day on the school bus in Kindergarten. In first grade she makes a new friend named Bobbi Jean Piper, whom Junie B. shares a rivalry with. In kindergarten Junie B. calls Grace "That Grace". Grace is known to be competitive and a bit of a show-off. She sometimes fights with Lucille. She also has a younger brother and an older sister. Warren becomes Grace's boyfriend, Junie B. is not ok with it, showing feelings of jealousy. Her grandmother has a condo in Florida.

Ricardo: Junie B.'s "boyfriend" in kindergarten until Junie B. Jones is (Almost) a Flower Girl where Junie B. confronts him about chasing "New" Thelma during recess and says that only boyfriends and girlfriends should chase each other. In which Ricardo tells her that they should start "chasing other people" and leaves, much to Junie B.'s dismay. He likes monkeys.

Paulie Allen Puffer: A boy in Junie B.'s kindergarten class that often tells her scary or funny stories which she always believes are true. In Junie B. Jones Has a Monster Under Her Bed, he tells her about the monster that lives under the bed which rekindles her fear of monsters. In Junie B. Jones is a Graduation Girl he tells her that being in the first grade is really fun because they are the boss of the kindergarteners. He seems to be one of the oldest students in the class, since he turned six in "Junie B. Jones and that Meanie Jim's Birthday." He is best friends with Jim. In Junie B., First Grader: BOO...and I MEAN It! it is said that he tells Junie B. "five scary secrets" from kindergarten. He also has an older brother in the seventh grade.

William: A very shy and soft spoken boy who Junie B. says would be easy for her to beat up. She refers to him as "Crybaby William". He can be upset very easily as seen in Junie B. Jones and That Meanie Jim's Birthday when she runs past him stealing his invitation. He also has stage fright as seen in Junie B. Jones Smells Something Fishy when he became nervous after the teacher asked him if he'd like to take out his pet bullfrog and also in Junie B. Jones is a Graduation Girl when he tries to run away to the school parking lot during graduation rehearsal. Also in Junie B. Jones Is Captain Field Day when it was almost William's turn to play a game, he told Junie B. Jones he was never good at it, but he came through in the Pull Up game.

Herbert (Herb): Junie B.'s best friend in first grade. He seems to dislike May as much as Junie B. does. In Junie B. Top Secret Personal Beeswax, he and Junie B. seem to have a crush on each other.

Jose: Another one of Junie B.'s best friends in first grade. He is Hispanic and speaks Spanish. He plays soccer. Sometimes, he greets Junie B. in Spanish. He won the bouquet of flowers for his mom in Junie B., First Grader: Dumb Bunny. He has a sister. Jose has his own remote control.

Leonard aka Lennie: Another one of Junie B.'s best friends in first grade. He is quiet and almost always agrees with Junie B.. Lennie has spiky hair. He has a washcloth puppet. In Dumb Bunny, he and Shirley mention that they are Jewish.

Sheldon Potts: A good friend of Junie B. in first grade. He is one of a handful of characters whose first and last names are known. Sheldon is known for showing his bare feet in class when taking off his shoes and socks. He can be awfully shy in front of a crowd as revealed in Junie B., First Grader: One Man Band. In Junie B., First Grader: Dumb Bunny, he and Lucille are shown to have a crush on each other. He is shown to have blonde hair. Sheldon takes multi-vitamins due to his many food allergies.

Shirley: another good friend of Junie B. in first grade. Although there is not much is known about her, she sometimes chats with Junie B. She is shown to have short black hair. She has a dog named Stinky. In Dumb Bunny, she mentions that she and Lennie are Jewish.

Roger: a boy with freckles who was in both the kindergarten and first grade classes. Not much is known about him. A boy named Jeff Hooks stole his money once, as revealed in the Christmas book.

Jamal Hall: a boy in the kindergarten class. His mother is the art teacher.

Charlotte: a girl in the kindergarten class. She doesn't always get along with Junie B. In the book Junie B. Jones Has a Peep in Her Pocket, Charlotte sees Junie B.'s drawing of a rooster stuck under a tree and says that she hates it, to which Junie B. replies "You wouldn't say that if your head was a nub, sister." She somewhat resembles May except she doesn't have freckles and wears glasses.

Rivals

May Murkee: a girl who sits next to Junie B in the first grade part of the series. Junie B.doesn't like her because she won't say her B in her name and just calls her Junie Jones (except during the end of the Christmas book). She tattletales to Mr. Scary about Junie B. They get into arguments a lot and May gets annoyed with Junie B. when she tries to talk to her neighbor or she does something Mr. Scary had told her not to do. Junie B. refers to her as blabber-mouth May. They are never shown to like each other at all, although they do get along in one book. Her last name is Murkee, as revealed in Turkeys We Have Loved And Eaten (And Other Thankful Stuff).

Jim: Junie B. and Jim are said to hate each other until Junie B. Jones and the Mushy Gushy Valentine when he gives a nice valentine to her. He tries to keep it a secret but he accidentally gives the game away when she catches him looking at the card while the rest of the children are on the playground. He tries to cover it up but he realizes that it is too late when she says his words are "sputtery." He then admits that he's always liked her and that she makes Room Nine "sparky." Although the reason is unknown it seems that not a hint of friendship it is shown throughout the rest of the series. Jim as well as most of the kindergarten children are never shown again and calls her "Goony Bird Jones."

Teachers

Mrs.: Junie B.'s kindergarten teacher and in charge of Room Nine. In all of the Kindergarten adventures, Junie B. says: "Her name is Mrs. She has another name too but I just like Mrs. and that's all." In the first book, Junie B. says that she does not remember the teacher's last name. In Junie B. Jones and Some Sneaky Peeky Spying, Junie B. catches Mrs. stealing grapes while at a grocery store and kissing her husband.

Mr. Scary: Junie B.'s kind, warm, first grade teacher at this time. She believes that he made up his name because he is actually very nice and "doesn't even scare her, hardly." He makes his class keep journals, where they write about whatever subjects they want. Mr. Scary often has to break up Junie B. and May's arguments. He can also be very firm when Junie B. and May tattle on each other.

Principal: the principal at Junie B.'s school, whom she believes lives in his office and is "the king of the school, only he doesn't actually wear a crown." She refers to him only as "Principal." They get to know each other pretty well during the kindergarten series since Junie B's antics often wind up getting her sent to the office. Junie B. does not like to go to his office because there is a "grouchy typing lady" in there that is somewhat mean, never smiles, and always "forces" her to sit in a blue chair which she says is "where bad kids have to sit." Her mom eventually made a rule at home that getting herself sent to the office would get her "grounded, young lady."

Gus Vallony: the janitor. He helps Junie B. when she is accidentally locked in the school in Stupid, Smelly Bus. She dresses up as a janitor for career day in Big Fat Mouth. He was born in an unknown foreign country. He cleans up "splat-o" (vomit) in Shipwrecked.

Mrs. Gladys Gutzman: the school cafeteria lady. She brings cookies to the kindergarten students. In Boss of Lunch, Junie B. helps her out in the cafeteria after she complains about how the first graders don't get cookies.

Mrs. Weller: the school nurse. In Junie B. Jones and Some Sneaky Peeky Spying she puts a band-aid on Junie B.'s head after Lucille tells her "it's not a good idea to keep secrets inside your head", after which Junie B. runs into the office yelling "my head's gonna blow!" In First Grader At Last! she tells Junie B. that she needs glasses after Mr. Scary finds out she has issues reading from the boards.

Mr. Toot: the music teacher, who is also in charge of the annual Holiday Sing-Along.

Mrs. Hall: the art teacher. She was mentioned inJunie B. Jones and the Yucky Blucky Fruitcake. She has a son named Jamal.

Books

Since the original book was published by Random House in 1992, twenty-eight other Junie B. Jones books have been published. Twenty-seven books belong to the Junie B. Jones Series and there is also a Junie B. Jones Journal. The Junie B. Jones series has also been translated into the Spanish and French languages as well.

  1. Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus (#1) (1992) (ISBN 0-679-82642-4) It's Junie B.'s first school day, and she hates the bus because her new friend Lucille tells her "she will get chocolate milk poured on her head".
  2. Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business (#2) (1993) (ISBN 0-679-83886-4) Junie B.'s mother gives birth to a baby boy, giving Junie B. her own "monkey brother" due to a misunderstanding with her grandmother.
  3. Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth (#3) (1993) (ISBN 0-679-84407-4) Junie B.'s class is having "Job Day" and everyone is excited, except for Junie B.
  4. Junie B. Jones and Some Sneaky Peeky Spying (#4) (1994) (ISBN 0-679-85101-1) At the grocery store, Junie B. sees her teacher Mrs. eating grapes that she did not purchase.
  5. Junie B. Jones and the Yucky Blucky Fruitcake (#5) (1995) (ISBN 0-679-86694-9) Carnival Night at school will be fun, but Junie B. is so determined to win at everything that she practices for it.......and doesn't win.
  6. Junie B. Jones and That Meanie Jim's Birthday (#6) (1996) (ISBN 0-679-86695-7) Junie B.'s constant bully, Jim, is having a birthday that he doesn't invite her to, and Junie B. feels left out.
  7. Junie B. Jones Loves Handsome Warren (#7) (1996) (ISBN 0-679-86696-5) Junie B.'s friend, Lucille, makes a boyfriend who soon attracts Junie B.'s and Grace's attention.
  8. Junie B. Jones Has a Monster Under Her Bed (#8) (1997) (ISBN 0-679-86697-3) During Picture Day when Junie B. is told by Paulie Allen Puffer that a monster lurks under her bed, she takes desperate actions to make it go away, which also causes her get less sleep.
  9. Junie B. Jones Is Not a Crook (#9) (1997) (ISBN 0-679-88342-8) When somebody steals her favorite mittens, Junie B. tries to get them back.
  10. Junie B. Jones Is a Party Animal (#10) (1997) (ISBN 0-679-88663-X) Junie B.'s friend Lucille invites Junie B. to spend the night at her Nanna's mansion, which causes problems.
  11. Junie B. Jones Is a Beauty Shop Guy (#11) (1998) (ISBN 0-679-88931-0) Junie B. thinks she can be a beauty shop lady, so she decides she needs a little practice, and a few volunteers. But soon she cuts her own hair, which turns out to be a disaster.
  12. Junie B. Jones Smells Something Fishy (#12) (1998) (ISBN 0-679-89130-7) Junie B. thinks a fish stick is a pet and brings it to school for Pet Day after her teacher says she can't bring her dog Tickle.
  13. Junie B. Jones Is (Almost) a Flower Girl (#13) (1999) (ISBN 0-375-80038-7) Junie B.'s Aunt Flo is having a wedding, but Junie B. is not the flower girl and the groom's sister is chosen instead.
  14. Junie B. Jones And The Mushy Gushy Valentine (#14) (1999) (ISBN 0-375-80039-5) Junie B. received a special valentine from a secret admirer.
  15. Junie B. Jones Has a Peep in Her Pocket (#15) (2000) (ISBN 0-375-80040-9) Junie B.'s class is having a field trip to a farm but Junie B. has a problem with farms and barn animals.
  16. Junie B. Jones Is Captain Field Day (#16) (2001) (ISBN 0-375-80291-6) Junie B.'s class is having a field day and guess who the captain is?
  17. Junie B. Jones Is a Graduation Girl (#17) (2001) (ISBN 0-375-90292-9) Junie B. is graduating from kindergarten! The long awaited day is finally here! Unfortunately, Junie B. accidentally ruins her cap and gown with grape juice.
  18. Junie B., First Grader (at last!) (#18) (2001) (ISBN 0-375-80293-2) Junie B. becomes a first grader but she has trouble reading the boards which forces her to get glasses.
  19. Junie B., First Grader: Boss of Lunch (#19) (2002) (ISBN 0-375-81517-1) Junie B. helps around the cafeteria after complaining to Mrs. Gutzman that the first graders don't get cookies.
  20. Junie B., First Grader: Toothless Wonder (#20) (2002) (ISBN 0-375-80295-9) Junie B. loses her second tooth.
  21. Junie B., First Grader: Cheater Pants (#21) (2003) (ISBN 0-375-82301-8) Junie B. copies off May's homework and soon cheats on a test with help from Herb.
  22. Junie B., First Grader: One-Man Band (#22) (2003) (ISBN 0-375-82522-3) After getting injuries resulting from kicking a watering can and having to be in the halftime show with Sheldon at the school's kickball tournament, Sheldon doesn't want to be in the band, so Junie B. does it all herself.
  23. Junie B., First Grader: Shipwrecked (#23) (2004) (ISBN 0-375-82804-4) Junie B. plays a ship in a school play about Christopher Columbus.
  24. Junie B., First Grader: Boo...and I MEAN IT! (#24) (2004) (ISBN 978-0-375-82806-5) At Halloween Junie B. tries to scare people because she thinks some of them are monsters.
  25. Junie B., First Grader: Jingle Bells, Batman Smells (P.S. So Does May) (#25) (2005) (ISBN 0-375-82808-7) Junie B.'s class has a secret Santa game and Junie B. has to get May something. Can coal be the answer?
  26. Junie B., First Grader: Aloha-ha-ha! (#26) (2006) (ISBN 0-375-83403-6) Junie B. goes on vacation to Hawaii with her family.
  27. Junie B., First Grader: Dumb Bunny! (#27) (2007) (ISBN 9780375838095) Lucille is hosting an Easter egg hunt and Junie B. is stuck wearing a Dumb Bunny costume.
  28. Junie B., First Grader: Turkeys We Have Loved and Eaten (and Other Thankful Stuff) (#28) (2012) (ISBN 978-0-375-87063-7) Junie B's class has a competition for which class in the school has the best thankful list. Let's hope room one wins!
  29. Top-Secret, Personal Beeswax: A Journal by Junie B. (#29)(and Me!) (2003) (ISBN 9780375823756). A diary where Junie B. talks about her life, and comes with pages the reader can write in.
  30. Junie B's Essential Survival Guide To School (#30)(2009) In this Junie B. book, Junie B. teaches you how to survive school and what she would do if she is a teacher.
  31. Junie B., First Grader: Turkeys We Have Loved and Eaten (And other thankful stuff) (#31) (2012) The class celebrates Thanksgiving, where the prize for the best Thankful List is a "disgusting" pumpkin pie. This was the 20th anniversary book.
  32. Junie B., First Grader: a New Year! Memories of First Grade (# 32) (TBA)
  33. These Puzzles Hurt My Brain! (2011) An activity book with puzzles based on each book's theme.

Tie-in products include plush dolls, the First Ever Junie B-Shirt (ISBN 9780375831256).

Adaptations

Plays

Film

The only mentioning of a feature-length film based on the books comes from a question and answer thread from the Random House website hosted by Barbara Park herself. Parks replied to the question concerning a film about Junie B. Jones by saying that "Junie B has been pretty successful already living in the readers imagination", so i am happy with that.[5]

Challenges

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 2000-2009.[6] 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 and bad spelling and grammar.[7] While Junie B. Jones writer 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".[8]

Future

After the death of Barbara Park in November 2013, the Junie B. Jones series has been inactive since. A new writer is currently being sought to continue the series.

References

  1. ↑ Junie B. Jones Books (BellaOnline.com)
  2. ↑ Van Gelder, Lawrence (2005-11-12). Irrepressible, Bespectacled Girl Tackles First Grade. The New York Times.
  3. ↑ Welcome to TheatreworksUSA
  4. ↑ Official Junie B. Jones site.
  5. ↑ http://www.randomhouse.com/kids//junieb/author/author.html
  6. ↑ ALA Banned or Challenged Books
  7. ↑ Banned and Dangerous
  8. ↑ Grossman, Anna Jane (July 26, 2007). "Is Junie B. Jones Talking Trash?". The New York Times. Retrieved February 22, 2014.

External links

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